Creative Character Design


Although many of the classic characters familiar to us all through cartoons, movies and advertising look simple, that simplicity usually belies the many hours of work that have gone into their development. From Mickey Mouse's famous three-fingered hands — drawn to save production time when he was first developed for animations in the s — to the elegant simplicity of Homer Simpson, character design has always been about keeping it simple.

But aside from clean lines and easily readable features, what else are you going to need to know about character design? There's knowing what to exaggerate and what to play down, what to add to give a hint of background and depth, and what to do to develop personality.

Creative Character Design for your Business by chaostoon on Envato Studio

Getting started can be the trickiest part in any character design project, but once you've got some ideas these tips will help you breath life into your creation. Think about your audience. Character designs aimed at young children, for example, are typically designed around basic shapes and bright colours. If you're working for a client, the character's target audience is usually predetermined, as Aussie artist Nathan Jurevicius explains.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM DRAWING CHARACTER DESIGN - A Process Tutorial

Clients have specific needs but also want me to do my 'thing'. Usually, I'll break down the core features and personality. Where will the character design be seen and in what medium? This will have a direct bearing on how you go about your character design.

Creative Character Design for your Business

For example, if it's for a mobile-phone screen, there's no point designing it to have a lot of intricate details and features. Nathan Jurevicius says that regardless of the format: It can be helpful to try and deconstruct why certain character designs work and why some don't. There's no shortage of research material to be found, with illustrated characters appearing everywhere: Study these character designs and think about what makes some successful and what in particular you like about them.

Whether you're creating a monkey, robot or monster, you can guarantee there are going to be a hundred other similar creations out there.

Your character design needs to be strong and interesting in a visual sense to get people's attention. When devising The Simpsons, Matt Groening knew he had to offer the viewers something different. He reckoned that when viewers were flicking through TV channels and came across the show, the characters' unusually bright yellow skin colour would grab their attention.

The drawn lines of which your character design is composed can go some way to describing it. Thick, even, soft and round lines may suggest an approachable, cute character, whereas sharp, scratchy and uneven lines might point to an uneasy and erratic character.

Creative Character Design

Sune Ehlers characters are bold and seem to dance on the page, which echoes his approach to drawing them. A strong line for me comes from strength and rhythm. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook or visit their website. Here are direct links to the book: Stay informed on our latest news!

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35 Incredibly Creative Character Designs

April 1, at 9: The drawn lines of which your character design is composed can go some way to describing it. Request an e-inspection copy. Reviews "Excellent breakdown of the key elements of character design. Sune Ehlers characters are bold and seem to dance on the page, which echoes his approach to drawing them. The gallery of character designs provided at the back isn't particularly helpful.

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Bryan Tillman bridges the gap between the technique of drawing characters and the theory of good character design by using case studies, examples of. Create compelling, original characters using archetypes and design elements such as shadows and line with the tips and techniques found in this image- packed.

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