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CHARACTER ART
FOR GAMES
Master the full game character pipeline in 9 modules, at your own pace.
100+
Students
800+
On Demand Modules
800+
Hours of Content
800+
Livestreams (Pro)
Create Epic Game Characters
Master the full game character pipeline in 9 modules, at your own pace.
Class begins September 2
Enrollment closes in:
Create a Character
Follow along step-by-step to create your next Character model together as a class
Project Files
Download the actual source files from the demo project to learn from or use in your own
Feedback & discussions
Access a community of your peers and professional artists for feedback and inspiration
Live Instruction
Join weekly live sessions hosted virtually and take part in Q&A discussions
Meet your Instructor
Hey, I'm J Hill and I'll be your instructor for this class. I will teach you everything I know about creating character art for games and share as much information as I can about being an artist in the industry. I have been a professional 3D character artist for video games for over 15 years. I've worked on characters for some of the biggest games in the world like APEX Legends, Titanfall 2, Evolve, and Back 4 Blood. I also have a YouTube channel where I post videos and share information about character creation and CG art in general. I'm passionate about all things CG characters and teaching others what I can that are too.
P.S. I chose this image of myself because it gives off vibes like that ancient alien guy and the mystical power was just too strong.
J Hill
Skills you'll learn
Plan Your Project
- Choosing a strong concept
- Building a Reference Board
- Blocking out your character model
- Setting up for Success
Create Your Character
- Creating high poly models
- Detailing the Skin
- Modeling believable materials
- Creating a Real-Time model
Present Your Work
- Believable texturing
- Lighting & Rendering in Unreal Engine
- Customizing Materials
- Creating a strong presentation
Class Features
Lesson Videos
52 lessons with commentary in 4k quality. From choosing the initial concept art to presenting the final model
Live Sessions
weekly live meetings hosted virtually via Zoom with JHill and guest speakers
Project Files
Downloadable References, Zbrush tool, Low Poly model, Substance Painter file, Unreal Project
Private Community
Access to our private class server with peers and professional character artists
Unreal Engine Project
downloadable project with master materials and a level ready to drag & drop your asset. Includes the class demo character
Closed Captions
English closed captions available on all lesson videos
Our 2 Pricing Tiers
Character Class Essential
The Essential Tier is for artists who want the full Character Class experience—at their own pace.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your skills, this tier gives you:
✅ All On-Demand Lessons: Over 50 step-by-step videos covering the complete AAA character workflow—from sculpting and topology to texturing, look dev, and final presentation. Learn on your schedule, revisit lessons anytime.
✅ Complete Pipeline, Complete Project: You won’t just learn isolated skills—you’ll build a fully realized, production-ready character using the same techniques J has used in his 15+ years of industry work.
✅ Community Access: Ask questions, share your work, and get feedback inside our private Discord. You’ll be learning alongside a diverse group of artists—from beginners to pros—all here to grow, support each other, and stay inspired.
✅ Lifetime Access: No deadlines. No pressure. Just everything you need to keep improving—whether it takes you 8 weeks or 8 months.
The Essential Tier is for artists who are ready to stop piecing things together and start making real progress. One step at a time. One project at a time. At your own pace.
Character Class PRO
The Pro Tier was designed for artists who want more than just videos—they want momentum, structure, and support while they learn.
With this updated version of Character Class, Pro members now get:
✅ Weekly Livestreams: Join J until JULY 2026 for casual, focused sessions. With the first 8 weeks (starting July 21st 2025) J will walk you through each stage of the pipeline. These aren’t polished lectures—they’re real-time walkthroughs, Q&As, and insights designed to keep you moving.
✅ Stronger Community Access: Pro members are encouraged to engage in weekly check-ins and post their progress for feedback. You’ll be learning alongside a tighter group of serious artists, all moving through the process together.
The Pro Tier is built for people who want to stick with it. Who want accountability, clarity, and direction as they build their next (or first) great character.
It's still self-paced, but with a little added guidance when you need it.
Class Features
🎨 Create a Game-Ready Character
Follow J through a full character pipeline: from choosing your concept to final presentation. Learn the techniques used in AAA studios to sculpt, retopo, texture, light, pose, and render a character ready for your portfolio.
You’ll finish with a complete, professional-quality piece and the skills to do it again.
📁 Downloadable Project Files
Every step of the way, you’ll have access to the same files J uses in the lessons.
That means example sculpts, UVs, Substance files, Unreal Engine project files, and more. So you can follow along and reverse-engineer real work as you go.
💬 Community Support
You don’t have to do this alone. Join a Discord full of supportive artists, get feedback, share progress, and learn alongside other students. Whether you’re stuck on topology or looking for inspiration, the community is there to help you keep going.
Get feedback & a supportive community
Submit your projects and receive feedback from a professional
Stay motivated and inspired with a community of your peers
Get all your questions answered no matter what
Class Schedule
Week 1
Tools & Techniques
An overview of the basic tools and techniques you'll need to start making awesome characters
- Software Overview
- Modeling Techniques
- Basemeshes
Week 2
Planning Your Project
Preparation for the Project. The overview and general strategy to get the most out of your Project and what to look for and know before you begin.
- Choosing a concept
- References
- Blocking out
Week 3
High Poly Modeling
Creating the detailed detailed high poly models of the character and costume with Zbrush and Maya.
- Sculpting Leather
- Sculpting Cloth
- Metal Armor
Week 4
The Head
Deep dive into facial proportions and anatomy, guiding students in developing authentic faces in their 3D models. Proportions, utilizing references, and understanding age, gender, and ethnicity.
- References
- Proportions of the Face & Head
- Sculpting the Head
Week 5
The Real-Time Model
creating the low poly real-time model. model preparation, retopology, low poly modeling, and UV mapping.
