illustrator,nrnmarie Details
Hello, it's Marie! I'm a freelance illustrator and have worked on various projects for VTubers both corpo and indie alike! Though fanwork is currently my main focus, I also love designing characters and creating vibrant, expansive worlds for them. I'm very excited to dive into all of this with you!
Throughout the course, I'll be sharing with you a series of both soft skills and technical know-how's in character creation and digital illustration, all of which I've gathered throughout my years of working as a professional illustrator in the field. I'm hoping that by the end of it, we'll have added a substantial amount of useful skills and insight to your artist toolkit!"
[Current] - Illustrator (Freelance) [Notable Projects] - (2022 - 2025) Various Backgrounds, Illustrations, and Animated videos for talents under Nijisanji EN - (2023) Mascot Concept Design & Illusrations for Hololive EN's Nerissa Ravencroft - (2023 - 2025) Various Background Illustrations for talents under VShojo - (2023 - 2025) Mascot Concept Design & Illusrations for talents under First Stage Production EN - (2023 - 2025) MV, Video, Model & Background Illustrations for various indie talents (Mint Fantome, Unnämed, Hazumi Aileen, and others) - (2024) Background Illustrations for idol Corp's Juna Unagi & Kai Saikota - (2024) MV Illustration for Asteroid Music Team - (2024) Illustrations for Weebs of the Shore LLC, Grand Archive TCG - Some current undisclosed projects
[Current] - Illustrator (Freelance) [Notable Projects] - (2022 - 2025) Various Backgrounds, Illustrations, and Animated videos for talents under Nijisanji EN - (2023) Mascot Concept Design & Illusrations for Hololive EN's Nerissa Ravencroft - (2023 - 2025) Various Background Illustrations for talents under VShojo - (2023 - 2025) Mascot Concept Design & Illusrations for talents under First Stage Production EN - (2023 - 2025) MV, Video, Model & Background Illustrations for various indie talents (Mint Fantome, Unnämed, Hazumi Aileen, and others) - (2024) Background Illustrations for idol Corp's Juna Unagi & Kai Saikota - (2024) MV Illustration for Asteroid Music Team - (2024) Illustrations for Weebs of the Shore LLC, Grand Archive TCG - Some current undisclosed projects
Could you please share how you started your journey in the industry?
I've been drawing since I was young, so I always kind of knew that I wanted to get into the industry someday, especially if that industry embraced the anime art style I grew to love. In 2016, I first discovered VTubers through the iconic era of Kizuna Ai, and in late 2021, I started to fully immerse myself in the culture. I was lucky to have been trusted with a project by a talent I deeply admired back in 2022, and I've been working in the industry ever since!
What are some essential skills or "must-have" tools in this industry, and why?
There are plenty! But from personal experience, I think the most invaluable skill to have is learning how to manage burnout. You can be an amazing illustrator and still be susceptible to burning out, which is a massive detriment to anyone who's looking to grow through social media or even just improve their art. That, and flexibility! You'll encounter a lot of different types of people in the field, and if you're interested in ever making your art into a proper business, you have to know how to adapt to each client's preferences.
How would you define success in this industry? What is the formula to success in your opinion?
Bit of a difficult question to answer. Numbers are an obvious thing, but you have to remember that some of the most successful professional artists aren't even on social media! So, I think success is best measured in how comfortable you've become in your field. Once the process becomes familiar and you're no longer fumbling deals or scheduling, that's when you know you've essentially been working long enough (and frequently enough!) in the field to call yourself a veteran.
Do you have any advice for your students?
Even when you've reached a point of familiar habit, never forget to exercise your fundamentals! It's super easy to get lost in rendering or adding finishing touches in your work to make it look good, but having a solid foundation is still always the most important!
Foundations of Drawing & Digital Tools
The course starts by introducing the tools and settings of the software, Clip Studio Paint, and explores the transition from traditional to digital workflows. Afterwards, students are taught essential drawing fundamentals, including anatomy, lineart, colors, etc.
Ideation and Building a Visual Library
This topic focuses on learning how to think visually before drawing. Students practice sensory observation, build a personal visual library, and refine vague ideas into clear concepts using structured ideation methods such as the reverse pyramid, supported by writing as a planning tool.
Static and Dynamic Character Designs
Students learn how to design characters with intention, exploring how personality, purpose, and narrative translate into shape language, color, and movement. This will cover both static design principles and the dynamic application of motion in a character's visual language.
Effective Referencing
This section teaches students how to use references effectively without copying. Emphasis is placed on smart reference selection, avoiding mimicry, and applying core design principles to maintain clarity, consistency, and purposeful character complexity.
Creating a Character Sheet and Producing Illustration
Students apply their designs to polished illustrations by learning perspective, lighting, and background integration. The topic also covers creating full-body character illustrations and building effective, usable reference sheets designed for collaboration and production.
Professional Practice
The course addresses real-world artistic practice and professional considerations such as social media presence, commissions, and burnout management.
