Character Design Workflow

Character design workflow: brief to final

How to use this skill: It adds specialist tips to your answer. It does not replace your general knowledge. Always give your full, normal answer to the user's request, and work these tips in where they apply. Do not shrink the answer to only what is listed here.

Identify the role first

• Blue sky designer: starts from a blank page with little guidance and produces many varied designs. The work is as much research as drawing (costume, ethnic and cultural references, anatomy). Many designs will go unused.
• Character polisher: works from blue-sky sketches or redefines an existing character. Matches other styles, builds a cohesive design, makes consistent orthographic views, and adds poses and expressions.
• A director typically likes parts of 3–4 blue-sky drawings. The polisher merges them into one cohesive design.
• The polisher's deliverable is the model sheet (expression and posing sheets). It shows the character from all angles, in different poses and with various expressions, so follow-up artists know the look in every view and mood.

Start of a project (order of steps)

1. Hear the pitch, then read the script before drawing anything.
2. Sit and think about each character's description, the directors' input, and why the character is in the story. Thinking on paper is fine.
3. Answer the pre-drawing questions below.
4. Set the character hierarchy with the directors before drawing.
5. Gather reference (films, magazines, web) of people and clothing.
6. Make a basic shape lineup of the cast.
7. Design the lead character first, because it sets the look of the film and the hierarchy.
8. Explore many variations, combine the best elements, then refine and add details.

Pre-drawing questions

• What is the character's place in the story (hero, villain, comic foil/sidekick, heroine)?
• What is the personality (content, dysfunctional, passionate, loving)?
• Do plot points affect the design (e.g. Dumbo's ears, Pinocchio's nose, Shrek's ugliness)?
• Also ask age, era and location, rich or poor, genius or dope, hero or comic relief.
• Take the answers from the script or client requests.
• Use the answers to set boundaries, including what you do not want. For example, a shy introvert hero should not be drawn as a muscular, large-chested handsome type.
• The script description also suggests starting shapes. A heavyset character calls for round lines and contours, short legs, and a small or nonexistent neck to emphasise the torso.

Character hierarchy (levels of simplicity vs realism)

Set a level per character according to role and function.

• Iconic: extremely simple, almost graphic, not very expressive; eyes are usually orbs with no pupils (early Mickey, Hello Kitty).
• Simple: stylized but more expressive facially; common on TV and the web (Fred Flintstone, Sonic).
• Broad: built for big cartoony takes, not subtle acting; big eyes and mouths (Tex Avery wolf, Roger Rabbit).
• Comedy relief: humor comes through acting and dialogue, with less broad facial anatomy; must also be able to act subtly at times (Nemo, Mushu, Kronk).
• Lead character: realistic expressions, acting and anatomy, with more realistic proportions so the audience connects (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty).
• Realistic: top of the scale, just short of photorealism, still with some caricature (strong-effects film monsters, comic-book characters).
• Most films use 2–4 of the six levels.
• Shrek example: Donkey is Comedy Relief, Shrek and the Princess are Lead Character, and the Gingerbread Man is Iconic. The Gingerbread Man stands out because of his flat, simple design.
• Pitfall: characters from opposite ends of the scale (Iconic or Simple next to Lead) look wrong together. Snow White and the dwarfs is the example. Keep cast members close on the ladder unless a contrast is deliberate.

Shape (do this first)

• The overall shape communicates personality before any detail, expression or clothing.
• Break every character into simple shapes. This lets you draw it from any angle or pose you haven't drawn yet, and it is the basis of animation drawing.
• Altered or composite shapes: for example, start from an oval, slice the front third at an angle to make a flat surface, add a square with a flattened triangle at the bottom, add interior shapes, then round and vary the lines when adding details.
• Sketch with basic shapes quickly, evaluate, and abandon drawings that aren't working before investing in detail or rendering.
• For animation, work out movement and action in simple shapes before adding fine detail.
• Don't fall in love with drawings. Be willing to throw away a decent one that doesn't serve the story.
• Shapes are interchangeable, so experiment with combinations.

Shape symbolism

• Circles: appealing, good, cute, cuddly, friendly (Santa, babies, fuzzy animals, attractive women drawn with curves).
• Squares: dependable, solid, or "the heavy" (bouncers, superheroes).
• Triangles: sinister, suspicious, villains (Darth Vader's head).

Size

• Use small, medium and large shapes. Equal or evenly stacked sizes (the classic snowman) look dull and predictable.
• Push size relationships to make a design more dynamic, but don't push so far that the design breaks and looks odd.
• Apply the same rule to hair tufts: vary size and shape as much as possible.
• Texture: rounded tufts read as softer hair, and angular tufts read as coarser hair.

Variance (spacing and variety)

• Contrast in line: vary thickness and length, and place lines at angles to each other to create tension.
• Straight against curved: a curve opposite a straight line adds dynamism and avoids static parallel lines. It also keeps shapes crisp and avoids the mushy look of curves flowing out of curves.
• Recurring shapes: repeat a shape at different sizes, with other shapes mixed in, to create a theme.
• Negative space: the gaps between shapes define the character. Varied negative shapes interacting with positive shapes give stronger silhouettes.

Combining shape, size and variance (test sequence)

1. Start with the same basic facial parts (oval, two circles with dots, curved line, two half circles) placed with no thought to size or variance. The result is plain.
2. Redo it with small/medium/large sizes. This is better, and some personality shows.
3. Keep the sizes but vary spacing and placement. This is the strongest, because all three work together.
4. Don't stop at the first success. Apply further variations to the same elements.

Exploration batch workflow

• Brainstorm the design elements first (for a dog: bodies, ears, eyes, noses).
• Generate a batch of designs, making each as different as possible by varying noses, ears, eyes and so on.
• Pick the working elements from several designs and combine them. The first combination will probably look odd, so refine it.
• Which design is "best" depends on the intent (cute, scary, wacky).

Cast shape lineup exercise

• Reduce the whole cast to basic shapes using shape symbolism, then check that each character has a distinct shape.
• Note which characteristics drove each shape choice.
• Treat the lineup as provisional and refine it later.
• Design the lead next, using the character description plus the shape lineup.

Costume and prop details that sell personality

• Use details that tell a story. A hand-me-down outfit that is too big suggests a poor, unmotivated character. An exposed stomach suggests laziness. A pop gun suggests a gentle hero.
• Small feet offset an oversized hat and add stylization.
• A goofy smile and big eyes make a hero inviting and likable. The audience must want to root for him.
• Western cowboy checklist:
  • Loose stick-figure posture first (long, skinny, bowed legs).
  • Bandana and suspenders.
  • A clearly visible gun and belt with a few bullets left, implying recent use.
  • Sleeves rolled halfway, possibly with underwear showing.
  • Pull-on leather boots, dusty at the bottom with a slight shine on top, plus spurs.
  • Pair the character with his horse.

General reminders

• Ideas need research. Collect reference images of people and clothing before and during design.
• Cartoon work needs the same design discipline as realistic illustration. The skill lies in knowing when to stop working a drawing.