I was once asked to name three important skills required to be a successful book illustrator. I said, in no particular order, draughtsmanship, character and pathos. No doubt others will have their own top three, but I stand by these for the kind of book illustration that appeals to me.
In my opinion, character is right up there. But what is character? And how do you go about finding it, creating it? And when you have it, how can you use it most effectively in your work?
When I started out, I acquired some by looking at the books and art that appealed to me and asking myself why I liked them. Character seemed to be the answer time and time again. We all hope our art will appeal to a wide audience, but character appeal is subjective. In that respect, there’s no golden ticket to character design. Yet I’ve learned there are things you can do that can be effective in bringing your characters to life which, with a bit of luck, resonate with others.
1.CHARACTER SHEETS
Once I’m happy with a particular design I create character sheets. Here, Ruffles is being very doggy as he runs around on the page – reacting, responding and so on. He’s a puppy, but also a toddler and I’m trying to get that across here in his playfulness. At the same time I want to avoid him being too anthropomorphic (so, not sitting with hind legs forward, for example).
As I’m drawing, I’m asking myself questions. What’s he like? Is he shy, bold, moody? How does he walk? Is it bouncy, elegant, bumbling? All the answers feed into the drawing and, hopefully, help evolve character.
2 IT TAKES TIME TO DESIGN A CHARACTER THAT FEELS RIGHT
この記事は ImagineFX の July 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は ImagineFX の July 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Jan Wessbecher
Dominic Carter talks to the visual artist about creating his own comic and why sketchbooks are great for creative experiments
Kyounghwan Kim
The Korean character concept artist speaks to Dominic Carter about staying open to ideas and the value of drawing regularly
Slawek Fedorczuk
Dominic Carter talks to the concept artist about what keeps him motivated and the advantages of using physical sketchbooks.
Raquel M. Varela
Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"
Estrela Lourenço
Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.
Daria Widermanska
Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.
Allen Douglas
Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.
Thaddeus Robeck
Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.
DRAW FASCINATING SYMBOLIC ARTWORK
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First Impressions
The artist talks about his journey into the mythological world