School of Animation
Online Certificate Course
Build your character design skills and create a powerful portfolio.
Register for VFS’s School of Animation Online Certificate Course to gain experience in character design for animation & video games and acquire the prerequisites for Vancouver Film School’s one-year, full-time animation programs.
We welcome enthusiasts, high school students, mature students, and anyone looking to make a career change. When you finish an online certificate course at VFS, you will receive a digital certificate of completion confirming your experience.
**Students must confirm they are at least 16 years old at the beginning of the course in order to register.
**Please note that courses may be cancelled at any time due to low enrolment. Upon cancellation, registrants will receive a full refund.
To meet your industry instructor(s), click here.
If you have any questions, please contact: industryworkshops@vfs.com
Introduction to Character Design (online)
Ever wondered how famous characters like Batman are created? Want to learn what makes a character stand out in a compelling narrative? In this 7-week course, you will discover how to design effective characters for animated stories & video games and analyze & distill what makes a character memorable. From shape to clothing to prop colour choices, character designers consider every detail of how a character becomes an integral part of a story.
You’ll learn from industry professionals about the character design pipeline, from concept to research to actual design. By the end of this course, you will have designed a basic character that can be used as part of your portfolio to apply for post-secondary study.
- Identify what makes a character stand out and be memorable.
- Learn how design choices are made to enhance a character’s effectiveness.
- Create and organize character sheets – an important piece of the puzzle.
- Learn about the industry pipeline.
- Learn how to draw with intent.
- Explore how to give critiques and constructive feedback to your peers.
- Create stories for your character and design a basic character to use as part of your portfolio.
- Computer with dual monitors (recommended), microphone, and camera
- Stable Internet connection (wired connection recommended)
- Sketchbook and sketching materials (pen, eraser)
- Something to sketch on (i.e., a notepad, iPad, tablet, pen & paper)
- Drawing tablet/Cintiq/iPad (i.e., some sort of drawing tablet)
- Adobe Photoshop or drawing program of your choice (Procreate, Infinite Painter, ClipStudio Paint, Fresco, etcetera)
Some experience with character drawing OR knowledge of human anatomy relating to design
Course Details:
Dates: July 4 to August 15, 2023
Duration: 7-week course, one online class per week
Time: Tuesdays, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. PST
Cost: $950
Shermond Wong
2D Artist | Truly Social Games
Shermond is a Concept Artist working in the video game industry. Previously, he has worked in animation as a character designer. Though Shermond specializes in digital art, he was trained in traditional art. Having achieved a Master’s in Fine Arts (Concept Art) from Academy of Art University, he is well versed in creating characters, creatures, environments, and props for video games & animated feature films.