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Character Design for Video Games
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 9 hours
  • Course by California Institute of the Arts
  • Offered by

About

In this course you will explore concepts and approaches involved in creating successful character designs that can be applied to video games. Following a first week delving into some foundational concepts for successful character design, each of the remaining three weeks are structured as a master class where you will observe three professional character designers at work in the studio: Andy Ristaino (Adventure Time), Jacky Ke Jiang (Journey), and Robertryan Cory (SpongeBob SquarePants). Each designer will take on two different design challenges on the fly and address the various issues in designing characters for games, such as movement, expression, and technical limitations. At the end of each week you will have an opportunity to try out some of the concepts from that week's lesson on characters of your own design. This is a fun and engaging class especially useful for students interested in animation in film and TV as well as games, and is suitable for students of any drawing ability.

Modules

Course Introduction

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Videos

  • Welcome

2 Readings

  • About this Course
  • An Important Question

Course Communication Policies

    • 4 Readings
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4 Readings

  • Instructor Presence and Staff Support
  • Academic Integrity
  • Forum Guidelines
  • Requesting Peer Reviews

Character Design Fundamentals

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Choose Your Own Character

3 Videos

  • Density
  • Mood & Story
  • Proportion

Try It Yourself

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • One Character, Three Ways

1 Videos

  • Week 1 Homework

Studio Visit with Andy Ristaino

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Introducing Andy Ristaino

Andy's Design Challenges

    • 4 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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4 Videos

  • Drawing the Explorer
  • Refining the Explorer
  • Drawing the Alien
  • Refining the Alien

1 Readings

  • Resource: Andy's drawings

Try It Yourself

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • Opposites Attract

1 Videos

  • Week 2 Homework

Studio Visit with Jacky Ke Jiang

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Introducing Jacky Ke Jiang

Jacky's Design Challenges

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • 2D Ink Drawing
  • 2D Tablet Drawing
  • 3D Modeling

1 Readings

  • Resource: Jacky's drawings

Try It Yourself

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • Observe and Adapt

1 Videos

  • Week 3 Homework

Studio Visit with Robertryan Cory

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Introducing Robertryan Cory

Robertryan's Design Challenges

    • 7 Videos
    • 2 Readings
Show info about module content

7 Videos

  • Drawing the Pig
  • Refining the Pig
  • Drawing the Sheep
  • Refining the Sheep, Part 1
  • Refining the Sheep, Part 2
  • Working in Animation
  • Robertryan Studio Follow-Up

2 Readings

  • Resource: Robertryan's drawings
  • Introducing Robertryan Cory (again)

Try It Yourself

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Outside Inspiration

1 Videos

  • Week 4 Homework

Course Wrap Up

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Course Credits

Auto Summary

"Character Design for Video Games" is an engaging Coursera course focused on creating successful character designs for video games. Taught by professionals like Andy Ristaino, Jacky Ke Jiang, and Robertryan Cory, it spans 540 minutes over four weeks. Each week includes master classes and hands-on design challenges. Ideal for students interested in animation for games, film, and TV, the course accommodates all drawing abilities. Subscription options include Starter, Professional, and Paid plans.

Fran Krause
Instructor

Fran Krause