Character Creation for Illustrated Stories

A course by Valentina Toro , Illustrator and Writer

Illustrator and Writer. Medellín, Colombia.
Joined May 2020

Learn the tools to write and illustrate characters, both inside and out, by understanding their essence and their world

97% positive reviews (102)
3,248 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn the tools to write and illustrate characters, both inside and out, by understanding their essence and their world

A huge part of the magic of character creation lies in giving them personality, purpose, and their own private world. For illustrator and writer Valentina Toro, it's also another way to connect her inner self with the outside world. Want to how learn to bring unforgettable characters to life?

In this course, Valentina teaches you how to create a character using a text to understand their essence through the lens of their private world. Discover all the tools you need to write and illustrate a scene inhabited by your story's protagonists. If you'd like to delve even deeper, take a look at her previous course Illustrating and Writing a Children's book.

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What will you learn in this online course?

12 lessons & 21 downloads

Characters in fictional stories
9 minutes, 50 seconds
Character types
12 minutes, 4 seconds
Archetypes and stereotypes
15 minutes, 31 seconds
Characteristics of a character
16 minutes, 29 seconds
First sketches
5 minutes, 28 seconds
  • 97% positive reviews (102)
  • 3,248 students
  • 12 lessons (2h 15m)
  • 21 additional resources (6 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Write and illustrate a scene containing at least two characters for a kids' book.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Anyone interested in exploring character-creation techniques for stories, illustrations, or any other narrative medium.

Requirements and materials

Basic drawing experience is a requirement for this course.

In terms of materials, access to Procreate would be ideal, but you can also follow the course exercises using pen and paper.


Reviews

3,248 Students
102 Reviews
97% Positive ratings

Valentina Toro

A course by Valentina Toro

Teacher Plus
Illustrator and Writer

Valentina Toro is an illustrator and writer with a master’s degree in Creative Writing from the EAFIT University in Medellín, Colombia. Her work revolves around her fascination with the unknown and the secret worlds that can only be discovered in books.

Over the course of her career, she has published seven books, five of which are children’s books. Her style can be described as a blend of textual narration with images that create universes inhabited by both forms of expression. She has also written three novels and done illustrations for other authors. She was a runner up in the Little Hakka Picture Book Competition in China and is currently represented internationally by Advocate-Art Inc.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • Presentation
    • Influences
  • U2

    Map to discover a character

    • Characters in fictional stories
    • Character types
    • Archetypes and stereotypes
    • Characteristics of a character
    • The character in relation to the world
  • U3

    Let's start creating

    • First sketches
    • What world does our character inhabit?
    • Final illustration
  • U4

    Tips for your project

    • How to make a portfolio with illustrated scenes
    • Expanding our illustrated universes
  • FP

    Final project

    • Character Creation for Illustrated Stories

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Character Creation for Illustrated Stories . Illustration, and Writing course by Valentina Toro

Character Creation for Illustrated Stories

A course by Valentina Toro
Illustrator and Writer. Medellín, Colombia.
Joined May 2020
  • 97% positive reviews (102)
  • 3,248 students