Distribution From Shapes to Characters: Core Skills and Strategies for Anime Illustration [Coloso, Nekojira]

Mastering Character Illustration with Nekojira​

If you ask Nekojira, “How do you do what you do?” he will simply reply, “Shapes.” While his illustrations may appear intricate, Nekojira emphasizes that every creation begins with the simplest of shapes. In this class, he invites you into his creative process, teaching you how to study, manipulate, and transform shapes into captivating characters.

From foundational shapes to mastering values, colors, and rendering, this comprehensive course blends insightful theories, detailed demonstrations, and practical exercises. Guided by Nekojira, you’ll complete your own character illustration while gaining a transformative experience that will elevate your character creation skills to a whole new level.

Why Take This Class?​

An Exclusive Look into Nekojira’s Creative Process​

For the first time ever, Nekojira reveals his full character creation workflow—only on Coloso. But this isn’t just another tutorial; it’s a culmination of years of dedication, experimentation, and artistic growth. He shares everything he has discovered, refined, and perfected, inviting you to experience the joy and fulfillment of bringing your dream characters to life.

In this class, you’ll uncover the secrets of rhythm in shape design, the art of atmosphere, and how light and shadow can be used to create mood and depth. Through hands-on exercises, you’ll learn how to balance tonal values and color saturation—crafting illustrations that are both technically precise and emotionally compelling.

If Nekojira’s work inspires you and you dream of creating characters with the same level of impact, don’t wait any longer—this is your perfect opportunity.

Class Exercises (18 Total):​

• Abstracting Arms and Legs Using the CSI Technique
• Capturing the Body (Parts 1-3)
• Creating Boxes Based on Your Favorite Proportions
• Faces and Expression Practice
• Designing the Flow of Hair
• Head Drawing Practice
• Fold Drawing Practice
• Final Sketch
• Simple Portrait Painting
• Line Art Demonstration
• Cloth & Hair Painting Demonstration
• Color Sketch Demonstration
• Skin Painting Demonstration
• Final Color Experiment
• Finishing the Final Drawing
• Final Touch-Up Tips

Class Highlights​

Simplify Complex Forms by Reconstructing and Redesigning​

Train yourself to focus on the essence of objects instead of getting lost in details. Learn techniques to abstract visual information into fundamental shapes, allowing you to build complexity while maintaining clarity and balance in your designs.

Create Dynamic Lighting: Experimenting with Shadows and Shapes​

Master lighting composition by analyzing how shadow shapes influence volume, mood, and storytelling. Learn to manipulate light direction, occlusion shadows, and edge control to create depth and dynamic energy in your illustrations.

Key Techniques for Eye-Catching Character Illustrations​

Tackle the challenges of illustration with a variety of expert tips and tricks. Discover advanced techniques for harmonizing facial expressions, costumes, and poses, ensuring your characters stand out with strong visual appeal and emotional resonance.

With this class, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to design compelling characters from scratch. Are you ready to take your illustrations to the next level? Join Nekojira today!

Course Structure:
SECTION 01: OT

• 01. Orientation
  • Introducing your instructor
  • What you will learn
  • Helpful websites and software programs
• 02. Software Set Up
  • CSP set up
  • Useful CSP asset brush links

SECTION 02: Shapes

• 03. Introduction About Shapes
  • What is the definition of shapes?
  • Introduction about silhouette and negative shapes
• 04. Observe and Abstract Shapes
  • Using 3 Kinds of Strokes: C, S, & I
  • Taking a look at abstract shapes from complicated subjects & adding them to your visual library
• 05. Body Practice (Part 1)
• 06. Body Practice (Part 2)
• 07. Body Practice (Part 3)

SECTION 03: Designing Shapes

• 08. Rhythm of Shapes
  • Tips about creating interesting shapes
  • Contrast about shapes
• 09. Capture Proportion Using Boxes
  • Creating sketches that can serve you well in later stages
  • Combining shapes and boxes to create dynamic drawings
• 10. Practice 1: Drawing Faces
  • Tips about drawing eyes & expressions
  • Designing different eyes by breaking segments
• 11. Practice 2: Designing the Flow of Hair
  • Applying the contrast of shapes when designing hair
  • Designing different hairstyles in different situations
  • Tips about making hairstyle details
• 12. Conclusion and Q&A (Section 1)
  • Summary regarding shapes design and lineart by answering the submitted question
  • Limiting yourself to 3 kinds of strokes
  • Tips about line weight
  • 13. Applying the Knowledge: Head Practice
  • Drawing character heads at different angles
  • Some tips about tricky angles

SECTION 04: Conclusion About Shapes

• 14. Applying the Knowledge: Fold Practice
  • Capturing the fold by hinting at the important landmark
  • How to observe folds
• 15. Final Drawing Sketches and Planning (Part 1)
  • Applying the knowledge into your illustrations
• 16. Final Drawing Sketches and Planning (Part 2)
  • Applying the knowledge into your illustrations

SECTION 05: Tonal Value

• 17. Quick Introduction About My Steps
  • Breaking down my painting progress
  • How to quickly capture color using layer effects
• 18. Occlusion Shadow
  • Controlling the thickness of the line & dot by considering the occlusion shadow
• 19. Final Drawing: Lineart
  • Tips about converting sketches to lineart without losing the interesting detail from the sketching progress
• 20. Light and Shadow
  • Designing the shape of the shadow effectively
  • Using filter effect as binarization or posterization as a reference
  • Controlling edges
• 21. Tonal Value
  • Introduction about tonal value
  • Balancing the group of the light and shadow

SECTION 06: Color

• 22. Color Mood
  • Using gradient map and layers effect to experiment
  • Effective contrast examples
• 23. Saturation and Color
  • Observing the relationship of color, not copying them blindly
  • Experiment with saturation contrast to create interesting color
• 24. Final Drawing: Color Thumb Stage
  • Applying the knowledge into your illustrations
• 25. Final Drawing: Finishing
  • Applying the knowledge into your illustrations
• 26. Final Drawing: Final Refine
  • Applying the knowledge into your illustrations

SECTION 07: Final Conclusion

• 27. Conclusion & Advice About the Future
  • Summary of the whole lesson
  • Q&A section

ubird said:

I'm also interested, nice GPT translation btw

Click to expand...

I copied the description from coloso and didn't even notice that part!