Animation and Character Design - Character Concept Design with AI

Character Concept Design with AI introduces students to AI image generation as a creative and professional tool in animation and visual storytelling. Using platforms like Adobe Firefly, Leonardo AI, and DALL·E, students write and refine prompts to generate original character concepts—discovering that the best AI art starts with intentional, specific language.

Students begin with a close study of character design across different animated worlds, developing an eye for how visual choices—body shape, color palette, costume, expression—communicate personality, backstory, and role in a story. That visual vocabulary becomes the foundation for their own prompting.

From there, students work through multiple rounds of prompt writing and generation, comparing results and identifying what's working and what needs adjustment. They learn to treat the AI as a collaborator that responds to clarity and specificity—and to push through early results toward something genuinely original.

The lesson also addresses the professional landscape of AI in creative industries—where it's already being used in game design, concept art, and animation studios, and what skills human designers need to stay relevant and competitive.

Students leave with a developed character concept, a portfolio of generated images, and a deeper appreciation for the craft of visual storytelling.

ISTE Standards 1 and 6 aligned.