17 tips to develop your characters

character design tips

That, of course, is not to say that you should pay less attention to the render. In order for your character concept to land, it has to be truly presentable. In addition, you may notice details that you need to change the more realistic your design becomes. Another of our Top Level character artists, BayuRIP, uses this phase to push the concept to new heights, “Combine some elements into the character, make it weird and unique. Try to explore shape and angle to make it different and add your personal style to the design”. As the gateway to emotions and personality, a character's face is a canvas of storytelling.

character design tips from pro creatives

Many professional visual artists profess to have hated drawing hair at the beginning of their careers but now love the process instead. Fast drawings can allow your subconscious to speak up, and drawing a collection of strong lines of action can be a great way of understanding your character on a deeper level. When you're trying to develop your characters, sometimes the best thing you can do is step away from your drawing tablet or sketchpad and think differently. When you're developing your characters, you shouldn't only be thinking about how they look, but also how they feel, think and behave. With the character design process broken down into basic steps, let’s jump into some examples.

Pose

I wasn't aware of it, but after many years of working like this, I’ve been able to accumulate a lot of tools and processes to help me get my best work done. There’s a manga series Excel Saga that has a literal wormhole character with arms and legs (Google for The Great Will of the Macrocosm, you can thank me later). This alongside other examples of creative character design means there are no rules about what has the potential to be a character. Especially for animation, this will give your audience an idea of how your character will look in action. Body language can be very loud and tell an entire story of a person.

How to design a character: the ultimate guide to character design

character design tips

Take a look at the video below to learn more about the language of shapes and how they contribute to great character design. To make your design genuinely captivating, exaggerate its defining features. Viewers can quickly identify the character’s critical qualities by amplifying these traits. This technique is particularly significant in cartoon caricatures because it highlights specific personality traits.

Convert to grayscale to check color value and balance

Use your brush at close to full opacity to avoid the colour values merging and becoming muddy. Start with large changes in form at a low subdivision level and work in stages. Your layer with the highest polygon count should be the layer with the smallest details. Mudbox and ZBrush are both great tools for creating your character in 3D.

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Step 2: Research and Inspiration

Thick, even, soft, and round lines may suggest an approachable, cute character, whereas sharp, scratchy, and uneven lines might point to an uneasy character. Another way to make your character distinct and improve its pose is to turn it into a silhouette. This way, you can see how the character appears and if you need to make the gesture more transparent.

Keep shape language in mind

Commissioned and custom illustration work might be more restrictive, but it’s no less creative. On the contrary, it’s the way you execute within certain bounds that creativity comes into play. Although it may feel like your client is calling the shots, they wouldn't create a product without knowing their market. Building your character in 3D opens possibilities for bringing your creation to life. Instead of a flat, 2D image, a 3D character can be manipulated and viewed from various angles.

This is primarily achieved by maintaining the same style for the whole cast, but that’s easier said than done. So what’s the first thing to look at to make sure you’re designing a unique character? The good thing about the digital age we’re living in is that you can also gather inspiration from real life or other creators without leaving your house.

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For instance, a futuristic warrior might wear armor with sleek, high-tech elements, while a medieval bard might be adorned in flowing robes and musical instruments. Accessories such as jewelry, weapons, and tools can further enrich your character's visual narrative. Consider exaggerating certain features to emphasize the character's traits or role.

No matter what you do, focusing on a few details is better than trying to do it all at once. This makes it easier for the audience to decode your message and enjoy the storytelling. And from a creative process point of view, it’s much easier to work with a clear goal in sight than if you’re pulled in too many directions. Lastly, no matter how carefully you choose the colors for your character design, remember to always check it against the background(s) your characters will be placed on. All your work will be in vain if it clashes or blends too well with the background. Using colors this way can help you tell a story effectively by honing in on a particular characteristic and highlighting it.

character design tips

"I take my sketchbook with me everywhere I go, and incorporate what I see and feel into my creations every day." In each case, there’s an audience to focus on and each audience has different needs and preferences. By the way, you can also download a pre-made editable moodboard to get inspired for your character presentation. Here we’ve collected 20 free moodboard templates you can download and use for the occasion. For example, Mudbox's Screen Distance viewport fi lter can be rendered out and used as a depth of field pass to add atmospheric haze to a Photoshop image.

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