Learn Illustrator CC: Create Simple Flat Vector Characters (Udemy.com)

This is a short, focused class. It runs about 67 minutes across 8 lectures, and nearly all of that is one section where Jonathan Lam builds three base characters, three body types and a few colour schemes from simple shapes and the Pen Tool. He is a concept and game artist at Ubisoft, and the course is aimed at people who want assets for games or animation. It comes with the .AI file for reference, so you can work alongside the videos. The last update was in 2019, so the interface may look a little different now.

Students rate it 4.3 from 1,073 reviews, and 902 of those are four or five stars. Reviewers like the clear, step by step teaching and the lack of filler. One said they used it for a 2D animation course project. Another found the pace a bit quick, though pausing and rewinding fixes that. The three-star reviews point to gaps. One says it only touches the absolute basics of character creation, another that Lam does not explain the keys he presses or which version of the software he uses. A third says someone without basic knowledge will struggle.

Over 81,000 students have taken it. Treat it as a one-project primer rather than a full Illustrator course. Total newbies should spend a few minutes learning the workspace first, as one reviewer advised, because the lessons assume some familiarity. For anyone after flat characters for a game or animation, an hour is a fair trade. Someone hoping to learn the whole program will want a longer course alongside it.