Successful Stylized Figures with Ognjen Sporin

Join Ognjen Sporin in this five-week course on creating clear, readable, and appealing figures with strong shape and body language.

This course will cover both the fundamentals and the particularities of drawing stylized figures, approaching the subject through a combination of lectures, demos and assignments. Over five weeks, we’ll not only go over commonly discussed relevant concepts through a new lens, but also dive into topics specific to stylization and explore various approaches to painting.

Duration: 5 weeks
Date & Time: Sundays at 11:00 AM EST starting Sunday, November 8 2026
⚠️ School closed November 28–29 ⚠️
Skill level: All skill levels welcome
Tiers: Receive direct feedback in class or spectate without homework feedback
Format: 4–5 hour live class with combination of lectures, demos, and feedback. Recordings are generally provided within a couple days of each live session.
Materials: Any digital or traditional tools. Paintovers will be done digitally.

All weeks will be a combination of lecture, demos and feedback.

SYLLABUS

WEEK 1: INTRO, STYLIZATION, MOVEMENT
Vectors of Stylization: Simplification & Exaggeration
Visual Movement: Concept • Exaggeration • Gesture in Figure Drawing

WEEK 2: SHAPE & FORM DESIGN
Shape Design: Organic Shapes • Simple vs Complex • Unifying vs Accenting
Form Design: Wedging & Interlocking • Geometric Structure • Plane Breaks

WEEK 3: MATERIALS
Body Composition: Skeleton • Muscle and Fat
Material Shape Design & Counterbalance
Compression vs Stretch & Muscle Function 

WEEK 4: LINE
Types of Lines
Line Weight: Feathering • Lost Lines • Ambient Occlusion
Strokes, Shorthands & Symbols 

WEEK 5: TONE
Creating Shapes: Brush & Lasso
Silhouette Shape, Interior Shapes & Edges
Color
Development & Process 

By the end of this course, you should have developed a more comprehensive understanding of stylization as a whole, as well as a practical approach and tools applicable specifically to your figures and characters.