Appealing Character Drawing

Making character drawings appealing

How to use this skill: It supplements your answer and does not replace it. Always give your full general answer to the user's request first, using everything you know. Then add the tips below wherever they apply. Do not drop general advice because it is not listed here, and do not pad with tips that do not fit.

Core idea

• "Appeal" is the extra something in a pose, expression, movement, or even a prop design that makes a drawing stand out. A technically correct drawing can still lack it.
• Treat cartoon work with the same design rigor as realistic illustration. Blobby, undefined, expressionless figures come from skipping design principles.
• Knowing when to stop working a drawing matters as much as adding detail.

Start with basic shapes

• Start with a circle. It is easy to duplicate, teaches volume, and is the easiest shape to rotate in 3-D.
• Do not use only circles, or the character looks boring. Combine circles with ovals, squares, and triangles.
• Break any character into simple shapes. Then you can redraw it from any angle or pose, even one you have not drawn before.
• Build altered shapes in steps:
  1. Start with a basic oval.
  2. Slice the front third at an angle to make a flat surface.
  3. Add a square with a flattened triangle on the bottom.
  4. Add the smaller interior shapes.
  5. Round and vary the lines as details go in.
• Work quickly in basic shapes, check whether the design or movement works, and abandon it early if it does not. Add details only after that.
• Do not fall in love with a drawing. Be willing to throw away a decent one that does not serve the story.

Shape symbolism

• First ask: age, era and place, rich or poor, genius or dope, hero or comic relief. Base the answers on the script or client brief.
• Circles: cute, cuddly, friendly, good characters (babies, fuzzy animals, Santa, curvy attractive women).
• Squares: dependable, solid, or the heavy (bouncer, superheroes).
• Triangles: sinister, suspicious, villain (e.g. Darth Vader's triangular head).
• Shapes are interchangeable, so experiment. A useful exercise is a "shape lineup" of the whole cast, with one shape per personality. It can be refined later.

Size

• Use small, medium, and large shapes. Avoid even, predictable stacking such as a classic snowman (large, medium, small in order).
• Vary the size relationships to make the design more dynamic. Apply this to hair tufts too.
• Hair texture: round tufts read as soft hair, angular tufts as coarse hair.
• Pushing size relationships too far "breaks" the design and makes it odd. Back off when that happens.

Variance (spacing and variety)

• Contrast in line: vary line thickness and length, and place lines at angles to each other to create tension.
• Straight against curved: put a curve opposite a straight line. This avoids static parallel lines and avoids the mushy shapes that come from curves flowing out of curves.
• Recurring shapes: repeat a shape at different sizes to create a theme, and include some different shapes among them.
• Negative space: vary the gaps between shapes. Varied negative shapes give a stronger silhouette.
• Face test, starting from the same shapes in a circle:
  1. Plain placement.
  2. Add size variation.
  3. Add variance in spacing and placement.
  • The strongest design has shape, size, and variance all working together. After the first success, keep varying.

Exploring designs (e.g. the dog exercise)

• Think through the range of body, ear, eye, and nose types first.
• Generate a batch of designs, making each as different as possible.
• Then combine the best elements from different sketches. The first combination may look odd, so keep working it.
• Judge by purpose: cute, scary, or wacky. "Best" depends on that.

Turning the character (turnaround / model sheet)

• Set of views: front, side, three-quarter, back. All of them need strong design, not just the front.
• Alignment guide lines run horizontally from key points: bottom of feet, top of head, chin, eyes, nose, waist, shoulders, knees. They keep size relationships consistent across views.
• Silent failure: plotting and measuring to pinpoint accuracy drains the appeal, design strength, and personality. The views end up accurate but bland.
• Order of work:
  1. Draw front, side, three-quarter, and back freehand, with no ruled lines.
  2. Settle the design and personality.
  3. Only then build the formal turnaround model sheet.
• Do not draw a flat side view. Vary the chin, mouth, and slope of the nose for silhouette appeal.
• On full-body views, push parts outward (e.g. stomach, backside) for a stronger silhouette and more shape variety.
• The side view is where you lock down the widths of chest, head, and waist. Expect it to prompt tweaks to the front, three-quarter, and back views.

Pushing the design

• A design you love is probably only about 90% done. Do not stop there.
• Mark what you love and what is merely "okay", keep the former, and redesign the latter.
• Do not push so far that the design breaks or no longer suits the story.

Costumes

• Clothing choices change both the design and the read of personality. Consider whether pants cut across the stomach, turtleneck or tank top, heels or flats.
• Clothing breaks up the body shapes, so try different outfits and see how each changes the design.
• For a group in the same uniform, adapt it to each body type. Show personality in how it is worn: sexy, sloppy, or tidy.

Worked example: unmotivated cowboy (Dillon)

• Start the lead character first, because it sets the look of the film and the character hierarchy.
• Rough the posture with a loose stick figure. Cowboys have long, skinny, bowed legs.
• Work out the facial expression before costume.
• Strip-cartoon approach:
  • Avoid tall characters if you need room for dialogue.
  • Convey laziness with unkempt hair, an untucked shirt, and clothes slightly too big.
  • Simplify with one patch on the hat to show he is poor, and a compass on a string for the treasure hunt.
  • Leave off the gun and holster to keep the "heart of gold" feel.
  • In a white/black/gray palette: white shirt, gray boots, black or dark gray pants, white hat to signal "good guy".
• Classic-cowboy approach:
  • Bandana, suspenders, and a visible gun belt with a few bullets left to suggest recent use.
  • Sleeves rolled halfway, red underwear showing.
  • Pull-on leather-strap boots with dusty lower parts and a slight shine on the upper.
  • Spurs, which show personality.
  • Pants tucked in or out.