- Section 01
OT
01. Orientation- Meet your instructor - Learn about the class objectives, overview and learning outcomes
- Section 02
Fundamentals Part 1
02,.The Setup- Understanding the difference between digital and traditional setup - Introduce the software that will be used (CSP) and go over its basic functions
03. Core Foundations- Theories on line weight, line confidence & ghosting - Explanation of geometrics, natural shapes and basic 3D forms
04. Anatomy & Structure- Breaking down the human body into shapes - Understanding skeletal landmarks (shoulders, hips or pelvis, joints, etc) - The difference between realistic proportions and anime-style proportions - The debate between the “Anatomically Correct” and the “Visually Appealing”, also known as breaking the rules
05. Heads, Faces, Hair & Fabric- The Loomis (circle, triangle and cross) technique and how it can be applied to the anime style - Understanding angles (Front, 3/4s and profile) - A quick overview of how to make hair and fabric look natural or dynamic
06. Lineart & Colors- Specifics of digital inking: stabilizers, opacity, anti-aliasing, brush settings, different brushes - Demo line confidence through long and short strokes - Simplifying line weight for depth and emphasis - Difference between drawing lineart and cleaning the sketch - Color theory basics: show color wheel chart of the different formulae for color harmony - Hue, saturation, temperature and value: briefly go over tint, shade and tone - Color palettes and how they affect mood
- Section 03
Fundamentals Part 2
07. Perspective- Understanding perspective with 3D spaces and objects - Basics of perspective (1-point/2-point/3-point, foreshortening and overlapping shapes) - How to make perspective easier with software tools and assets
08. Shading & Lighting- Understanding light: following the source, direction and softness with consistency - Basics of lighting: highlight, midtown, shadow, cast shadow, bounce light, etc - How to break the consistent lighting rule and still look appealing and stylistic
09. Backgrounds- The purpose of a background (main focal point or character enhancement) - Foreground, middleground, background explanation and the application of perspective - Simple ways to create backgrounds for character-focused illustration
- Section 04
Concepts on Characters
10. The Art of Sensing- Observing the real environment as a sensory map for sight, sound, smell and textures - Immersing yourself in the lived environment to form and shape a visual library, which provides inspiration - Introduction to the reverse pyramid
11. Raising a Character from Idea to Concept- Conceptualization of ambiguity: the formation of details such as archetype, setting and environment - Writing down ideas for the organization of thoughts - Practicing limiting a character’s visual language from an early stage
12. The Good, The Bad and the Unnecessary & Learning to Break Free from Mimicry- Choosing the right references to avoid overwhelming yourself - Practicing how to not treat referencing as still-life painting: building details with your own skills
13. The Static Character- Understanding the character's purpose such as personal use, mass consumption or commercial purposes - Understanding the character’s complexity - Utilizing the elements & principles of design in art - Understanding the principles: line, shape, form, etc., and balance, unity, variety, etc - How shapes can be used to portray a character’s personality - Emphasizing an easy understanding of colors without complex theories
14. The Dynamic Character- Understanding the character's identity - Applying concepts under section "Fundamentals Part 2" - The uses of imagining the character in motion - Creating dynamic poses based on the characters' personality
- Section 05
Preparing for Illustration
15. The Groundwork- Demonstration of canvas setups for different purposes (printing, animation, commissioning, etc.)
16. Reference Gathering- Difference between references for character design and illustration - Discussing about referencing real life and referencing works by other artists (e.g: form versus style, respectively)
17. Warming Up- Reasons why warmup is helpful but not mandatory - Creating loose sketching - Creating more detailed figure sketching
- Section 06
Proper Illustration: Full Body Standing & Finished Reference Sheet
18. Sketching & Lineart- Starting with shapes and roughs - Utilizing layers and their styles in the sketching process - Understanding the different uses of creating new lineart versus cleaning up the sketch - Application of the fundamentals in lineart
19. Base Colors, Shading and Rendering- Tips & tricks to expedite the process - Showing useful software and CSP hacks - Showing the difference between flat color illustrations, cell shading and painterliness - Demonstrating personal rendering style and the rule of triangles
20. Sheet Details: Angles, Views, Close-ups, etc.- Compiling the reference sheet. - Explaining the details of the reference sheet: angles, close-ups, accessories, color palette, height chart, etc - Giving a simple template for an effective reference sheet
- Section 07
Proper Illustration: Full Illustration
21. Sketching, Thumbnailing & Lineart- Starting with shapes and roughs - Utilizing layers and their styles in the sketching process - Introducing thumbnailing
22. Base Colors, Shading and Rendering- Using the same techniques of chapter 19 in chapter 22, specialized for illustrations - Going over the personal rendering: the "Candy-Gloss" rendering technique
23. Background- Application of Fundamentals Part 2: Backgrounds - Utilizing 3D assets to expedite the process
24. Special FX, Finishing Touches & Finished Illustration- Using layer adjustments and gradient maps - Exporting the illustration for animation, print, webcomics and flat image
- Section 08
Social Media & Becoming an Established Artist
25. Understanding Trends & Building a Presence- Soft skill section on personal experience with social media and trends - Understanding the "Frieren Effect": how many social media artists use popular figures to bring traction to their work - How to use fandom activity for original characters and creations - The role of skill and mastery in growing on social media as marketing and engagement.
26. Commissions and Treating Art as a Business- Explaining personal structure of commissions as a freelancer - Using sites like Vgen to get a bigger reach - Increasing audience through your own website and socials - Percentages, fees and pricing - Briefly going over burnout and personal tips on avoiding it
27. Overview and Recap- Briefly reviewing the important points mentioned throughout the course
This course will use Clip Studio Paint (Pro/EX)
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
