Character Design Lab

Develop characters for your story with help of a leading character artist

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Date 28. 8. - 8. 9. 2023

Available capacity 10 participants New

Language English

Duration 10 days

Skill Level intermediate drawing skills

Location Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Price

1 700 EUR

per artist

Status Open Call

Deadline:

Join the lab Funding for Czech Artists

The lab is focused on mastering the creative process of the development of the design of characters within the context of a story.

You are a unique individual. You see things in a way different than anyone else. As an artist and designer, you are responsible for documenting your experience in the world and finding the best way to communicate why you find certain things interesting and appealing.

The goal of this lab is to help you give the tools to do just that, as well as become a better designer concerning:

The principles of character design
Draftsmanship
Heightened sensibilities to the subtleties and nuances of the stuff you care about
Stronger work ethic
Exposure to a broader array of design possibilities and materials

Your mentors

Daniel Holland

Lab's introduction

How it works

In the residential lab you will start with characters based upon your own project, and go through the process of exploring and developing their personalities, refining how they look individually and as an ensemble.

You will help you to explore, refine and ultimately enhance the unique flavors of your characters and how they will best support and reinforce the stories that they are telling.

The lab includes

Character design and development lectures by an accomplished animation professional
Lectures and one-on-one consultations with the guest supervisor
Professional supervision, consulting and art direction of your project
Team collaboration between your colleagues and the mentor as the most essential learning experience

Lesson plan

Character Design: A Method and Philosophy
Inspiration from Life
Caricature
Finding Appealing Shapes
Shape Language
Striking a Pose
The Power of Gesture
Experimental Design
Sculptural Drawing
Fluency in the Language of Design

Who is it for

The lab is aimed at both beginner and advanced visual artists – illustrators and designers. You should have drawing skills already at an intermediate level and bring your own projects to the lab to boost both skills, workflows and project.

Prerequisite

In order to be eligible for the lab, along with your registration you need to submit:

Portfolio to demonstrate expertise and experience in the field of visual art
Motivational letter
Emphasis on career motivation and vision for a project

Participants bring their own materials, computers with Photoshop and projects to work on.

Fees and funding

Fee

1 700 EUR per artist

General conditions

Possibility to pay in instalments.
We advise participants to apply for scholarships for participation fees and/or travel costs in their countries, as many public film funding bodies are usually supporting such training costs.
The fee covers the fee of the course. The fee does NOT include accommodation, board and tuition during workshops and travel.
Approximate living costs during your stay in the Czech Republic:

- Accommodation at the venue: 25 EUR / night
- Breakfast at the hotel – 5 EUR
- Restaurant meal between 5 – 10 EUR
- Grocery in general – 50 EUR per person a week

Funding for Czech employees and freelancers

Czech Labour Office (Úřad práce) offers to cover up to 85% of the course fee within the so-called POVEZ II project (Support of Vocational Training for Employees II). See the details and conditions here.