Character Design and Comic Art Certificate Program

Develop the technical and creative abilities to bring original characters to life through your original drawings. From building a strong foundation in drawing fundamentals and designing characters to crafting emotional expression, you’ll gain the skills to create compelling characters throughout a story arc.

Taught by a world-class faculty of artists, illustrators, and animators, our Character Design and Comic Art certificate program offers a unique opportunity to deepen your craft, earn a valuable credential, and receive credit from Interlochen. This program is designed for both adults and teens and consists of three four-week courses that can be taken in any order.

Courses

Tuition

$ 1197 $999

Ages

Teens: Grades 6-12

Adult Learners: Ages 18+

Receive personalized feedback
Get regular guidance from an experienced artist-instructor who can help you strengthen your skills and develop your creative voice.

Connect in a weekly live class
Join an optional one-hour live class each week to ask questions, discuss ideas, and learn alongside other students.

Learn on your schedule
Complete video lessons, guided activities, and creative projects on a flexible weekly schedule of about five hours a week per course.

Create work you can share
Complete projects that demonstrate your progress and can contribute to a portfolio, résumé, application, or professional profile.

For all students:

✔ A respected credential from Interlochen Online
✔ Physical and shareable digital certificate upon completion
✔ A portfolio of completed, polished projects
✔ A strengthened résumé, college application, or LinkedIn profile

For middle school and high school students:

✔ An official transcript awarding high school credit
✔ Accreditation by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)

No, course sections are designed for their respective age groups, either for adults (students 18 and older) or young people (students under 18).

Yes, there are eight sessions of courses per year. View the academic calendar for more session dates.

Conor Fagan

Instructor of Visual Arts

Matthew Clinton

Instructor of Animation

Amy Kurzweil

Instructor of Creative Writing

Questions? Speak with an Advisor.

Email: online@interlochen.org

Phone: 231.276.5990

You can also schedule an appointment.

Get access to How to Fine-Tune Your Perspective Drawings, an exclusive guide developed by Interlochen Online faculty.

Character Design and Comic Art Certificate Program

Drawing Basics

Designing Animated Characters

Drawing Comics

Questions? Speak with an Advisor.

Sharpen Your Artistic Skills

✔	Set up a drawing space with suitable lighting, positioning, and drawing materials
✔	Create a wide variety of marks and effects using pencils and erasers
✔	Apply the principles of one, two, and three-point perspective drawing
✔	Use rulers and guidelines to produce accurate and convincing perspective drawings
✔	Create drawings that tell stories and make meaningful artistic choices

✔	Design characters that resonate with audiences by understanding their role in storytelling
✔	Develop practical research and ideation skills to inform and inspire your designs
✔	Apply fundamental design principles such as shape, color, and form to create visually appealing characters that communicate personality and emotion effectively
✔	Gain hands-on experience in character expression and presentation techniques

✔	Recognize that comics are a form that allow you to tell any story using words and images
✔	Render facial expressions, body poses, and visual abstractions to convey a wide range of emotions
✔	Use various panel transitions and the concept of closure to control the pace and feeling of a story
✔	Draft and refine your own comic stories, incorporating scripting, thumbnailing, and understanding story arcs