Creating characters is so much fun, and I can’t wait to see all of your illustrations!

For the class project you will create your very own character portrait illustration!

You can choose your own character, a character from a book or comic or use any of the suggested fairytale characters.

Feel free to use any of the suggested topics or choose your own character:

Red Riding Hood

Remarkable trait: red hood, forest environment, basket, wolves, etc

Snow White

Remarkable traits: Light skin with dark hair and red lips, red apple

Peter Pan

Remarkable traits: red hair, elflike ears, green tunic, flying fae

You will need:

A digital painting software of your choice
A drawing tablet/ipad
A bit of imagination

Some steps to consider:

Take some time to think about your character and all that represents him or her
Create a reference board with references for face, body, clothing and accessories
Set up the canvas and the reference board
Start by sketching roughly
Define the sketch
Add base color
Start rendering the color
Define the background
Finishing touches

Project Resources

In the resource section you will find a document with information on where to find good reference photos for your character design process, as well as a little cheat sheet on how to create a character.

Start by using the suggested sites to look for fitting reference photos and either download them or save them on a site such as Pinterest.

After that take some time to think about the overall mood, setting, pose and expression you want your character to have.

Don’t forget to share your class project in the class section so that I can take a look. Also, feel free to ask me any questions you might have during the process!

Rebecca Tinsley

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