How to Become a Character Designer: A Designer's Roadmap to Getting Hired
If you want to become a character designer for animation, you have probably already discovered that there is no single path into the industry.
You'll find people telling you to go to art school. Others will tell you that you need a bachelor's degree in animation. You'll find courses, tutorials, portfolio programs, online communities, and thousands of opinions about what studios are looking for.
So what actually works?
I'm going to give you my honest answer based on my own experience working as a character designer in animation, getting my first job at Warner Bros., working with major studios, mentoring hundreds of artists, and now show running my own animated series.
The path is not complicated.
But it is hard.
You need to become very good at drawing, learn what professional character designers actually do, build an excellent portfolio, and then get that portfolio in front of the right people.
And you need to be willing to do that process for as long as it takes.
What Does a Character Designer Actually Do?
Before you start pursuing this career, it's important to understand what you're actually trying to become.
A character designer doesn't simply draw cool-looking characters.
In animation, a character designer helps establish how a character looks, feels, moves, and communicates visually within the world of a project.
Depending on the production, character designers may create things like:
Character turnarounds
Expression sheets
Pose sheets
Hand charts
Mouth charts
Costume explorations
Character lineups
Design explorations
You're taking an idea from a director, writer, art director or other member of the production and turning it into a visual character that can actually work within the project.
You need to understand anatomy, acting, storytelling, shape language, fashion, personality, appeal and design.
You also need to be able to take feedback and make changes.
That's an important distinction.
Being good at drawing is not the same thing as being good at character design.
Do You Need to Go to Art School?
This is probably one of the most controversial things I'm going to say in this article:
I don't believe most artists need to go to school for a degree.
I understand why people recommend it.
School can provide valuable social experiences. It can give you networking opportunities. You can meet other artists. You can get access to teachers and potentially learn about parts of the industry you wouldn't otherwise encounter.
Those things have value.
But I don't believe that value outweighs the price of school for most aspiring artists.
The career path of an artist can be risky.
There is no guarantee that spending tens of thousands of dollars on a degree will result in a career. It can take years to establish yourself. The industry can be unpredictable. Jobs can disappear. Studios can shut down. Productions can be canceled.
And almost everything a traditional art school provides can be found elsewhere for free or for dramatically less money.
You can draw with other artists.
You can find mentors.
You can study professional artwork.
You can attend events.
You can network.
You can take individual classes.
You can find tutorials.
You can build a portfolio.
And you can find experienced artists who are willing to help you.
For example, 2 months of focused mentorship can potentially move you much farther and much faster than 6-8 months of traditional schooling—at a fraction of the cost.
That doesn't mean school is bad.
If you want to go to art school and you have the financial means to do it, that's your decision.
I'm simply saying:
Don't believe that a degree is the thing standing between you and a career as a character designer.
Your portfolio is going to have to prove what you can actually do.
Step One: Become Obsessed With Drawing People
If you want to become a great character designer, I believe you need to become obsessed with drawing people from life.
Not occasionally.
Not once a week.
A lot.
Before I got my first job with Warner Bros., I spent almost a year doing something very simple.
I bought a case of sketchbooks from Amazon.
Then I started filling them.
My goal was roughly one sketchbook every week, drawing people from life.
I was spending 8 hours a day, pencil to paper.
I drew people everywhere I could.
And I did it over and over again.
Eventually I had stacks of drawings.
After almost a year of doing this, I went through everything and compiled my best drawings into a portfolio.
That portfolio helped me get my first job with Warner Bros.
And I learned something incredibly important during that process.
When you draw people from life, you're studying much more than anatomy.
You're studying:
Acting.
Storytelling.
Fashion.
Body language.
Personality.
Proportion.
Movement.
Shape.
And, perhaps most importantly, you're developing your own way of seeing the world.
You're not just copying people.
You're learning what you notice about people.
That's where your unique artistic voice begins to develop.
And what really captures the studios attention.
Draw a LOT Before You Worry About Your Portfolio
This is where I think many aspiring artists get the process backward.
They start worrying about their portfolio before they've developed the skills necessary to make a great portfolio.
Don't.
First:
Draw.
Then:
Draw more.
Then:
Draw even more.
Study people.
Study anatomy.
Study acting.
Study clothing.
Study animals.
Study the world around you.
Fill sketchbooks.
And become obsessed with improving.
Once you're producing a lot of strong artwork, then you can start thinking seriously about your professional character design portfolio.
Step Two: Learn What Character Designers Actually Have to Produce
Once you've developed a strong foundation in drawing, it's time to start learning the actual responsibilities of a character designer.
This is where your practice needs to become more production-specific.
Start studying things like:
Turnarounds
A character shown from multiple angles so that the design can be understood consistently throughout production.
Expression Sheets
A collection of facial expressions demonstrating how your character behaves and emotes.
Pose Sheets
Different poses and actions that communicate the character's personality and physicality.
Hand Charts
Different hand positions and gestures.
Mouth Charts
Different mouth shapes used for dialogue and animation.
You should be able to create at least one strong example of each.
And you should have several strong turnarounds in your portfolio.
You don't need to create every possible type of production sheet.
But you do need to demonstrate that you understand what a professional character designer is expected to do.
Step Three: Build Your Character Design Portfolio
Eventually, you're going to need to take all of this work and turn it into a portfolio.
And here's my recommendation:
Aim for approximately 10–15 of your absolute BEST pages.
Not 50.
Not 100.
Your best work.
Your portfolio should be easy for someone in the industry to understand.
