The Challenge Rewards are the official prizes of the Character Design Challenge! These exclusive rewards are available only to the community members who have upgraded their free membership on our Patreon page (Pro Membership) to thank them for their invaluable help in keeping the community independent. Each Challenge Reward includes fantastic resources for character designers, illustrators, and visual development artists, as well as some of the most interesting, original, and well-crafted art books and graphic novels crowd-funded in recent years.
At the end of each challenge, three artworks submitted by supporters of the Character Design Challenge on our Patreon page will receive one of these amazing prizes, delivered either to their door or via email. The three artworks that win the monthly Challenge Rewards will also be featured on our website and social media pages, alongside the classic Winners of the Character Design Challenge and all the Special Mentions for the month.
What are the Criteria to win the Challenge Rewards and where can I find the rules?
Just like the classic Winners of the Character Design Challenge, entries for the Challenge Rewards will be judged based on creative and technical skills, originality, and artistic excellence, alongside other artworks submitted on our Patreon page. The CDR Team will evaluate all submissions, and their decision will be final. To learn more about the judging process and guidelines, please visit the Rules of the Challenge section on our website!
WHO IS ELIGIBLE for THE Challenge REWARDS?
The Challenge Rewards are available exclusively to community members who have upgraded their free membership on our Patreon page (Pro Membership). Please check all the details below and visit our Patreon page to upgrade your free membership and learn how to access all the Challenge Rewards.
Where should I post the artwork to be considered for the Challenge Rewards?
To be considered for the Challenge Rewards, simply post your artwork directly on our Patreon page. You can also upload your artwork in the Character Design Challenge Facebook group or tag our Instagram page in your post. When you do, we strongly recommend posting your work on Patreon first (remember that it must be the same artwork) before submitting it via Facebook or Instagram (this allows us to notify you in advance if any edits or changes are needed).
Please follow this step-by-step guide to submit your artwork via Patreon:
Upgrade your free membership on our Patreon page.
Visit the Character Design Challenge Patreon page.
Click the "Message" button.
Include your name and the URL of your preferred portfolio or social media account.
Provide a direct link to your submission (live link only; uploads are not permitted).
Click the "Send" button to submit.
Can I just post my work on Patreon? Can I post the same submission on Patreon, Facebook, and Instagram?
Yes, if you’re not on Facebook or Instagram (and don’t want to create an account), you can simply post your design on our Patreon page, and it will be automatically validated as an entry for the contest. If you use all these platforms, you can crosspost your submission. Just make sure it's the same artwork, and if possible, post it on Patreon first.
WHAT IS THE OPEN SUBMISSION DAY AND DEADLINE?
A new theme is typically announced around the 7th or 8th of each month, with the submission deadline set for the 2nd of the following month (at 11:59 p.m. GMT + 0:00, Dublin time). Patreon members gain early access to the theme on the 5th of each month and benefit from an extended deadline, also on the 5th, giving them almost an EXTRA WEEK to work on their submission.
To summarize:
Themes are posted on the Theme of the Month page on our website.
Patreon members get a private announcement on the 5th day of the month.
The public announcement follows on the 7th or 8th day of the month.
The public submission deadline is the 2nd day of the next month.
The private deadline for Patreon members is the 5th day of the month.
How many Challenge rewards are available each month?
There are three distinct Challenge Rewards available to participants, each tailored to inspire and benefit different areas of artistic development:
Digital Painting Reward
Graphic Novel Reward
Character Design Reward
The Digital Painting Reward aims at enhancing your digital painting skills, offering premium resources such as graphics tablets and reference tools developed by renowned companies. It’s ideal for artists looking to expand their creative toolbox and elevate their digital artwork to the next level.
The Graphic Novel Reward celebrates storytelling through visuals, providing access to beautifully crafted graphic novels. It may also include behind-the-scenes material, art process breakdowns, and exclusive insights into the making of these projects, helping you gain inspiration for creating your own visual narratives.
Finally, the Character Design Reward is tailored for aspiring and professional character designers. This reward includes specialized resources for developing unique and memorable characters. It may feature exclusive art books, tutorials, and design tips from top illustrators and concept artists, helping you sharpen your character design skills and explore new creative approaches.
