Here are some tips to help you become a better Character Designer... -TAo!

To be able to create great character desings, you must first understand what the word CHARACTER means. Here are some of the definitions for the word Character in the dicitionary:

1-collective qualitites or characteristics, esp. mental and moral, that distinguish a person or thing.
2-A. moral strenght (has a weak character) B. reputation.
3-a person in a novel, play, etc.
4-person, esp. an ecentric or outstanding individual. (he's a real character)
5-printed or written letter, symbol, or distinctive mark. (chinese characters)

Knowing that, we now know that great character design involves many elements. It's not just the drawing itself, but mainly PERSONALITY and ATTITUDE, are the biggest attributes that help make our designs more appealing.

Here are some elements to watch for:

-Avoid stereo types. Don't be predictable. (example: good guys wearing white, or sweat old granny sitting in a rocker- boring! Make the granny driving a hot rod instead.)

-Be interesting, out of the ordinary, unique, and different!!!

-Include words like: UNEXPECTED, EXAGGERATED, and IMAGINATIVE. (try watching some old Tex Avery cartoons!)

-Create dynamic poses, strong attitudes, readable silhouettes, and uneven negative spaces.

-Strong facial expressions. What's the character's emotion or feeling? Does it work with the body pose?

Okay, here are some more tips before we start moving on the process of character designing:

The STYLE:
-This includes line thickness, how hard or sharpness of the angles, and certain character traits like big cartoony eyes or small realistic eyes. (Powder Puff Girls vs Jose And The Pussy Cats.) Here are artists who've created their own "Style" when you think of their names: Chuck Jones, Tim Burton, Dr. Suesse.)

PROPS:
-Props helps support the believability of your character. (example: a cop should carry a gun and badge, the boxer wears boxing gloves, etc.) Just make sure that the prop doesn't over power and take away from what the character is trying to say. (example: if the character is holding a gun and trying to rob someone body- don't make the gun too big or too small or else it will take away from the believability.)

COLORS:
-Colors can help show the feeling of the character. (example: red means angry, drunk, or embarrased.) Also it is used as the signature of the style: example- The Simpsons, yellow people.

Okay, now I'm going to tell you my drawing process and how I do character designs:


TAO NGUYEN'S Drawing Process:
-I think of an IDEA, THEME, or CONCEPT.
-Then gather my references: books, photos, movies from DVDs & Videos.
-Then I start out doing tiny thumbnails. (staging and char. poses- almost in quick sketch format, figuring out what looks the best.)
-When I'm happy, I move on to a bigger version.
-I use either a red or blue colored penci l- and start out with the CONSTRUCTION and SIMPLE SHAPES.
(I get it to represent something- an animal, human figure, creature, building, vehicle, etc.)
-I continue playing around with the shapes, tweeking it to fit my STYLE.
(cartoony looking or serious comic looking)
-I think of the atittude, poses, and facial expressions. (What am I trying to say?)
-I check for a strong readable silhouette and negative spaces.
-Draw in the props and background elements if needed.
-I slowly add in the details.
-I give it one final check before moving on to graphite. (looking for perspective or size problems- making sure everything works as a whole.)
-Finally, I graphite it in black and set the STYLE. (this time with the line thickness and sharpness of the angles, and "the look".)
-With the finished piece, I make tons of zeroxes and file them away.
(Sometimes when I have time, I use Photoshop to do the coloring for my final piece.)

 

Okay, that's it for this page.
Remember to keep it interesting, appealing, and fun! -TAo!

If you have any questions- please feel free to e-mail me at:
prosketch@hotmail.com


CHARACTER DESIGN II-
click here for more tips on character designs