Character Creation

CARTOON The concept originated in the middle Ages and first described a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained-glass window. In the 19th century, it came to refer to humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers, and after the early 20th century, it referred to comic strips and animated films A cartoon is a type of two-dimensional illustration, possibly animated. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to; a. a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic artistic style of drawing or painting, b. an image or series of images intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or c. a motion picture that relies on a sequence of illustrations for its animation. An artist who creates cartoons is called a cartoonist. ANIMATION Because of the stylistic similarities between comic strips and early animated movies, cartoon came to refer to animation, and the word "cartoon" is currently used about both animated cartoons and gag cartoons. While animation designates any style of illustrated images seen in rapid succession to give the impression of movement, the word "cartoon" is most often used as a descriptor for television programs and short films aimed at children, possibly featuring anthropomorphized animals, superheroes, the adventures of child protagonists and/or related themes. At the end of the 1980s, "cartoon" was shortened in some cases to create the word "toon", which came into use with the combined live-action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Two years later, the animated TV series Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) demonstrated the use of the term. CHARACTER CREATION 1. DECIDE WHO YOUR CHARACTER DESIGN IS AIMED AT Think about your audience. Character designs aimed at young children, for example, are typically designed around basic shapes and bright colors. If you're working for a client, the character's target audience is usually predetermined. 2. DECIDE WHERE YOUR CHARACTER WILL APPEAR 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. 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. 3. RESEARCH OTHER DESIGNS 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: on TV commercials, cereal boxes, shop signs, stickers on fruit, animations on mobile phones, and more. Study these character designs and think about what makes some successful and what you like about them. 4. MAKE YOUR CHARACTER DISTINCTIVE 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. 5. USE LINE QUALITIES AND STYLES TO DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER 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. 6. USE EXAGGERATED CHARACTERISTICS Exaggerating the defining features of your character design will help it appear larger than life. Exaggerated features will also help viewers to identify the character's key qualities. Exaggeration is key in cartoon caricatures and helps emphasize certain personality traits. If your character is strong, don't just give it normal-sized bulging arms, soup them up so that they're five times as big as they should be. 7. CHOOSE COLORS CAREFULLY Colors can help communicate a character's personality. Typically, dark colors such as black, purples and greys depict baddies with malevolent intentions. Light colors such as white, blues, pinks and yellows express innocence, good and purity. Comic-book reds, yellows, and blues might go some way to giving hero qualities to character design. 8. ADD ACCESSORIES Props and clothing can help to emphasize character traits and their background. For example, scruffy clothes can be used for poor characters and lots of diamonds and bling for tasteless rich ones. Accessories can also be more literal extensions of your character's personality, such as a parrot on a pirate's shoulder or a maggot in a ghoul's skull. 9. GIVE YOUR CHARACTER PERSONALITY Interesting looks alone do not necessarily make for a good character design; its personality is key as well. A character's personality can be revealed through comic strips and animations, where we see how it reacts to certain situations. 10. FOCUS ON FACIAL EXPRESSION Expressions showing a character's range of emotions and depicting its ups and downs will further flesh out your character. Depending on its personality, a figure's emotions might be muted and wry or explosive and wildly exaggerated. LIP-SYNC ANIMATION GUIDE Lipsync Animation Guide Chart by DOMICS .

Load more