CHARACTER DESIGN!

Let's talk character designs!

I'll start out with just some basic advice and links; we can turn this into a “show off and get critique” megathread if y'all are into that. I just want to help people with the junk I've learned doing design for various projects.

The very start- Brainstorming!

Before you ever draw a single stroke, you need to determine your character basics- not even the details like age, background, and the like, but things like “Who is this person in the story?” and “What themes am I going for with this character?” What character traits are the most important for them?

During this process, it's good to collect images that express these traits. The tutorial linked there mostly collected images of people; I tend to go for objects, clothing, and occasionally pictures with a particular palette.


The first steps- Silhouettes and posing!

Once you have a basic idea of who you're working with, it's time to start with the most basic element of character design: the silhouette. In a really well-designed ensemble, everyone will have a distinctly different sihouette. This can range from cartoonish and exaggerated to more understated.

Most likely, your first instinct is going to be to make your characters fairly average in body type, unless they're some kind of comic relief. Break out of this mindset! There's a stunning variety of shapes and sizes in humanity (to say nothing of what one gets when nonhumans are involved). This holds true with the athletic types you're probably working with if you're doing a video game: just check out these Olympic athletes!

Think about the character's body: is there a part or set of parts you want to emphasize? How can you convey their themes and mood with body shape? For example, a very strong, solid character might have a thicker, rectangular silhouette, bringing to mind a wall or boulder; an unpleasant and standoffish character might have a sharper and thinner shape, like spikes.

Would it be helpful to exaggerate a particular body part? Think about what associations we make with various parts- feet, hips, hands, shoulders, etc. You can use these to influence how your audience perceives each character. To continue with the two above examples, the stronger character might have exaggerated shoulders and legs- to give the impression they've got a really solid “base”- while the unpleasant one might have long, clawlike fingers and spidery limbs.

Yo here's a big ol' RAR file with all the stuff I use for really basic character design. It's got body types, faces, and a well-researched set of diagrams comparing the basic appearances of human ethnicities.

Once you have an idea what sort of body type you're using, it's time to think about poses.

A basic knowledge of body language is extremely good here, so you can quickly indicate traits like who's confident, who's open, who's shy, etc. Consider also how active your character is- do they use a lot of grand, sweeping gestures, or do they keep mostly still? Are they upright or slouchy?

Here's a really good video on character poses in general

One thing I like to do sometimes is to act out character movement, just to get a better idea of the feel and placement. This is especially good if you either pose in front of a mirror or have someone take a picture of you. (It may help that I tend to be kind of a hands-on learner and also have some training in martial arts and dance; IDK if anyone without those details would benefit as well.)

The icing- Costumes!

Obviously, the first thing you need to consider here is the setting. Modern, historical, futuristic? What kind of climate does the character inhabit? Are there any hazards they need to dress for? A character on the steppes or the prarie will have different dress needs from one in a jungle or a cave.

What is your character's occupation? A farmer's dress will be extremely different from a librarian's. Are there any tools of the trade they need to have on hand? Do they wear something to communicate their position? (A ruler's crown, a policeman's badge, a British judge's wig and robe, an executioner's hood.)

Do they need something that's easy to move around in, or are they comfortable with something that looks fancier but limits their movement? Do they wear a lot of accessories, or do they prefer simplicity?

Your character's costuming should accentuate their silhouette- paulrons or shoulder pads for a silhouette with wide shoulders; capes, flowing scarves, or long hair to accentuate a character who moves around a lot; a tall headdress or hairstyle to accentuate a tall character.

I do a lot of fantasy and historical design, and this is my favorite reference to use. I can't vouch for complete authenticity, but I like using it as a springboard for designing things from similar settings, or just to get a few ideas for basic garment styles.

That's about all I can think of at the moment; please feel free to ask any questions you may have (especially for clarification!) and/or link any tutorials you've found useful.

Yeah, I've done a few designs based around themes, and it can be really fun. :D

It feels like the worst for varying silhouettes are ladytype characters; a lot of people are complete slaves to the idea that these characters can only look one way, and that way is "whatever is hot right now." Though even with that, there's so much variation that nobody even bothers with!

If I were to venture a guess as to why we don't get more sillo variation in general, it'd be that it ends up being more work to do all the different sprites/models. With less variation, you can C&P a bunch of stuff. It just ends up looking really dull and flat. :(

In the more amateur end, it's probably also that beginner artists only know how to draw one body, and aren't confident enough to bust out of that, because drawing something different looks totally wrong.

author=Ratty524
My comment was directed more towards the "generic, budget" style of anime where jaws don't move in response to mouth movement, eye pupils so big and eyebrows so less prominent that expressions kind of look odd if you push them, and an overall "template" kind of feel to it where the only distinguishable shapes with these characters come from their clothes and hairstyles.

It works damn well for something as cheap as Japan's animation industry, but there always feels like there is something left unexplored with it, in terms of range of expressions/body types/etc.

I just super hate when people poo-poo any style as a whole based on its worst examples. I mean, just check out this show: distinct body and facial types, and that's just within a range of high school girls! (The face shape difference is not terribly noticeable, but the features are def. distinct!)

EDIT: By the way, why isn't this an article?

Because I don't like doing new things and I've never posted an article before. >_>

OK IT'S AN ARTICLE NOW I HOPE Y'ALL ARE HAPPY