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English, Spanish, 4 more
French, Italian, Portuguese, German
English, Spanish,
8 more
French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese [Auto], B. Indonesia [Auto], Polish [Auto], Turkish [Auto]
Xiaofan, Toronto-based illustrator, is renowned for her cinematic horror/sci-fi art with a strong narrative focus.
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English, Spanish , 4 more 
English, Spanish , 8 more
Craft captivating and chilling fantasy characters that will leave your audience in awe.Learn how to elevate your sketches to stunning, fully-rendered illustrationsMaster the art of painting realistic eyes, noses, mouths, and hairUnleash professional painting techniques that make garments come alive and metal objects shineInfuse your artwork with beautiful, enchanting effects that add a touch of magicDiscover simple hacks to effortlessly draw intricate details and recurring patternsCreate focal points that command attention and guide your audience's gaze through your masterpieceHarness the power of tried-and-proven Photoshop tools for a seamless, efficient workflowDesign custom Photoshop brushes tailored to your unique artistic style and specific needsMaster the art of placing shadows and highlights for depth and realismEnsure your compositions are perfectly balanced and visually pleasingUnleash the untamed power of your imagination and breathe life into the enchanting, bone-chilling characters that reside in the depths of your mind.
In this transformative course, expert concept artist, Xiaofan, guides you through every step of crafting mystical, memorable beings with intriguing personalities and captivating backstories that will send shivers down your audience’s spines! Don’t let your characters remain confined to your imagination! Say goodbye to artistic frustration and hello to mastery.
Immerse yourself in the world of dark fantasy as Xiao equips you with the essential techniques and secrets to unleash your creativity. Embark on an exhilarating journey alongside her, where every step unlocks new skills, bringing you closer to the glorious end result: a breathtaking, dazzling illustration that will leave everyone in awe.
You’ll dive deep into character development, starting with initial ideas and basic sketches, then adding unique outfits and props, creating a mystical vibe and incorporating cool details that add depth and interest! — so your artwork leaves a lasting impression.
Additionally, you’ll master the art of painting realistic-looking metals and clothing, placing shadows and highlights correctly, and creating balanced compositions with perspective and framing.
With the skills you’ll acquire in this course, they will transcend into reality on your canvas and wow the world! Sign up now!
3+ Hours of on-demand videos
11 Assignments
Layered Photoshop files
Downloadable brushes
4 Cheat sheets/guides
7 Reference images
Certificate of Completion
Welcome to the world of dark fantasy characters and creepy villains! Xiaofan, your instructor in this course, introduces herself, talks about her art style and shares what you can expect in her course!
Join her in breaking free from character stereotypes and bringing your dreams (or nightmares) to life!
Let’s jump in! In order for your character design to be a strong, compelling one, it needs a clear, well-thought out story!
A good story influences the character’s personality, poses, expressions, clothes and setting, revealing who they are to the viewer.
Xiaofan shows you her detailed process and tips for starting a new illustration from scratch, including setting design constraints, finding inspiration, using dichotomy (it’s fascinating!), working with references and creating character descriptions.
Now you’ll discover the power of using reference images to create detailed, fascinating illustrations!
Xiao discusses what primary and secondary references are, how to find them and use them effectively.
She’ll also show you essential tips to avoid unintended plagiarism.
Explore the intriguing realm of shapes, motifs and silhouettes in this lesson, learning what they communicate about your character design and why it’s so important.
Xiaofan shares easy tips on how to implement primary, secondary and tertiary shapes while sketching to tell a fuller, more compelling story in your artwork.
Have fun playing with contrast, eg: taking something considered ‘safe’ and making it unsafe, taking something attractive and making it repulsive. (This is key for fantasy horror!)
Next step is planning out the details and finer aspects of your design, such as clothes, accessories and patterns.
You’ll learn how helpful it is to experiment with these elements on a small character thumbnail first, in order to make your life easier later when you begin the actual illustration.
Follow along, as Xiao demonstrates how she works on thumbnails.
Let’s talk about colors!!
Colors play a major role in the vibe of your piece, communicating who your character is, guiding the viewer’s gaze, emphasizing parts of the artwork and setting the mood.
Xiao gives you a clear breakdown of basic color theory that is easy to understand and apply to your own artwork!
She also delves into the cultural significance of color, what they represent, as well as practical tips for how to choose colors for your illustrations and use them tastefully.
The last (but not least) stage of planning, before moving on to sketching: Mapping out your composition!
It’s essential to plan how everything in your illustration will fit together to achieve a balanced, pleasing look that will grab the viewer’s attention.
Xiao unveils the main components of a strong composition, such as framing, guiding lines, perspective, depth of field and more!
She simplifies these concepts for you, giving clear demos, so they are much easier to understand and tackle yourself! Sweet relief!
Creating a good sketch is an essential step, as it provides a solid base to work off of, even if your finished painting doesn’t feature line art (like Xiao’s art).
She’ll show you her exact sketching process, sharing valuable tips, time-saving tricks and things to keep in mind, to ensure your illustration is proportionate and balanced.
You’ll also discover the main, tried-and-proven tools and features in Photoshop that Xiao uses all the time to speed up and simplify her workflow. Get an insider look into her favorite brushes, shortcuts, blending modes and other cool functions! Awesome, huh?
Time to start laying down some beautiful colors to the artwork! Yay!!!
Follow along with Xiao, as she paints in the base colors, adding values and tones, and shows you quick hacks to liven them up and make things pop!
Now that you’ve learnt the theory and tips for painting the face and hair, you’ll get to apply it all to your illustration in this lesson.
Xiao breaks down how to draw facial features, sharing super simple tips for the nose, eyes, mouth and hair to make them look real!
She shows you exactly where to place shadows and highlights and key concepts which will ensure your faces turn out realistic and appealing every time!
You’re gonna absolutely ADORE it! (and possibly watch this lesson on repeat!)
If you’re eager to learn how to make metal shine, garments fold and drape realistically, intricate patterns repeat flawlessly then this is the PERFECT lesson for you.
Prepare to be WOWED by shockingly clever ways to paint convincing textures and things like tiny chain links, clothing designs and elaborate symbols at lightning speed, while maintaining gorgeous, crisp detail!—With just a few simple tools!
She also demonstrates simple ways to draw hands from scratch, working with basic shapes first. You’re guaranteed to have a blast with this!
Watch the mesmerizing process as Xiao carefully renders and details her fantasy illustration, picking up valuable (real-world) skills as you go. 🙂
To wrap up your fantasy piece, Xiao will show you how to add magical effects to give your artwork an ethereal feel.
You’ll learn how to create twinkling stars, hazy clouds, mystical swirls and enchanting glows that will enthrall your viewers! Additionally, you’ll find out how to add final tweaks in color, lighting and texture to give your artwork a professional finish!
And you’re done! Kudos to you for completing this course!!
Course rating
(Based on 81 reviews)
1 course
Xiaofan is a concept artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. She is known for her horror/sci-fi-themed illustrations in a cinematic style with a heavy emphasis on narrative.
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