Video Podcast
For this video project, I wanted to share some insights about my creative process. Character design is something that I love to do. Many people think that the first drawing of a character is what makes it to the final piece of media; this is not true! Characters go through dozens, if not hundreds of concept sketches, iterations, and different designs. This video is meant to share the process of creating a new character, my steps for designing characters, and some of my thoughts and rationale regarding character design.
This is how I design original characters.
The first thing I do when designing a character is list some of their attributes. These could include their name, age, personality, interests, and any defining physical characteristics. In this case, we have young, vicious, cute, girly, small, and spastic.
Next, I do five to ten small sketches of the character, exploring different styles, proportions, and expressions. I wanted to try out different shapes for this character. Some of the sketches are based on circles, some on squares, and a couple are even built off of triangles.
Once I have a couple ideas I like, I do two or three larger sketches that integrate some aspects of different thumbnails. Usually, by this stage, I have a rough design in mind. If I don’t, I do some more drawings. I think I’m going to go with the design on the right, since it seems more cartoony and unique to me.
Next, I do a refined sketch of the character and include their whole body. I try to pick a pose that portrays something about the character’s personality.
To choose colors, I’ll duplicate my sketch and color it in a few different ways. Color says a lot about a character, so it’s really important to dedicate time to this step. I’m going with this gray and pink palette since I think it’s cute and energetic.
Once I have a design and color scheme I’m happy with, I can do a refined illustration of the character.
And just like that, we have a new original character based on our prompt. Say hello to the Mouse Warrior Princess.