In This Blog, We Will Explore The Essential Tips And Techniques To Create Great Character Designing
Character designing is the process which is very much important in a story composition. It generally moves the narrative and experience of the viewer, reader, player, or user. It is created in order to make interactions more lively.
Character designing is the art of creating the entire concept, style, artwork of a character from scratch. This often takes into account a thorough look into the character’s personality, to get a visual idea of the character’s physical looks.
It is not an easy idea to create an entire character from scratch. It involves a lot of creative energy. In the year 1914 , Winsor McCay released his movie Gertie the Dinosaur, which was the very first example of true character animation. Walt Disney gave special emphasis on character animation in his studio in 1930. His creations Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck became the most adorable and remembered cartoon characters.
There is a common saying that animation without good body language is like a body without a skeleton.
If the main composition of character design is feeble or out of track, animation becomes a mere copy of live action. Good character designing helps to make a product look more attractive, they might help to create good franchises.
They might bring a good reputation to the company and even just might contribute to the growth of the industry. Quality character designing may be visible in games like Super Marios, Max Pyne, Sonic the Hedgehog and Angry Birds.
A game was released in 1996 featuring an intelligent athlete and a driver woman as the main character. This movie became so successful that a Hollywood blockbuster featuring Angelina Jolie was released in the same franchise. A fantastic character design generally affirms that the general public may recollect the character.
The better a person recalls the better profit one may hope to achieve from box office, from merchandising and brand endorsements.
According to the opinion of Leah Hoyer, the story in animation is not always related to the plot but it is sometimes about the character and the human composition that adds to the story.
The way by which the characters interact with each other is of primary importance. Character designing is judged on five important things, functionality, recognisability, aesthetics, personality and originality.
In order to make a character successful one should take into consideration some other factors that are required to make a character successful.
This can be achieved by looking and listening to the character with a personality and a story. Character designing may not be as simple as it sounds to be.
It may be a difficult task to tackle. If one wants to create one’s own character from scratch it may require a lot of imaginative thinking.
Many of the classic characters that are familiar to us including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck , and other characters that we have seen in animation are designed with a lot of skill and effort. It has been designed to make them more effective.
There are some important factors one keep in mind while character designing are discussed below –
1. Never Loose Magic –
Many character designers start designing with a sketch.
In this first step the essence of the character is captured.
So while drawing the character a designer should make sure that the magic is captured in the very first step.
Renowned designers are of the opinion that they feel that they have not created the characters but they feel they have met them.
While character designing one should go to unnecessary details.
So while working with the design one should make sure that the magic is not lost.
So in character designing one should induce much life in the character while drawing in the early stage. Movement is very much difficult to add later.
2. Refrain From Using Reference Material –
One should not keep reference material in front of the working table while character designing.
A designer’s aim should be to create something original. If one looks at something and he or she tries to memorize the thing in his or mind then only he will be able to create master masterpiece.
3. Researching Other Characters –
One should try to research and know why certain characters design work and why some don’t.
There are many research materials which are found in tv commercials, cereal boxes, shops, signs, stickers, animation, on mobile phones. One should study these character designs .
One should also try to cultivate what makes it successful.
4. Looking Elsewhere –
One should look at other things in material life also in character designing.
A designer may take videos of himself and try to use it as reference to design a character’s movement or posture.
5. Exaggeration –
Exaggeration of the defining features of a character helps to identify the key qualities of the character. Exaggeration of the physical appearance of the characters helps to locate the quality of the characters.
If the character is strong enough one should give it big arms to show it is strong.
To make a character look funny one may make its nose or lips big.
6. The nature of the audience –
While designing the character one should keep in mind the nature of the audience.
If one is designing the characters for children it should be designed with basic shapes and colors.
If one is designing for an advertisement for the client obviously he will take into mind the client’s requirement.
7. Distinctiveness –
If a designer is creating a robot, monkey, or monster, there may be many designers who have designed the characters earlier.
So a good character designer should try to make his creation a little different from others.
8. Silhoutte –
One way to make the character look distinctive is to add a silhouette.
If one makes silhouette of the characters one understand how the character reads and if the gesture need more clear feature or not.
Whether the emotion of the character is visible or not.
9. Developing Line Of Action –
One of the most important aspects of character designing is definitely considering the line of action.
It generally defines the direction by which the character moves and it is used as a narrative tool and it brings a feeling of movement.
10. Considering The Line Of Quality –
If a designer draws thick, even soft and round lines it may refer to a cute character.
While sharp catchy uneven lines may point to a cunning character.
There are some other things that one should keep in mind while character designing is keeping things simple, considering all angels while designing, building it in 3d structure, choosing colors carefully, not forgetting to add hair, adding accessories.
These things are important while character designing. A good character designing involves a lot of things. All these things should be kept in mind for character designing.
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