I found this video on YouTube from an animator/character designer called Sergio Pablos. In the video, Sergio names his 8 tips when creating a character. They are:
1. Know your subject matter
I think this is a really important step and something that occasionally I have stepped over. When researching and finding inspiration it can often lead to starting over because you realise that what you drew doesn't truly represent what you want to draw. Being told his tip again was really helpful and something that I need to make sure that I remember.
2. Get through the bad drawings
Here, Sergio is literally talking about 'practice makes perfect'. He says that character design is a process of elimination, which I think is true too. The first designs that you do, you look back on and realise that the ones you did recently are so much better. The more you draw the same thing, maybe even in different ways, the better you will become at it.
3. Character
'A character is a tool used to tell a story'. In this tip, Sergio is saying how some people neglect the psychological traits of characters in favour of making them look cool. I think this is an important tip because even if the character matches the description, it might not feel like it. If a character is moody, depressed, they should have bags under their eyes, hunched back etc. Personality and traits are very important.
4. Getting the personality in there
This is similar to the last point, but he presses on the issues of posing as well as personality. Using the pose to express the mood or emotions of the character can make people favour this over something that looks good in your opinion because the poses and attitude of the character match what they are looking for more.
5. Get feedback
In this point, Sergio talks about how important it is to get feedback from others. I think this is really important too, as an outsiders opinion can help you to spot things or think things that you didn't think before. Whenever we have crits in class I always find myself coming out with more ideas and thoughts than I went in with.
6. Be Adaptable
This is something that I personally find myself struggling with sometimes. I desperately search for a 'style' or 'way of working' that can make me recognisable. However, Sergio talks about how character design doesn't necessarily work that way. To be adaptable to the director's needs will make you much easier to hire and work with, so I need to take this advice on board.
7. Stay Inspired
Keep up with looking at different references and looking at different pieces of artwork to make sure that I stay inspired and stay wanting to draw all the time. The world of the internet is a good place to find references and inspiration, much different to the old world Sergio's animation life began in.
8. Challenge Yourself
THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR ME! Here, Sergio talks about always trying new things and trying to break out of your comfort zone. This is something I often find myself falling back into and I think it would be good for me to take this advice. I always find myself drawing human women. That's it. Do I really want this to be my knowledge of character design? I need to try challenging myself more.
This video was really helpful!! I'm really glad that I found it and I think that I have come away with some really useful tips in character designing.
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