(WEEK 6) Character Design, Solid Drawing, and Appeal February 24, 2016

Week 6: Character Design, Solid Drawing, and Appeal

Now this one is gonna be fun! Today, we are gonna learn how to design your own characters!

What is Character Design?

It's when you map out your character before putting it into animation. Think of it as a construction worker making blueprints before building a house.

Character design displays two of the twelve principles of animation:

Solid Drawing
Appeal

What is Solid Drawing?
It's making sure that your character look good in all angles! And the best way to do that is to draw your character in what is called a turn-around!


In a turn-around, you can draw your character in three different sides:

3/4 view

 Side View




and Back View



Now here are some examples of non-solid drawings, or poorly drawn characters. Here are some screen shots from a series called Neko Sugar Girls. (Watch at your own risk. Be sure to have your mute button ready, too.)



Outside of this basically mocking the art of anime and just being outright unapologetically horrendous to look at, these character are not drawn solidly as you can see how the designs change dramatically in every scene. Not only does this look bad, but it also confuses the audience because there is no consistency.






Now here is a example of solid drawings:

These are pictures from Sword Art Online 1 and 2.




And here is an example of solid drawing in action.


(Fun Fact: The animators in the anime industry get paid between $9,000 - $10,000 a year!)

What is Appeal?
This is what makes your character AWESOME!!! 
What is it about your character that will steal the hearts of anyone who sees them?
Is your character a hero?
Is your character cool?
Is your character funny?
Is your character cute?
Is your character a lovable dork? Or adorkable?
Is your character a villain oozing with charm?
Is your character super smart?

The list can go on and it's all up to you!

The materials that you will need are:

  • Big piece of paper
  • Drawing utensils
  • Ruler (Optional)
Step 1:
Draw up a character.

Step 2:
Make a turn-around.

Here's a tip: If you really want to make your character look straight, use a ruler so that all of the features are in line. Here are some examples:

If you really want to have fun with your character, then try drawing in in different expressions! Here are some examples:









Now be sure to save those drawings because you are going to need them for the next project!

It's gonna be fun! ^_^

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