So, you think you've got what it takes to make amazing characters?
Of course you do! With a little knowledge of the basics, anyone with a pencil and a bit of imagine can learn to create memorable characters!
That being said, it is important to realize that while anyone can design a character, it takes a certain bit of knowledge to design a GREAT character. To illustrate this point...
Can you recognize these characters?
Chances are, if you have had even a little bit of exposure to Micky Mouse, Spongebob Squarepants, or Stewie Griffin, then you can recognize these characters instantly. What this exercise demonstrates is the benefits of a strong SILHOUETTE.
A silhouette is generally defined as "the outline or general shape of something." The term silhouette is actually a reference to a historical figure -- Étienne de Silhouette, a French politician.
One story goes that de Silhouette practiced such bad economics while in office during the Seven Years' War that when an art technique was developed that would allow for portraits to be rendered quickly and cheaply, it was named after him. So, Silhouette's name lives on, though probably not in the way he would have hoped!
The silhouette is a very powerful tool that a designer can use to create some very amazing, very memorable characters. This technique can be used when designing all sorts of characters, from small cute animals to more realistic human characters.
See what I mean?
From Pikachu to Batman, the silhouette technique can be used to see if your character design is one destined to make an impact. As you've seen up to this point, the characters with the strongest silhouettes are not necessarily the most complicated characters.
Complicated =/= Memorable
Keep that little equation in mind when you go forth and create your own characters! Sometimes, it is the most simple of characters that are remembered for years.
But you might be asking yourselves at this point if the only purpose of the silhouette is to see if the character design makes an impression. While this is a big reason to check a character's silhouette, it is not the only reason. By checking a character's silhouette, you can see if the overall character displays the emotions you are trying to get across. For example, the character may be smiling, but if the silhouette reveals a very tense, agitated body, then people look at the character will actually feel the agitation more than the smile.
Essentially, the silhouette reveals to the designer what they are saying about the character...without saying a word.
Which of these characters is in the better mood?
Even without knowing anything about the character's personalities, their expressions, or even the situation, the silhouette reveals the emotional impression any average viewer will have of the characters.
ACTIVITY ONE
Before you can start using this silhouette technique to check the effectiveness of your character design, you have to have a character first! If you have never drawn before and would like some some help getting started, check out the diagrams below.
Despite what the final products look like, once you deconstruct the images, it is easy to see them as just basic shapes.
Once you have a character design you like, test the silhouette! The outline of the character should be simple enough to be arresting while being unique enough to be memorable.
ACTIVITY TWO
Once you have a character design chosen, it is time to create what animators like to call a Turn-Around. As the name would imply, a Turn-Around is a reference sheet containing the character in multiple angles. At this stage, the design must answer questions such as how thin a character is, how the limbs (if there are any) are connected, how the character stands (does the character have military baring or does it slouch?), and many others.
The Turn-Around is one of the most important reference images an animator has, so take your time on it and, when it is finished, keep it somewhere safe!
-To Be Continued In Lesson 2
** All images are copyright their respective owners and are used here for educational purposes.
