Overview
Lessons
Reviews
Instructor
Black Week Sale!   Save 75% AND get 2 Memberships for the Price of 1!  
Sign in
Preview course

Designing the Male Superhero

with Tom Bancroft
4.8 (164)
In this stand alone lesson, you'll learn the basics of how to create an animation style male superhero character using traditional media.
English English, French [Auto], 3 more Spanish [Auto], German [Auto], Portuguese [Auto]
1+
hours
1
lessons
Beginner to Advanced
level
Tom Bancroft

Your Instructor

Tom Bancroft is an animator who has worked with Disney Studios for over 25 years. Films he contributed to include Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas and Mulan.

FREE $8.99 TAKE FREE COURSE
Explore the course
1+
hours
1
lessons
Beginner to Advanced
level
English
English, French [Auto] , 3 more
Subtitles
  • Spanish [Auto]
  • German [Auto]
  • Portuguese [Auto]

What you’ll learn

  • Learn to sketch and design on paper a male superhero (in an animated-style)
  • Cheat the learning curve by creating several superhero body types and positions using the “lightbulb” concept
  • Learn about movement and different types of dynamic posing
  • Learn how to make the silhouette of your character exciting
  • Prepare to take your final character from paper to photoshop. And colouring.
+ See more

Description

In this stand alone lesson, you’ll learn the basics of how to create an animation style male superhero character using traditional media.

Who is this course for?

  • This lesson is suitable for beginners as well as advanced students who need some refreshing.
+ See more

This course includes

  • Free 50 minute video lesson
  • Certificate of Completion
+ See more

Used in course

+ See more

What you'll need

  • Just a paper/sketchbook and a pencil
+ See more

Lesson Plan

with Tom Bancroft
01

The Male Superhero

49:07

Start your Subscription to continue watching
Start your subscription to get access to this class and 55+ more on 21 Draw
Get Started

Part 1: After a brief introduction, I’ll give you some things to think about before you start to build your male superhero. I’ll start off by showing you how to create rough sketches of a normal proportion male, and then briefly discuss the differences in proportion to the superhero body type. I’ll outline my idea of the “lightbulb” that I use to show you how to build the core of the body and explain how this can be manipulated to create different body positions.

Part 2: Next, you’ll learn a number of different superhero body types, from a slim “flash” type character up to a muscular suerohero type. You’ll learn how to use different shapes to create these body types. I’ll show you how to select a particular body type and start to work with that to create a final design.

Part 3: You’ll also learn about movement and different types of dynamic posing, as well as making sure the silhouette of your character is exciting. I’ll also briefly discuss things like clothing and accessories and some important things to keep in mind when you add them to your character. Finally, you’ll learn how to take your final character and create some clean lines helping you to prepare your character for photoshop and colouring.

Student Feedback

164 customer reviews & ratings

4.8

Course rating

Log in to leave a review or rating.
5 star
86 %
4 star
11 %
3 star
4 %
2 star
1 %
1 star
1 %
Best Suited for
Beginner
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 164 reviews)

Most Liked
Clarity of Instruction 115
Great step-by-step process 109
Helpful Examples 106
Showing 10 reviews of
164
reviews & ratings
KC
Keelmy C.

5 years ago

Verified Purchase
Thats a mighty good free sample!
6 people found this helpful
M
Martin

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great free sample, with a lot of information and tons of good tips!!
2 people found this helpful
ID
Irving D.

5 years ago

Verified Purchase
ive always had trouble drawing dynamic poses, but your lightbulb technique makes it so easy! thanks for sharing
3 people found this helpful
DS
Donald S.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
This course was enjoyable, easy to follow and great explanation of cartoon drawing. The sample illustrations were extremely useful.
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
I
Isengard

5 years ago

Verified Purchase
This was great. Tim seems like a really awesome guy, kept me engaged. Would he be interested in perhaps doing some more tutorials?
1 person found this helpful
JA
John A.

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Was very pleased with the first time us from this course. Gave me ideas with my own drawings to attempt the lightbulb format.
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
PM
Peter M.

