Character Design Lab

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

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28. 8. - 8. 9. 2023
10 participants New
English
10 days
intermediate drawing skills
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

1 700 EUR

per artist

Open Call
Deadline:

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

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.

Cancellation Policy

The fee of 30% off the course price applies when canceling 45 days before the start of the course into which one gets accepted.

Direct interaction
with seasoned
industry
professionals

Our mentors
Pixar

Our incubator
boosted dozens
of projects

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