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Character Design Program — Course 3 & 4

Character Design Portfolio

Instructed by Rob Chandler, Character Designer with clients: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Comedy Central, and more

Not sure if this is the right course for you? Book a consultation now.

Shape your concept art skills into a career-starting package, with a custom-tailored mentorship that meets where you are.

If character design is your language, this course is your dictionary. From asset development to portfolio theory, you’ll learn what art directors want to see and how to deliver it, quickly and consistently. Character Design Portfolio will unlock the tools you need to develop profound ideas and execute on them to spec.

Your mentor, a seasoned pro working with the biggest names and brands in the game, will give custom tailored guidance and feedback on your work based on your professional goals and ambitions.

Classes are hosted weekly, live and online. Your mentor will lecture on technique, skill, and the history of concept design. Added to that, you’ll join in for demonstrations, critiques, and Q&A sessions, with weekly homework assignments.

Key Takeaways From The 10 Week Course

  • Storytelling in Design

  • Concept Art Power Principles

  • Rendering, Brushwork, and Polish

  • Navigating Creative Space

  • Exploration and Triage

  • Working With a Concept Team

  • What Goes on the T-Shirt

  • Making a Character Feel Real Using Traits and Obligations

  • What Art Directors Want

  • Portfolio Theory

Semester Dates

April 21  – June 22, 2024

Length

10 weeks (23 Live Classes)

Live Classes

Sundays, 10am – 1pm PT

Pricing

$1199

Course Outline

Meet Your Mentor: Rob Chandler

Rob Chandler is a Character Designer and Art Director specializing in shape driven, cartoony design and caricature. Rob graduated from the Ringling College of Art and Design and continued his education at the Art Student’s League of New York. Prior to transitioning to 2D animation Rob worked as a sculptor, interning at LAIKA and building puppets and sets for an unreleased feature with Swaybox.

Notable recent projects include Eminem and Snoop Dogg’s “From the D 2 the LBC” music video and several holiday specials for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Rob’s Art:

Connect with Industry Leading Guest Artists

Every semester, Visual Arts Passage invites 7 guest speakers to connect and share wisdom with all students. These industry leaders answer student questions, complete in-depth demonstrations, review work, and more.

UPCOMING GUEST SPEAKERS

Visual Portfolio, Posts & Image Gallery for WordPress
Illustrator & Painter
Editorial & Publishing Illustrator
Art Director at Lex and Otis Animation
Vice President & Creative Director at Orbit Books
Illustrator & Character Designer
Chief Creative Officer and Art Director at absurd:joy
Chief Creative Officer and Art Director at absurd:joy

BUILD YOUR SKILLS: STUDENT WORK

Assignment: Main Characters

In the second assignment of this course, students will design the main characters for a project collaboratively as a group. Using an understanding of genre, audience, and media, students will develop their designs toward industry-ready portfolio work.

What makes this Mentorship unique?

As a mentorship student, you will gain access to a vast wealth of resources to better your understanding and improve your skills. You will be paired with a high-caliber professional, who will be with you every step of the way.

Live Classes

Every class is delivered live and is fully interactive with lectures, demos, critiques, and guest speakers. Consider this your front row seat.

Connect on Discord

laptop image of zoom art class for illustrators and concept artists

Study Hall

guest speaker events with comic book artist, Afua Richardsons

Guest Speakers

$1199

Payment Installments Available

Even though our courses are the best value, with the high caliber instruction and personalized mentoring, there are finance options available to make the mentorship program financially possible for as many artists as possible. Select Shop Pay or Affirm at checkout to view options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Character Design Portfolio is the third course in the Character Design Program and it's the perfect course for advanced students who have begun to build out their skills in character, creature, and environment design. The course is a 10-week long workshop to continue building and polishing your portfolio to prepare it for the industry.

We recommend this course for students who have already attended Advanced Concept Design or for artists who are already working at an advanced level.

We recommend against jumping straight to Character Design Portfolio, but for some advanced artists, this is feasible. We recommend booking a portfolio review here, but there is no technical requirement to attend a more advanced course.

The Mentorship program is a "get out of it, what you put in" experience. That being said, our courses are structured to accommodate individuals with a busy schedule. We recommend setting aside a minimum of 3 hours for your live course and 2 hours to complete assignments and course work. We highly encourage students to commit more time if their schedule allows.

We encourage students to attend the livestream whenever their schedule permits, however, this is not required nor is it essential to fully benefit from the personalized coaching and mentoring offered by this course. Every class we host is recorded and available on-demand after the broadcast. You will still receive personalized feedback on work submitted before the livestream.

Yes! This course is designed truly as a mentorship course. Your mentor will review work you submit for the course and provide feedback during or after class to help you progress, improve and develop your skills and portfolio.

Yes, all classes are available for download during your enrollment as a mentorship program student.

We recommend students enroll in only one mentorship course per semester. We highly recommend taking mini-courses, such as Color Theory or Figure Drawing in addition to Mentorship courses.

As a repeatable course, Character Design Portfolio is designed to be taken more than once. Returning students will focus predominantly on continued development of their portfolio, with a strong focus on career strategy and networking. Character Design Portfolio offers return students with all the resources they need to maintain a competitive edge.

Need Some Guidance?

We can help you with any questions related to enrollment, portfolio development, and the student experience.

Spring Registration Now Open
Semester Starts April 20, 2024

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