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Loved the steps and techniques employed. 💯worth it
SH
Scott H.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
i love the step by step . how he explains what he is doing and why. #DRAWKING0071
I recommend it for All levels
D
Diana

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
I love to learn from a Disney legend of classic movies everyone loves. I met the brothers Bancroft recently online and they are amazing, humble and lovely humans behind the super creative minds. I higly recommend Tom´s course
D
Danielle

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Professionally filmed and edited and quite easy to follow. I like that this tutorial is traditional-medium-friendly. Very helpful! My superhero came out looking pretty awesome!
See more reviews

About the Instructor

Tom Bancroft
Animator & Character Designer 2 courses

Tom Bancroft has more than 25 years of experience in the animation industry, much of which was for Walt Disney Feature animation where he was an animator on four animated shorts and eight feature films of which Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Brother Bear were part of the list. He has been nominated for Annie and Rueben division awards, spoken at the Kennedy Center, and awarded an entry into the Chicago Children’s Film Festival.


Follow Tom on

Full bio

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 21 Draw?

21 Draw is an online learning community where students of all skill levels can learn how to be a better artist. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.

Our streaming platform on www.21-draw.com makes it possible for anyone to watch hundreds of video lessons by industry legends who have worked for Disney, Marvel, DC, Dreamworks, Pixar & more. A membership gives full access to our streaming platform.

On books.21-draw.com you can buy our popular learn-to-draw ebooks and physical books, separate from the courses, and they too are also delivered to you by the heavyweights of the art industry.

159 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

What is included in the membership?

Membership includes unlimited access to all 55+ courses taught by the world’s best artists PLUS new courses as they are released.

Each class includes 10-20 video lessons that are 7 minutes long on average. Most classes include exercise sheets, assignments, and layered PSD or PNG files.

Some classes include the ability to chat with the instructor in a public forum, e.g. if you want feedback on your artwork.

225 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

Do I receive a certificate after I complete a course?

Yes! When you complete a 21 Draw course, you will receive a certificate of completion, which you can download and share with your friends, relatives, co-workers, and potential employers!

170 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

Are these online or offline courses?

21 Draw courses are on-demand (pre-recorded) video tutorials that you can watch online with any digital devices anytime and for an unlimited number of times! This means you can easily watch (and rewatch) them at your own pace and convenience.

432 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

Can a beginner follow along?

We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.

307 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

Do the courses teach digital or traditional art?

Many lessons in our courses apply to both digital and traditional art. In a few tutorials, digital drawing software, e.g. Photoshop or Procreate for iPad is required. However, for the majority of lessons it is more about the underlying concepts and all that is needed is a pen and paper.

274 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

Can I download the course videos?

You can download the course resources (exercise sheets, assignments, PSD files, etc.) from the site, but you cannot download the video lessons to your computer.

282 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

How much does a membership cost?

Normally it costs $235/year. However, there is a special sale running now for a limited time: Save 75%! This means you can get an annual membership for just $59 USD/year.

If you purchase the annual membership at a discounted price, it will remain at that price for each consecutive year, so long as your membership is not cancelled.

501 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

How does the 30-day guarantee work?

If for any reason at all you are unhappy with our courses or feel it isn’t what you are looking for—then just fill out this form or email us at [email protected]. We’ll be more than happy to give you a full refund within 30 days of your first purchase. No questions asked. Just a guarantee you can trust.

236 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

How do I cancel my membership?

You can easily cancel your membership renewal on your My Account page. Follow the prompts to cancel (Billing > Change Plan > Cancel Membership) and your membership will immediately be terminated. Please note: Refunds ONLY possible within 30 days after the date of purchase.

If you have more questions, please check out our Knowledge base or write to us here. We’re happy to assist in any way we can!

202 people found this helpful
Was this answer helpful?
Yes
No

More from 21 Draw

About 21 Draw

21 Draw offers online courses and books on how to be a better artist for students of all skill levels. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.
Explore Courses & Books
Preview course
Watch the trailer
FREE $8.99 TAKE FREE COURSE
Start your Subscription to continue watching
Start your subscription to get access to this class and 55+ more on 21 Draw
Get Started
Tom Bancroft Designing the Male Superhero
Get all-access
Save 75% on annual membership + Give one for FREE. Get started