A little bit about Character Design

In my article about drawing I said I would talk a bit about character design. So today I will be!

1. Why is character design important? Well, character design is important because you want people to associate certain characteristics with your character. If you want to be a well, character designer you obviously need to know the basics.

2. One of the most important things to do when you are making the character is thinking about their personality. If your character is a cute, soft, and shy person, think about how a cute, shy and soft person would look. A great example of this is Kirby, he is round which makes him look appealing and squishy

3. Looking a certain way because of shapes. Shapes can tell alot about personality. A villain could be skinny and you can use triangles and squares to give them sharp edges, to make them seem unwelcoming. At the same time, if you are making a comic you can use the shapes to subvert expectations about the character. As an example, Snowball from the Secret Life of Pets is a round fluffy bunny, which would make him seem welcoming and cute, is actually fierce and crazy.

4. Make your character unique. Making your character unique and different from your other characters is key to people remembering your character. As an example, think of all the spongebob characters. You can tell them apart just by looking at the silhouette. So just think about the character’s silhouette and see if you can tell them apart from the other characters. Here is a list of things that you can add to make your character stand out:

-silly hair style

- a big weapon,( such as a trident.)

-exaggerate certain characteristics, nose, head, hands, ect.

- Hat, (a crown or tophat)

That is all for now! I hope this helps anyone who wants to be a character designer in the future.

-Ashlynn Garza '21