Skillshare Class! Line Quality in Character Design

I have a brand new class on Skillshare! This is the fourth entry in an ongoing series about art style and character design.

This course in particular explores the different ways that lines are used when designing characters. We'll take a look at the lines of well-known characters from various media, and we'll even consider lines that exist in the real world to gain an understanding of why they work the way they do. You might use a line to scribble a smile onto a character -- or you might use it to give them a leaping motion in a still drawing. You can even use lines to give flat drawings the illusion of 3 dimensions! The class is designed for anyone of any skill level, so no prior experience is required to get into the lessons. All you really need is a simple drawing instrument to follow along with the key concepts. The class assignment will allow you to design a set of twin characters who look alike -- except for the fact that one of them has no outlines!

It's a free class until June 13th, so please check it out.

Skillshare Class! Proportion in Character Design

I've got a new class up on Skillshare! This is the third entry in an ongoing series on art style and character design.

Learn how proportion is used to build characters. We take a look at how and why body and facial features are emphasized and downplayed on existing fantasy characters in various media. By examining body types and facial proportions in real life, I'll guide you to understanding why certain space relationships resonate in certain ways when we see them on a character. There's a reason artists place huge eyes or small bodies on characters, and not just because it's funny. It's designed for anyone of any skill level, so no prior experience is required to get into the lessons. The tools I use for demonstrations and exercises are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, but all you really need is a simple drawing instrument to follow along with the key concepts. The class assignment will allow you to take your favorite character and learn how to recreate them with weird, wacky proportions.

The class is free of charge until December 14th, so give it a try!

Skillshare Class! Color in Character Design

I have a new class up on Skillshare! This is the second installment in an ongoing series on art style.

Learn how to use colors intelligently in your characters. The course begins by exploring a basic understanding of what color actually is, and progressively covers how it has been used purposefully in various fantasy characters across a variety of media. We will also take a look at our cultural relationships with colors, some that we learn from a very early age and use very well into adulthood. Like the previous course, it's designed for anyone at any skill level. Most of my coloring will be digital, and demonstrations will be performed predominantly in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, but we'll go over concepts that apply in almost any medium -- so follow along with your favorite tools. The class assignment will allow you to color in line art of a character in whatever way you want!

The class is free of charge until August 10th. Give it a try!

Skillshare Class! Shape Language in Character Design

I've got a class on Skillshare!

Learn how to design fantasy characters by using basic shapes as building blocks. I'll teach you to look for shapes in a character's features, and we'll explore what different shapes mean to us at first glance. The class is a series of video lessons designed with beginners in mind, so no prior skills are really required -- just a love for unique, quirky, and weird characters, and a willingness to draw. I'll be demonstrating in Photoshop CS4, so you can follow along with digital drawing software or a pencil and paper. Eventually, we'll walk through the class assignment together and make our own character with the concepts we've learned! There's no passing or failure -- it's purely an exercise to flex those creative muscles, and I'll help you through each step.

The class is completely free until April 13th, so go on and give it a try!

Creep Spotlight #10: Phoenix

Becomes an egg upon defeat, and is reborn if the egg is not destroyed. Stoic and silent.

Tactics

Legendary master of land and air. Like Nagas, the Phoenix will fly straight towards the opposing Tree over ground Towers. Once they're defeated, they wrap themselves into an egg for a short period. If the egg isn't destroyed in that time, the Phoenix will revive at full HP. The best way to deal with them is to make sure there are ground Towers near air-targeting ones to take care of the eggs that fall. Use them against opponents with very few air Towers to gain the upper hand. They're a bit slower than Nagas, but their special skill and other stats make up for it. A true terror among Creeps.

Lore

Somewhere in the world, a tree as old as time stands with bright red leaves. Legend has it that near the top, a powerful avian race lives in total seclusion. No one knows what they do or think about, but they only seem to appear whenever natural resources and habitats are in peril.

Trivia

Naturally, these creatures are based on the legendary birds from various mythologies. Normally a phoenix is reborn from its own ashes, but a brightly colored egg shows up better on a monitor. We took some, uh... creative liberties.

Thanks for hanging with us throughout these spotlights. Hopefully, they've given you some insight into the world of the Creeps, which will be explored more deeply in the impending Campaign Mode we have in the works.

That said, we should be seeing a couple of new faces joining the fray very shortly.