Digital Painting Reward
For the Digital Painting Reward, Huion, Animator Guild, Vograce & PoseMyArt have brought hours of informative animation references, a brilliant app, professional merchandise, and an incredible graphics tablet!
Kamvas PRO 13
The Kamvas PRO 13 is an amazing graphics tablet created by Huion! A professional and reliable supplier of graphics tablets, pen display monitors, stylus pens, and more. The application of full lamination crafts and anti-glare glass doesn’t just bring the brightness of 220cd/m2 and 1000:1 contrast ratio but also protects your eyes from harmful glare while ensuring clear, and delicate visual effects. In addition to the full lamination crafts, the color gamut is upgraded to 120%sRGB with 16.7 million colors for better presentation. The color disparity is eliminated and the display quality is improved. On top of this, the 178° wide viewing angle ensures the same presentation viewed from different angles without any distortion. The full-laminated screen of the Kamvas PRO 13 is not just good for color presentation but also strengthens the whole screen: the cursor on the screen keeps close and moves simultaneously to the nib (without causing any parallax), and the frosted surface of AG glass brings users the same feeling as drawing on paper. Finally, the battery-free digital pen PW507 is ergonomically designed with a silicone grip that is anti-slip and sweatproof, with 10mm sensing height (which ensures instant capture of pen movement and thus higher efficiency). Start sketching, doodling, and drawing directly on a Kamvas PRO 13 and begin your creative journey!
PoseMy.Art: app Subscription
PoseMy.Art is an online 3D model poser that features 2400+ Animations and Poses based on real human motion capture - making creating dynamic and realistic reference poses easy and super fast! The app also features a huge library of pre-made scenes, helping you find inspiration for your scenes. You can choose from a myriad of mannequin and props styles (realistic, anime, chibi, etc.), and adjust the rotation of each joint for a natural pose of each of your characters, so you can create an amazing drawing reference for your art! Control the position, direction, and intensity of the lights in your scene (or remove them entirely), and move the virtual camera around the scene for the perfect shot, with an adjustable field of view for extreme perspective. Get ready to create the perfect scene for your artwork!
Motion Lab: Contemporary Dance Pack
Have you ever searched for that perfect animation reference, only to get sucked into the infinite labyrinth of social media distractions? Have you ever struggled to make your animation look realistic? Professional animation directors Howard Wimshurst & Janina Putzker are the creators of Motion Lab! One of the most useful reference footage for animation artists. Great animation requires time and focus, and you don't want to let your schedule be crippled by time-consuming research tasks. Instead, fast-track your research stage by skipping straight to a curated catalog of high-quality references. You will spend less time procrastinating and more time drawing!
VOGRACE: CUSTOM MERCHANDISE
Have you ever wanted to transform your artwork into professional merchandise but struggled to find a reliable manufacturer? Vograce helps artists, creators, and small businesses produce premium custom products with vibrant printing, durable materials, and extensive customization options. Whether you're launching your first artist shop or expanding an existing brand, Vograce offers everything from acrylic keychains and stickers to tote bags, washi tape, and much, MUCH more! Bring your designs to life and create merchandise your fans will love.
graphic Novel Reward
For the Graphic Novel Reward, Tatai Lab & Spaceman Project have brought three amazing books!
KAYA & LUMINA
Kaya is a post-apocalyptic/sci-fi graphic novel written by Paola Barbato and Linda Cavallini, and drawn by Linda Cavallini, Emanuele Tenderini, and Lorenzo Lanfranconi. A self-contained volume of 96 pages in total, it tells the struggle for the survival of a little girl in an era in which the planet is now at its last, torn apart by a threat that has brought it close to its end. The graphic novel comes with an original soundtrack written by Remo Baldi, with sound design by Carlo Missidenti, violin by Pietro David Caramia, and vocals by Margaret Figoni. In the volume, you will find the QR code that will redirect you to the OST. From time to time, between the pages, you will be recommended the tracks that you can listen to so that you can immerse yourself even more deeply in the world of Kaya, while reading it.