- Retopology
- Quad Draw
- UV Mapping
Week 6
Texturing
Baking all the forms and details from the high poly source model and then adding textures and materials. Now the character starts to come to life. Basic texturing, materials, and ways to add story
- Baking
- Texturing the Costume
- Texturing the Face
Week 7
Rendering with Unreal Engine
Assembling the character model and textures in Unreal Engine, creating materials, lighting, and rendering.
- Exporting to Unreal
- Materials in Unreal
- The Eyes
Week 8
The Final Presentation
Putting it all together and showcasing the character to maximise impact.
- Posing
- Rendering with Path tracing
- Posting on ArtStation
Frequently Asked Questions
There's no such thing as a dumb question.
What skill level do I need to be?
What if I don’t like the class?
Does this class teach me Unreal Engine?
Is it possible to pay in installments?
What software is used in the class?
Can I watch the lessons on mobile?
What hardware do I need?
Can I see the full lesson plan?
Industry Experts
Interviews from Industry Experts from Major Games & Studios
Marco Plouffe
Renaud Galand
Sefki Ibrahim
Hazel Brown
Jared Chavez
Justin Holt
Hanno Hagedorn
Patrick 4D
What students have said
Your Best Character.
Guaranteed.
Our 100% Satisfaction & Money-Back Promise
We want the investment in this course to be an absolute no-brainer for you - if you’re serious 😉
"serious" technically involves (a) completing the first two modules of lessons, and (b) submitting at least 1 update for feedback. If you've done those things, and for whatever reason aren't 100% happy with your experience, drop us an email (within 60 days of the start of the class) and we'll happily refund your entire payment. However, please note that the money-back guarantee only applies if you actually do the work and complete some of your project. If you don't do the work, you won't get any value from the class, and you'll have taken a place away from someone else.
Create your Best Character
Essential
- All Videos 20+ hours of content
- Project Files
- Unreal Engine Project
- Access to Community Discord for access to JHill and our team of professionals
- Lifetime Access
$395
All the Essentials
Best Value
Pro
$595
- Everything in Essential
- 8 one-hour live class Sessions hosted virtually
- 4 Group Feedback Sessions
- Bonus Guest Q&A
- Digital Products
- Free access to XGen for Characters Mini Course
- Lifetime Access
Elite
$1995
- Everything in Essential
- Everything in Pro
- 1:1 Onboarding with JHill
- 8 Personal feedback videos
- Exclusive Discord Channel for quick access to JHill and our team of professionals
- Additional weekly Elite-only coaching call
- Lifetime Access
Limited Seats
Join the class today!
Create Your Own Epic Game Character
Learn to create unique 3D character models that get you noticed!
Character Class PRO
The Pro Tier was designed for artists who want more than just videos—they want momentum, structure, and support while they learn.
With this updated version of Character Class, Pro members now get:
✅ Weekly Livestreams: Join J until JULY 2026 for casual, focused sessions. With the first 8 weeks (starting July 21st 2025) J will walk you through each stage of the pipeline. These aren’t polished lectures—they’re real-time walkthroughs, Q&As, and insights designed to keep you moving.
✅ Stronger Community Access: Pro members are encouraged to engage in weekly check-ins and post their progress for feedback. You’ll be learning alongside a tighter group of serious artists, all moving through the process together.
The Pro Tier is built for people who want to stick with it. Who want accountability, clarity, and direction as they build their next (or first) great character.
It's still self-paced, but with a little added guidance when you need it.
800+ students
Mix, match or create from scratch
Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to take nearly 900 artists through my Character Class.
Running three full cohorts in real time and watching people push their work further than they thought they could. It’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.
But I noticed it couldn't work for everyone: Most people didn’t finish their project within that 8-week format. Not because they weren’t capable, but because life. Work, family, time zones, burnout. Not to mention, 8 weeks isn't actually that much time to make a character model.
The old structure served a few, but not the many. So I’ve taken everything I learned from those groups and updated the class. Same content. Better delivery. With support.
Character Class - ESSENTIAL
The Essential Tier is for artists who want the full Character Class experience—at their own pace.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your skills, this tier gives you:
✅ All On-Demand Lessons: Over 50 step-by-step videos covering the complete AAA character workflow—from sculpting and topology to texturing, look dev, and final presentation. Learn on your schedule, revisit lessons anytime.
✅ Complete Pipeline, Complete Project: You won’t just learn isolated skills—you’ll build a fully realized, production-ready character using the same techniques J has used in his 15+ years of industry work.
✅ Community Access: Ask questions, share your work, and get feedback inside our private Discord. You’ll be learning alongside a diverse group of artists—from beginners to pros—all here to grow, support each other, and stay inspired.
✅ Lifetime Access: No deadlines. No pressure. Just everything you need to keep improving—whether it takes you 8 weeks or 8 months.
The Essential Tier is for artists who are ready to stop piecing things together and start making real progress. One step at a time. One project at a time. At your own pace.
$395
Character Class - PRO
The Pro Tier was designed for artists who want more than just videos—they want momentum, structure, and support while they learn.
With this updated version of Character Class, Pro members now get:
✅ Weekly Livestreams: Join J until JULY 2026 for casual, focused sessions. With the first 8 weeks (starting July 21st 2025) J will walk you through each stage of the pipeline. These aren’t polished lectures—they’re real-time walkthroughs, Q&As, and insights designed to keep you moving.
✅ Stronger Community Access: Pro members are encouraged to engage in weekly check-ins and post their progress for feedback. You’ll be learning alongside a tighter group of serious artists, all moving through the process together.
The Pro Tier is built for people who want to stick with it. Who want accountability, clarity, and direction as they build their next (or first) great character.
It's still self-paced, but with a little added guidance when you need it.
$595
