Learn how to stylize human characters

From animated films to children's books, the ability to create engaging, appealing, and stylized characters is a highly sought after skill set. In this course, Jake takes you through the thought process behind stylizing characters, how to break down a design from complex to simple, and apply those principles with techniques that work.

Learning to stylize:

In this class Jake deconstructs complex design problems into basic, understandable components. The lesson is broken down into these sections:

  • The Style Wheel, what it is, and how it helps your thinking behind design
  • Example: Stylizing an eye
  • Example: Stylizing an ear
  • The Style Wheel and character design
  • Examples of popular characters and deconstructing their style
  • Proportions
  • Shapes
  • Stylization of individual body parts
  • Demo of stylizing a character from a photo

In this class you will learn:

  • The principles of character design

  • How to apply these principles to create different characters

  • How to analyze photos of people and apply real life reference to your designs

  • Methods of working up from a thumbnail sketch to finished drawing

Stay on track with your art goals!

Try it for FREE and explore 100+ illustration classes designed to kickstart your learning. Get the guidance you need with a curriculum developed by working illustrators. Stream unlimited art classes anytime, anywhere!
artist rabbit holding art tools

Join now for access

*Try SVSLearn for free. A credit card is required to start the free trial, but there is NO CHARGE during the trial period. After the trial is up, you will be automatically enrolled in the subscription and charged, unless you cancel.

About the Instructor

Illustrator/Cartoonist Jake Parker

For the last 25 years Jake has worked on everything from animated films to comics to picture books. For several years he worked for Reel FX and Blue Sky Studios on such projects as Horton Hears a Who, Rio, and Epic. He is the creator of the popular Inktober drawing challenge. Jake currently works as an illustrator and cartoonist on children's books and comics. He works out of his home studio in Arizona.

Course curriculum

    1. Stylizing Human Characters

About this course

  • 1 lesson
  • 2 hours of video content
  • 1 Video

Reviews

5 star rating

Love this course

Michaela Heimlich

Jake Parkes showed us how easy it is to stylize a character from shapes and how to break down the proportions of the human body.

Jake Parkes showed us how easy it is to stylize a character from shapes and how to break down the proportions of the human body.

Read Less
5 star rating

Fantastic!

Joshua Warlick

A really easy to understand way of analyzing the style of characters. This will be really helpful for my own character design challenges.

A really easy to understand way of analyzing the style of characters. This will be really helpful for my own character design challenges.

Read Less
5 star rating

Essential

Olivera Kovacevic

An essential study for disconnecting yourself from realistic drawing, the right, organic way.

An essential study for disconnecting yourself from realistic drawing, the right, organic way.

Read Less
5 star rating

very good direction on making a character

anna pascual

This is a very helpful lesson on making characters. I only animals so this will help me break out of that cycle and be able to make human characters and eve...

Read More

This is a very helpful lesson on making characters. I only animals so this will help me break out of that cycle and be able to make human characters and even stylizing my animals I draw.

Read Less

Ready to start your creative journey? 

Get the guidance you need on the path to becoming a better artist.