Creep Spotlight #9: Starburst

Heals others when defeated. A drama queen.

Tactics

A Creep that restores the HP of other Creeps when it goes down. Oddly, Starburst works well with itself, allowing for a sort of leap-frog strategy of Starbursts healing the ones right behind them, and their base HP is decent enough to make this work. They also pair up well with tough Creeps like Blue Giants or Charcoals, extending their durability by allowing them to recover. Their Speed is unremarkable (tied with Spitfire) and their base Quantity is tied with Charcoal for being 2nd lowest in the game.

Lore

Starburst form constellations in the skies above the world's uppermost cloud layer. They have existed since ancient times among these floating planets and colonies; their homeland is a paradise of medical technology and space age gizmos carved from asteroids. Easily the most peaceful bunch of the Creeps, they naturally put the well-being of others before their own.

Trivia

Like actual starfish, they have regenerative properties and can repair missing limbs. If you look closely at its move animation, it discards and grows new arms each time it swims forward.

Healing a damaged Charcoal will cause it to speed up, but healing a Fission that's already duplicated won't put it back together again.

Creep Spotlight #8: Naga

Ignores ground threats and mazes. Flighty and impish.

Tactics

They rule the skies. No matter how long and complex your maze is, Nagas will fly in a straight line from the entrance point to the Tree. They fly right over ground Towers and Rocks, only taking damage from Air based Towers, like Thunderclap and, of course, Anti Air. If you're low on Degrees, Pillars can be placed to divert their path. There are fewer Towers that attack the skies than the ground, so a group of Nagas can be a real threat if you're not prepared.

Lore

They say Nagas live in flocks near the boughs of the highest reaching trees, higher even than the highest mountains. A blithe clan, most of their resources are spent creating fireworks, art, and other displays of opulence and luxury. They have a knack for being somewhat underhanded beneath their devil-may-care surface.

Trivia

Its name comes from Naga Fireballs, a phenomenon in which glowing balls of light shoot upwards from the Mekong River in Thailand, reaching high into the air. The fire is believed by some to come from the mythical snake, Phaya Naga, said to live in the river.

Originally they were supposed to be yellow, but it seemed confusing to have different Creeps that were the exact same color, what with Quickfire and everything.

Creep Spotlight #7: Spotfire

Becomes airborne when hit. Has the shortest attention span.

Tactics

Surprisingly strong Creeps that briefly jump into the air when struck. While airborne, they're immune to damage from ground based Towers. Since the only "true" airborne Creeps don't come into play until they're unlocked, these are your best bet for evading ground based Tower arrangements in the beginning of a match. They are identical to Blue Giants in Quantity and base HP; combined with their jumping ability, suffice to say they live for a long time. Towers that hit both land and air Creeps can deal with them.

Lore

A clan of tricksters that thrive on taking risks and unconventional tactics. Much of their time is spent moving from place to place and improving their ability to quickly cross large swaths of ground. Their group has a friendly sort of rivalry with Nagas and are somewhat jealous of their natural ability to fly. They live on the fringes of rocky badlands and canyons.

Trivia

"Spotting" is when gusts of wind carry sparks or embers from a wildfire into new areas outside of its initial range, creating new fires. The newly created fires are sometimes referred to as spot fires.

Creep Spotlight #6: Fission

Splits into 3 miniatures when defeated. Noisy when they're together.

Tactics

An odd Creep that can quickly overwhelm through sheer force of numbers. The fact that each one must essentially be defeated 4 times is a boon against slow firing or single target Towers. Typically are more useful near the end of a maze where their miniatures can sneak past threats and score a few hits against the other player's Tree. Unlike their predecessors, Blue Giants, Fissions have no armor and their HP is middling at best, so they may pair up with Starburst to increase their longevity. Alternatively, they can work with Quickfire or Fire Rain for a high volume assault.

Lore

A massive pastoral clan that values structure and diplomacy among its neighbors. Their system thrives on specialized roles with everyone doing their part, and resources are divided carefully among members. Are on good terms with most other Creep clans, especially Blue Giants. Experts at multitasking.

Trivia

Their designs are somewhat inspired by cartoon bombs since they "explode" into 3 miniatures when hit. According to old sets of notes, Blue Giants were originally supposed to be the ones who split up when defeated, but Theory must have decided to make them separate types of Creeps at some point.