And finally we are live! Here is the link to my first published class:

Projects Using Reference Images in the Character Design Process | Mark Delia | Skillshare

This will be my working title for a class where I hope to show students to gather images into a mood board or Pinterest board to help design a character.

First draft of my class description:

Designing characters from scratch can be a real challenge. I’ve been there countless times. You can sort of envision the character in your mind’s eye, but it’s all fuzzy, no clear direction, I don’t know enough about him/her/it to transfer that image out of my head and on to paper. If you’ve been stuck in this hole and don’t know how to escape then this class will be the boost you’ve been seeking.

My goal is to guide you through my process of character design. I want this to apply to any format so we’ll start with a basic brief. This way you can adapt it to whatever you specialise in.

Are you a comic artist? Need a character for a video game? Concept art for a movie or animated feature? This process should work for all of these and more.

In the lessons, you will learn:

Break down the brief into some key features
Search for ideas and images based on those features
Build a mood board with them either in Pinterest or compile in any image editor
Narrow our selections down to what you believe represents the core of the character and compile one final composite image that will become our main reference.
Begin some rough sketches using elements in the reference image
End with a first draft of the one you feel captures the brief

I’ll be showing you my version using traditional methods, working primarily in my sketchbook. The goal of this class isn’t to teach you how to draw, or end with a refined, finished product, but to form a clear vision and direction for your character. It will be the foundation that will light that yellow brick road and lead you to your destination.

So if you're ready to leap out of that hole, then come along with me and let's get started!

First draft of the class project:

The basic brief: Pick a decade of the twentieth century and design a character, man or woman, up to you, that represents that decade. The character can be in any style you choose. Play to your strengths and stick to your field.

Follow along with me as I walk you through my process.

Post a copy of your final composite reference image. I'd even love to see some of the ones that didn't make the cut, to illustrate how you ended up with your final image.

Finally, show me your first draft of your character.

Remember our goal for this class is not to present a final piece, but a first draft. This is not a How-To-Draw class and no doubt many of you will be WAY more skilled than me when it comes to illustration.

All I want to see is a draft that lights the way to your final vision, fits how you interpreted the brief, but ultimately shows how you translated your inspirational references to the final character design.

Class Outline:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y7Vm-YsFbfdFhoD2dnGsKKuPL9J21jX6dC_JkZJLE9U/edit?usp=sharing

Hi Everyone, here is a draft of my script for my intro video. Obviously it's difficult to judge without any accompanying imagery, but I would value any feedback all the same:

Designing characters from scratch can be a real challenge. I’ve been there countless times. There’s a vague image of your character in your mind’s eye, but it’s all fuzzy, blurred and fragmented. All you’ve got to show for it is a bin full of scrapped ideas, or worse still, a blank page.

If you’ve been stuck in this hole and don’t know how to escape then this class will be the boost you’ve been seeking. Hi I’m Mark Delia of DeliArt. I’m a traditional and digital artist and I absolutely love drawing. I’ll draw anything that takes my fancy, but my real passion is designing characters.

My goal in this course is to guide you through my process in those crucial early stages of character design. We’ll use a basic brief that you can adapt to whatever style you specialise in. Are you a comic artist? Need a character for a video game? Character concept art for a movie or animated feature?

This process should work for all of these and more.

Throughout this course, you will learn to:

Break down the brief into key features
Search for ideas and images based on those features
Build a mood board with them either in Pinterest or compile in any image editor
Narrow your selections down to what you believe represents the core of the character and compile one final composite image that will become our main reference.
Begin some rough sketches using elements in the reference image
End with a final, rough draft of the one you feel captures the brief

I’ll be working primarily in my sketchbook. The aim isn’t to teach you how to draw, or take you through to a finished product, rather it will be the foundation that will finally clear the haze and leave you with a firm vision of your character. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Okay, Intro video complete. Here's the link:

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Mark Delia

Mixed Media & Digital Artist

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