Learn Concepting and Character Design with Photoshop

Name: Learn Concepting and Character Design with Photoshop
Rating: 4.6 (97 reviews)

Learn to Design an awesome character for video games and other media.

Created by3dmotive LLC

Last updated 11/2017

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Design characters
Pose and add expressions to their characters
Design equipment
Paint, illustrate and render characters

Course content

3 sections • 22 lectures • 3h 34m total length

Download Course Files Here!0:04
Introduction1:00
Explore concepting and character design in Photoshop, covering design theory, narrative context, references, and brainstorming toward a final clean character with color and shadow.
Context15:45
Explore context-driven character design by shaping Raven for a third-person action game, using a detailed design brief and story-driven development with close-quarters combat.
Reference Gathering10:01
Gather diverse references—from gear and armor to animals and foreign uniforms—to fuel standout character designs. Study mechanics, draw early, and live your reference through libraries and experts to deepen understanding.
Starting the Design14:15
Develop concepting through iterative thumbnail sketches guided by a design brief, exploring shapes, silhouettes, and front and back poses to craft a believable exoskeleton-equipped character.
Building the Character12:39
Finalize Raven's character design for a 3-D model, solidifying details for front and back views, armor, exoskeleton, and gadgets, while refining style and color for a stylized sci-fi concept.
Finishing Lines and Props10:32
Maintain consistency across Raven's front and back views, props, and armor using quick line checks and ergonomic weapon design, while considering how allies and foes visually fit together.
Finalizing the Design13:48
Finalize Raven's design by applying flat colors on layered passes, crafting a cohesive palette, and applying quick cell shading with light, shadow, and ground shadows for depth.

Introduction0:36
Develop the character further in photoshop by practicing expressions, casual poses, and gameplay-driven action poses, providing a clear reference for modelers, animators, storyboard artists, and riggers.
Equipment Breakdown12:22
Explains how to break down Ravan's torso armor and weapons from multiple angles, guiding fast concept sketches, revisions, and collaboration with game production teams.
Expressions12:55
Design expressive characters by roughing multiple expressions, nailing facial structure, and refining expression style to convey believable emotion, using eyes, eyebrows, and body language with reference sheets.
Acting and Posing14:36
Explore acting and posing to develop versatile character concepts, using simple stage setups, quick gesture drawings, and iterative massing to inform armor, belts, and weapon design for games and animation.
Game play Move set Exploration14:33
Explore Raven's action-oriented moves through thumbnail keyframes, blocking, and 2D animation to convey gameplay ideas. Prototype energy-based systems, jump jets, and weapons, using iterative poses and planning to refine combat.
Pose Cleanup and Texture Map9:26
Finish cleaning action poses and introduce a texture map sheet for Raven's final pose, then explore using texture sheets to speed up asset production for games and animation.

Introduction0:41
Paint a fully developed promotional character artwork using references and a texture map, then study texture painting, and apply tone, color temperature, lighting, and final effects to entice players.
Format and Thumbs13:32
Define the illustration’s purpose and format options, then generate multiple thumbnails to explore dynamic poses and framing, using crop and foreshortening to push action and tell the story.
Finalizing Pose and Composition11:45
Finalize the pose and composition by tightening lines, clarifying body relationships, and preserving a strong silhouette with Raven's face and weapons as the focus.
Selections Flat Colours and Occlusion10:01
Create a clean silhouette of the character and clip layers. Separate elements with neon colors and apply a non-destructive occlusion pass.
Studying Reference10:07
Apply fast study-led painting to learn lighting, color, and edge control in Photoshop. Analyze references, block silhouettes, and use layers and color grading to achieve believable character design.
Lighting Setup11:33
Learn how to set up a multi-lighting scene in Photoshop, using ambient light, top-right and bottom-left sources, screen layers, and soft/hard edges to build dimensional character form.
Rendering and Polish13:35
Apply atmospheric perspective and a meticulous detail phase to finish the character’s armor, lighting, and facial features in Photoshop, adding weathering, glow, and energy effects for a polished render.
Bonus Lecture: Further Learning with 3dmotive0:18

Requirements

Students will need access to Photoshop

Description

This course will cover the design phase of one character meant for a video game production and transferable to other media, from first conception to fully rendered splash or key art for promotional purposes. Students will learn how to initially thumbnail a design before taking it to a rough and then finalized front/back character rotation, including this character’s costume and equipment. Further exploration into this character’s backstory and personality will also result in several design sheets. These include an expression sheet, passive acting pose sheet and action pose sheet. Students will also later delve further into development of this character’s in-game costume and equipment, and even be introduced to producing basic thumbnails or keyframes to explore how this character may move during gameplay or combat. Finally, students will be introduced to a simple, step by step method that will take them from thumbnail phase to a finished, polished and full colour render of their character. This final volume covers everything from nailing down a solid pose, dynamic composition, colour choices and preparing the image to be painted. A series of lighting and shadow passes, followed by a detailed polish and special effects step will complete the illustration. Upon completing this series, the student will have an in-depth glimpse into what it takes to design a single character for video games or other media.

More about the Instructor:

Colin Searle is a Designer and Illustrator living in Toronto and working fulltime as a designer for Elliott Animation, currently taking on freelance and client work from studios like Ubisoft and several others. He likes to exercise and draw, and he's not sure which one he likes doing more!

Who this course is for:

Anyone interested in learning more about 2D design
Anyone interested in learning more about characters
Anyone interested in learning more about painting

Learn Concepting and Character Design with Photoshop

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Roughing out our Design and Gathering Reference8 lectures • 1hr 18min

Refining the Pose and Structuring our Concept6 lectures • 1hr 4min

Polishing our Design8 lectures • 1hr 12min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: