Infuse Line Quality Into Your Character Designs

Anyone who has ever stopped for a moment to make a quick doodle has drawn a line. After all, it's a simple mark that serves as the first step to almost any drawing. But lines can be used in all sorts of ways, some obvious and some not so obvious. This course will teach you just how lines are used to breathe life into fantasy character designs.

We'll take a look at the lines of well-known characters from various media, and we'll even consider lines that exist in the real world to gain an understanding of why they work the way they do. You might use a line to scribble a smile onto a character -- or you might use it to give them a leaping motion in a still drawing. You can even use lines to give flat drawings the illusion of 3 dimensions!

The class is made with beginners in mind, so you don't need to bring any prior knowledge to this course. All you really need is a simple drawing instrument and a clean sheet of paper to follow along. Your assignment is something that can be completed with digital or analog tools as well -- the idea is to understand the theories behind line in character design, regardless of medium.

This class is the fourth in a series about character design and art style. Be sure to check out the previous installments, which focus on shape language, color theory, and proportion.

• Introduction
• Your Assignment
• Boundaries
• Contrast
• Shape Versus Form
• Construction and Implied Lines
• Body Language and Action
• Royal Lineage