When someone opens it, they should immediately think:
"This person wants to be a character designer."
Don't make them figure it out.
Don't fill the portfolio with unrelated artwork just because you worked hard on it.
Industry recruiter Rachelle Lewis has made a similar point when discussing animation portfolios: focused portfolios that clearly communicate the role an artist wants, such as character design, are much easier for recruiters to understand than portfolios that jump between unrelated disciplines.
Step Four: Start Networking Before You Think You're Ready
Once you have around 10–15 excellent portfolio pages, it's time to start getting your work in front of people.
This is where networking comes in.
And I don't mean walking into a room and awkwardly handing everyone your business card.
Start with LinkedIn.
Go to the LinkedIn search bar and try searches such as:
"Producer in animation"
"Recruiter in animation"
"Animation producer"
"Animation recruiter"
You'll find people working in the industry.
Connect with them.
Don't immediately send them a giant sales pitch.
Don't write a novel.
Don't demand their time.
Just connect.
Once they accept your connection request, send a short, respectful message.
Something along the lines of:
"Hi! My name is (NAME), I’m currently working towards a career in animation as a character designer and I'd love to work with you someday. If you have a quick minute, would you be willing to take a look at my portfolio? I'd really appreciate any feedback."
Then include your portfolio link.
That's it.
Keep it simple.
Don't Expect One Message to Get You a Job
This is where people often get discouraged.
You might send ten messages and hear nothing.
You might send twenty.
You might get a polite response but no opportunity.
You might get feedback that your portfolio isn't ready.
That's okay.
That's part of the process.
The goal isn't to send one perfect message that magically gets you hired.
The goal is to start building relationships.
You show your work.
You get feedback.
You improve your portfolio.
You meet someone new.
You show your updated work.
You get more feedback.
You improve again.
Eventually, someone has an opportunity.
And because you've already put your work in front of them, you're no longer a stranger.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Character Designer?
This is the question nobody can answer precisely.
For some people it takes a few years.
For others it takes longer.
Your starting skill level matters.
Your consistency matters.
How much you draw matters.
How quickly you respond to feedback matters.
Your networking matters.
And sometimes luck and timing matter too.
I don't want to give you a fake timeline like:
"Follow these seven steps and you'll have a job in six months."
That's not how creative careers work.
My own journey took years of developing my skills and finding opportunities.
What I can tell you is that the process becomes much easier to understand once you stop thinking about it as one giant goal.
Instead, think about it as a series of stages:
Learn to draw.
↓
Draw constantly.
↓
Learn character design.
↓
Build a professional portfolio.
↓
Show your work to people in the industry.
↓
Get feedback.
↓
Improve your work.
↓
Show it again.
↓
Keep meeting people.
↓
Find opportunities.
That's the process.
The Roadmap I Would Follow If I Were Starting Today
If I were starting from scratch today, this is what I would do.
Stage 1: Build Your Drawing Skills
Spend months drawing people from life.
Fill sketchbooks.
Study anatomy, acting, fashion, movement and personality.
Don't worry about getting hired yet.
Get good.
Stage 2: Learn Character Design
Study professional character design.
Learn turnarounds, expressions, poses, hands, mouths and character acting.
Create your own examples.
Stage 3: Build Your Portfolio
Choose your best work.
Aim for roughly 10–15 excellent pages.
Make sure the portfolio clearly communicates:
"I am a character designer."
Stage 4: Start Networking
Use LinkedIn.
Find producers, recruiters, art directors and other professionals.
Connect respectfully.
Share your work.
Stage 5: Get Feedback
Ask people what isn't working.
Listen.
Don't get defensive.
Fix it.
Stage 6: Repeat
Update your portfolio.
Meet more people.
Show your work again.
Keep improving.
Eventually, the right opportunity will come.
The Truth About Becoming a Character Designer
I wish someone had explained this to me when I was starting out:
There isn't a secret.
There isn't one school.
There isn't one software program.
There isn't one portfolio template.
There isn't one person you have to meet.
And there isn't one shortcut.
The people who make it are generally the people who keep improving their work and keep putting themselves in front of opportunities.
You need to become really good at what you do.
Then you need to make it easy for people to see that you're really good.
And then you need to keep putting yourself in situations where opportunities can find you.
That's how I got my first opportunity.
And that's how I've watched many other artists build their careers.
Need Help With Your Next Step?
If you're reading this because you want to become a professional character designer, you don't necessarily need more information.
You may need someone to look at your specific situation.
Maybe you need someone to tell you what's missing from your portfolio.
Maybe you're not sure what to work on next.
Maybe you're struggling to figure out how to approach people in the industry.
Maybe you have the skills but don't know how to turn them into a career.
That's exactly the kind of problem I built my Private Strategy Sessions to help with.
And if you're looking for longer-term guidance developing your portfolio, career strategy, networking skills and professional skills, that's what my Character Design Mentorship is designed for.
If networking is the part you're struggling with, I've also put together a guide specifically to help artists approach the industry:
Your Career Starts With the Next Sketch
You don't need to have everything figured out today.
You don't need to know which studio will eventually hire you.
You don't need to know exactly how your career will unfold.
You need to start.
Get a sketchbook.
Draw people.
Fill it.
Then fill another one.
Learn the job.
Build your portfolio.
Show your work.
Meet people.
Listen to feedback.
Improve.
And keep going.
Because becoming a character designer isn't about waiting for someone to give you permission to become one.
It's about doing the work until your portfolio makes the argument for you.
