Character Design for Video Games with Ahmad Beyrouthi

7-week, intermediate-level design class

Ahmad Beyrouthi

Ahmad Beyrouthi is a 2D Artist/Character Designer and Tutor in the animation and video games industry. He has been mentoring and teaching through online mentorships and workshops.

Ahmad has worked on Netflix’s Shadow and Bone Destinies, Angry Birds Evolution, XCOM Legends, Go Race: Super Karts, CSI: Hidden Crimes, Crystal Crisis, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Taiko Studio’s Miracle, Cas Van De Pol’s Avatar Ultimate Recap, and The Meal animated short, was also involved in various TV Ads and Children educational content.

His diverse and unique style of creating characters has reached different clients such as Ubisoft, SEGA, Chimera Entertainment, Taiko Animation studios and many more clients in the game industry.

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Class Schedule

Length of Course: 7 weeks

Days: Saturdays starting May 10, 2025; last class on June 21, 2025

Time: 9am – 12pm Pacific Time

Tuition: US$750 (plus a US$20 nonrefundable registration fee*)

Class Size: 12 students

Format:

Class meets once a week on Zoom; Zoom class is recorded
Homework to be uploaded to Google Drive folder
Students have access to pre-recorded demos, class recordings, and lecture notes for 12 months after class ends
Bonus Discord activities: 1) Mid-week Office Hours to receive feedback on homework WIPs – schedule TBD, participation optional but highly recommended, not recorded; 2) Work Sessions to hang out and work on homework together with classmates

* We charge a registration fee because this class requires a portfolio review (Read the FAQ page for more details!)

Class Summary

In this 7-week course, Ahmad teaches students ways to create believable character designs through painting and styling, as well as to improve pose design and storytelling skills.

Week 1. Setting Up the Narrative and Building Up Visual Library
Week 2. Nailing down the Sketching Phase & Explorations
Week 3. Narrowing Ideas and Checking on Functionalities
Week 4. Rendering and Work in Details Part 1
Week 5. Rendering and Work in Details Part 2
Week 6. Production Sheet
Week 7. Final Presentation and Critique

There will be a Week 0 Assignment (incl. rough sketches) to be completed before the first class, with details shared 2 – 3 weeks before the start date.

Expected Results

Upon completing this course, students will have a complete character package, including sketches, color explorations, final concept, additional facial expressions, skins, and a model sheet.

Prospective Students

Artists who are into character design and have love for the craft. They will find something they don’t know in this course as various styles will be covered!

Prerequisites

This is an intermediate-level class. In order to have a productive learning experience for all, prospective students need to fulfill the following requirements:

Must have experience drawing with Adobe Photoshop
Must understand the basics of gesture drawing and have relevant examples in their portfolio
Must have an original character design idea roughed out before the first class (This is the Week 0 Assignment!)
Must have a computer with microphone (camera optional)
Must be able to access Google Drive to upload homework
Should be comfortable using Discord to view/upload files and participate in text and voice discussions
Must be dedicated and do homework as required
Please know that this is a critique-heavy course. Every student’s homework will be getting detailed critiques during the weekly classes

This class requires a portfolio review. You’ll receive portfolio submission instructions after paying the portfolio deposit (US$100). A refund of US$80 will be returned to you if your portfolio does not meet the requirements of this class – the US$20 registration fee included in the deposit is nonrefundable. Upon passing the review, you have 48 hours to process the remaining tuition payment. Please read our FAQ for more info.