Part 4 Exercise 7: Character Development

 For this exercise I found various characters throughout all the magazines I’ve collected and organised them into categories:   Real People

Cartoons

Animals

 and other 

I brainstormed character themes and kept it vague to see if I could inspire myself from general ideas and then created another mind map with things a little more obscure then just magazines. Things such as songs, abstract, inanimate objects and even scenarios created on an art game I play. My style I wanted to incorporate somehow and like the picture of the brain I wanted to design a creature or thing rather than a human figure. Shapes are typically a big influence when character designing, I often just draw random shapes and lines and see what I can make out of it. My process isn’t always fully thought-out its more just something coming straight out of nothing. I suppose brainstorming and testing out ideas before drawing produces different outcomes.

 

 

I was indecisive on the character, so I did a few variations until I drew one, I liked the most and expanded on it.

This first character was inspired by one I did myself a few years ago. I enjoy creating weird and slightly gross cartoons and it shows a sort of vulnerability when they have no clothes, and nothing is hidden (hence the nakedness) This was a silly one and I could imagine that the things it would say were also silly.  

 

This was inspired by a weird monster from a dream I had, I often have vivid weird dreams, and this was one of the creatures that chased me down the stairs. It looks creepy but it also has a harmless feel maybe because of the colouring and how its belly reminds me of a teddy bears. I couldn’t imagine this creature having a voice at all, just something who stands and exists or frantically chases you down the stairs limbs flailing everywhere like in my dream.

 

 

This one was inspired by the game the “last of us” which I’ve mentioned in a previous exercise is one of my favourite games. I took note of the zombies on the game who don’t really have a face or mouth and I added a darker element like an abyss for the face and just two glowing eyes as a contrast to the sickly green. I often feel certain characters like this one of them not having clothes means you can really examine the details of their contorted bodies and there’s a lot weirder details and textures you can create. It gives it an element of eeriness if the character is hunched, crooked, thin, or fat. Again, it creates a vulnerability for the viewer. I can’t imagine a zombie type creature to say much besides gurling or unpleasant noises, so I chose hissing and gurgling. Examples of zombies:

 

 

As you can see there is no distinct facial features. I used this aspect and lessened the graphic nature of these above making my character a bit more nature driven with the greens.

This is the first character I explored he facial expressions for. It a simple design but when there is a simple body shape it’s a lot easy to manipulate and change anatomy, there is a certain freedom with line limbs compares to a more fully developed character. I like this one, even though he is simple, and his features are too you can see a personality through the expressions. This was one of the characters that’s cam out of thin air, I just drew a body and added the other parts. After adding colour to his shirt, I realised it reminded me of a lighthouse with the blue and white stripes. As for the thoughts and words he looked like a positive little guy who was self-aware “I look like a light house don’t I” I think I made this a cute friendly character. Although I didnt initally use a lighthouse for reference I looked at pictrue after to compare my character...

This was another character that came out of nothing other than a strange, shaped head and little nose. I used the 360 technique to keep accurate proportions and done a few angles and poses. This was a lot more along the lines of my typical style of cartoon, a goofy looking face and slightly unproportionate anatomy. I’ve never really used the 360 technique of lining up top of the head, shoulders, hips, legs, and such but it really helped rather then just guessing. The clothes I like primary colours for simple characters it makes for a more childish and friendly cartoon. His expression makes him seem approachable to however when he isn’t smiling, he looks like he’s disappointed. The contrast between the two expressions can give people a way in which they can apply their own narrative as to what he’s thinking and the personality he has. I made him relatable like a dad character, the quotes along with his anatomy and silly expression you can believe it.

I used the 360 technique for most of these illustrations and here is an example, this style is a lot different then the others. He was inspired by a style of children’s illustrations I recently did for a book called ‘being me’ in which the message is for children to be themselves and dream big, in doing this also acted like a form of character study for this style I’d like to expand on. The outfit is a cowboy because dressing up and pretending is a big part of being a kid, playing a character was great for the imagination and I wanted to recreate that through the costume. It is a lot more detailed than the previous drawings and yet I kept the features simple once again. Small things such as placement of mouth and eyebrows is really all you need sometimes, and it can really change the whole mood of the character. Examples of similar style kids:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This character was inspired by an orange in my house. The reason for the greaser/cool look was because it was in the fridge and instead of using the literal meaning of cool, I gave him a cool persona instead. Using the 360-technique especially helped with this one as there were many things to line up such as the quiff, top and bottom of the boots, the cigarette and smoke… I left this design messy because the I like pencil scribbles look, it kind of reflects the ‘coolness’ of not caring like the character says. The sketches also make it quicker getting down the anatomy and being fluid.

Finally...
After referring to my brainstorm I wanted to make character that I felt represented a song rather then something physical just as a challenge. Out of the 3 songs I thought of one really stuck out called ‘Broken Machine’ by Nothing but Thieves. The beat and heaviness of the instruments of the song mimic a sort of walking robot or a heavy machine that is alive. A heart being mentioned is that ‘alive’ human element and considering a heart is like a machine in the body it was the perfect 2 components to merge. I first made a few sketches I my sketchbook in various angles and commented on. what areas are broken and what parts are exposed. I moved over to digital, I did 4 version with a bit more details and a change in expressions while including some of the body before doing quicker sketches with less detail and more focus on just change in expression. This mechanical heart doesn’t have a mouth just eyes. To create obvious expressions changes in eye shape, need to be made. Widening of the eyes suggest surprise whereas the tilted angled and smaller eyes suggest anger, suspicion and relaxed. Another little part is small lines under or above the eyes to exaggerate these expressions. To create the final full colour detailed version, I researched human heart shape and rusted pipes and rusty surfaces to use along with cogs and wires so I could show that aspect of a ‘broken machine’.

 

initial sketches in different poses and angles, adopting the characters personality.

The research surrounding textures and the inside machinery of the heart itself.....

also had to search for a picture of a heart for accuracy.

After referring to my brainstorm I wanted to make character that I felt represented a song rather then something physical just as a challenge. Out of the 3 songs I thought of one really stuck out called ‘Broken Machine’ by Nothing but Thieves. The beat and heaviness of the instruments of the song mimic a sort of walking robot or a heavy machine that is alive. A heart being mentioned is that ‘alive’ human element and considering a heart is like a machine in the body it was the perfect 2 components to merge. I first made a few sketches I my sketchbook in various angles and commented on. what areas are broken and what parts are exposed. I moved over to digital, I did 4 version with a bit more details and a change in expressions while including some of the body before doing quicker sketches with less detail and more focus on just change in expression. This mechanical heart doesn’t have a mouth just eyes. To create obvious expressions changes in eye shape, need to be made. Widening of the eyes suggest surprise whereas the tilted angled and smaller eyes suggest anger, suspicion and relaxed. Another little part is small lines under or above the eyes to exaggerate these expressions. To create the final full colour detailed version, I researched human heart shape and rusted pipes and rusty surfaces to use along with cogs and wires so I could show that aspect of a ‘broken machine’.