Stylizing Human Characters by SVS Learn

SVS Stylizing Human Characters is an online class from the School of Visual Storytelling, taught by illustrator and cartoonist Jake Parker. It shows how to go from a real person or reference photo to a stylised character, using a tool Jake calls the Style Wheel to balance figurative, symbolic and abstract elements. It also explains how shape and proportion change a character's personality. The class has nine lessons with about two hours of video and a full course PDF with assignments, and it is included in the SVS Learn membership.

Stylisation is one of the hardest things to teach, because it often feels like instinct. This class breaks it into choices you can make deliberately, then shows them in a live demonstration where Jake draws a stylised portrait of his son from life.

What You Will Learn

• What the Style Wheel is and how it describes any style
• Applying the Style Wheel to your own characters
• Examples of different styles analysed with the wheel
• How proportion affects personality and appeal
• How shape choices make a character read as friendly, tough or funny
• Stylising specific body parts such as heads, hands and feet
• Drawing a stylised character from life

Who Is SVS Stylizing Human Characters For?

The class suits illustrators and comic artists who can draw realistic figures but struggle to simplify them, and beginners who want to understand style before developing their own. It is particularly useful for picture book, animation and cartoon work.

If your figure drawing is still shaky, Figure Drawing for Illustrators and Introduction to Gesture Drawing are good first steps.

How the Class Works

The class is compact: one section of short lessons, followed by a demonstration and a PDF with assignments. The idea is to watch the theory in one sitting, then spend most of your time applying the Style Wheel to your own drawings and to people around you. Repeating the same subject at different points on the wheel is a good way to discover where your own style naturally sits.

Course Structure

The class has a single section with nine lessons:

1. Introduction
2. Introduction to the Style Wheel
3. Style Wheel application
4. Style Wheel examples
5. Proportion
6. Shape
7. Specific body parts
8. Drawing from life: demonstration
9. Full course PDF and assignments

Price and Access

The class is included in the SVS Learn membership. SVS lists its Studio membership at $29.95 a month, and class pages show a $300 annual option. A 14-day free trial is available with a card and becomes a paid subscription unless you cancel. Membership also includes live events and a monthly art challenge.

About the Instructor

Jake Parker has spent about 25 years working on animated films, comics and picture books, including projects at Reel FX and Blue Sky Studios such as Horton Hears a Who, Rio and Epic. He created the Inktober drawing challenge and now illustrates children's books and comics.

How It Fits the SVS Curriculum

Stylizing Human Characters belongs to Level 2 of SVS Essentials, the character level. It sits between Unique and Appealing Character Design, which builds a cast from story, and Posing Characters, which teaches you to keep a character consistent across poses and angles.

Things to Consider

• Time: two hours of video, then plenty of practice with the PDF.
• Draw from life: stylising people you can see helps more than copying other artists.
• Medium: any drawing tool works.
• Next steps: Posing Characters.
• Feedback: share your experiments in the SVS community.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with SVS Learn?

Start Stylizing Human Characters

For the full curriculum and membership options, visit the official SVS Learn website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 26, 2026