Lumina is a breathtaking fantasy adventure that follows the journey and personal growth of Kite and Miriam, a brother and sister, as they explore the depths of one of the oldest planets in the Universe. Brotherly love, ecology, and respect for living beings are the central themes of this story. Lumina stands out as the only comic in the world printed with Multichromy, a groundbreaking technique capable of reproducing a color spectrum remarkably close to RGB. Enhancing the experience is an original soundtrack composed by Remo Baldi and performed by the Macedonia Radio Symphonic Orchestra, the same ensemble known for its work on the acclaimed PlayStation game Journey. The volume includes the full story, from start to end, in a prestigious 480-page volume with 2 hours of original soundtrack integrated with a QR code.
LIMBO HOTEL
The new graphic novel by Spanish artist and storyteller Enrique Fernández, with a unique story: the Limbo Hotel was Cory and Kein's lifelong dream. They transformed the small abandoned coastal village with their bare hands into a prosperous, happy business, always crowded with guests from all corners of the world. But everything changed the day she died, leaving Kein defeated and alone in charge of keeping their dream alive. Since then, no client has ever come back to this remote setting. Only the accidental arrival of Aiden broke the spell of the past lonely years. Kein has educated the kid to be a great host, in fact, he has raised him to be nothing else. Now the time has come to leave him in charge of the maintenance of the hotel. Every day he must have every room prepared and in perfect order, in case some unexpected guests arrive. But Aiden suspects life might not only consist of keeping the strange place afloat, and there must be something else waiting for him…
IMPORTANT: The book is in development right now, so the Winners of the Graphic Novel Reward will receive the Limbo Hotel book in Fall 2023!
Character Design Reward
For the Character Design Reward, 21 Draw and Masters Of Anatomy have brought lots of amazing educational books and ebooks!
21 Draw: Book One & Illustrator's Guidebook
Two amazing books that will teach you about character movement and expression, line of action, figure balance, details distribution and loads more! Featuring the work of more than 100 giants of the entertainment and gaming industry, top artists working for companies like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Marvel, D.C Comics, Rockstar Games, 21 Draw: Book One and Illustrator's Guidebook will improve your ability to draw hands & faces and will help you understand drawing perspective and backgrounds. With full in-depth tutorials and with over 1000 amazing character design references, the books will help you understand the importance of line weight, colouring, composition in your work and you will learn all you need to know to create amazing characters!
Masters of Anatomy: Books 1, 2, 3, 4, AND 5
Five incredible ebooks that will help you understand every step of the character design process, expand your design knowledge, create action poses, and much more! Imagine being in a classroom made up of 130 of the world's greatest character designers, artists who have worked for Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony Animation, Marvel, and DC. Book 1 aims to improve your ability to design meaningful and modern characters. Books 2, 3, 4, and 5 will teach you how to create bold, electric poses coupled with realistic and stylized human and animal references, thanks to the dynamic poses examples created by a true master of line art and anatomy: Raul Moreno!
LEgal Notes
Character Design References is not responsible for any copyright infringement by individual artists. Our intent is solely to inspire others to create original works based on a common theme. For questions about specific pieces of artwork, please follow the links to the website, portfolio, or social media pages provided by the artist in the caption of their post, or contact the associated profile directly. Artists participating in the Character Design Challenge can submit their work for the monthly contests by becoming members of the Character Design Challenge group on Facebook, tagging the Character Design Challenge page on Instagram, or submitting a direct link via Patreon. Ensure that you have read and fully understood the rules of the competition, the Character Design Challenge Terms of Use, the Meta Terms of Use, and the Patreon Terms of Use before entering an artwork for the contest. The Challenge Rewards are limited and exclusively available to the supporters of Character Design References on Patreon.
IMPORTANT: The Character Design Challenge is organized and managed by Character Design References. The Character Design Challenge is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta or Patreon. By entering this contest, you agree to a complete release of Meta and Patreon from any and all liability in connection with this contest. The project partners and sponsors are listed at characterdesignreferences.com The Character Design Challenge Terms of Use can be read HERE
