What is the distribution of your character?.What’s the context in which your character will be used?.So you need to ask yourself these extra questions: It’s almost like creating a product in itself. Is it for an animated series? Is it for a manga? For a children’s book? Are you creating video game characters? And your illustration depends on what your goals are. There are many angles you can look at before designing a character. And said product would not look the way it does, or have the effect it has, without taking into account what the user needs and wants. Although it may feel like your client is the one calling the shots, they wouldn't create a product without knowing that there is a demand for it. The requirements are ultimately set by the end user. UserĬharacter design is not as simple as just sitting down and sketching characters for the of fun it. The act of remembering your reference from your memory might spark more creativity on the way. Some artists prefer to not have a mood board at all, just because that can influence their process too much. But Remove Yourself From ReferencesĪt the next stage, it’s important to take a step back from everything you’re researching, as you don’t want to commit one of the biggest character design crimes of all: repeating what others have done before. Once you’ve done your research, put together all your inspirational sources in a mood board that can guide your process further. Think of the way they walk, talk, dress, gesture, and apply some method theory into your design. You are surrounded by a wide range of amazing characters in your day to day life: your friends, family, political figures. Your mind is like a visual library the more sources you have, the better.Īnd don’t stop there. Study character designs from a variety of sources, and analyze why you like some of their aspects in particular. That’s when you understand what you need to create, and you also get those creative juices flowing.ĭon’t just browse the internet, but put your critical thinking cap on and try to deconstruct why other characters are successful, while others are not. Pre-production is more often than not the most important step in your creative process. If you’ve read any of our "how to" articles, you know that this is going to be your first step in any type of creative endeavour. This might mean that you have to respect certain product or project requirements.Īs we move on to the fundamentals of character design, you’ll notice just how personality, story-telling, and the capability to be memorable are the most important aspects in this process. As much as you want to create characters that you personally love, you also need to create them for your audience. Users should be able to identify themselves with it. Illustration by Maddy ZoliĬreating a character means creating a design that speaks personality, attitude, and relatability. It touches on so many facets of the design creative process that you are bound to elevate all your technical skills to the next level. That is why character design is so important to know as an artist. It encompasses everything about design at large: the principles, the theory, and above all, the execution. But first: What is Character Design?Ĭharacter design is the process of creating and illustrating a persona that fits a particular visual story.Ĭharacters are often used on screen, like cartoons, movies, in games, and but they’re also designed for books, either mangas, comic books, illustrated children’s books, or graphic novels.īut character design involves much more than just creating something pretty. Be sure to watch it! Jocasta and her friendly ghost, created by Maddy Zoliīut also don’t miss the theory which is explained below step by step.
Think of Final Fantasy and its detailed universe - what goes into designing those characters?įor this article we asked about her creative process and we also created a video in collaboration with her that shows you the tools and techniques she uses to design a character from start to finish in Vectornator. But that does not mean that they are simple to create.Īctually, a lot of time and effort goes into simplifying a character and making them as effective as possible. Iconic characters like Mickey Mouse or Eric Cartman from South Park are as simple as they get.
Sometimes, it can seem simple from the outside. In fact, being memorable is what separates characters from simple illustrations.įull disclosure: The process of designing a character is not easy. Usually, that’s because the design of the character tells a story before the character ever moves or speaks. Some characters are impossible to forget.
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