Design A Vibrant & Fun Character

Mel Milton reveals the many creative choices he has to make, as he designs and paints an original female character for this month’s cover

A few months ago I wrote an article in ImagineFX on getting motivated [see page 44 for how to get hold of issue 162]. One of those tips was embraced the dreamer within you.

I remember picking up past issues of ImagineFX, hoping to glean some knowledge that would help me get my foot in the door of this industry.

I continue to celebrate the dreamer that I was and still am, because each art step has been such a gift. It was a goal I was happy to achieve when I was asked to be this month’s cover artist. My mind was blown!

I knew this would be more of a challenge than normal. The benefit of this cover project was to be able to see how that factor affected me during the creative process. Mental hurdles are abundant when I’m working and each one gives me something new to take away into future projects.

I’m eager to dive into this and know that I’m continuing my growth as a creative. This accomplishment means so much to me and I’m grateful to get the opportunity to share with you some of what goes through my mind when creating a digital portrait.

1 Blocking out personality elements

I receive notes to design a 20-year-old female who’s fun, fresh, vibrant and modern. At the beginning of every piece I take a moment to think about how I’m feeling. I’m happy to be working on this project, but some jobs aren’t this cut and dried. With every project, there’s a moment when the inner critic will have me second-guessing myself. By taking my feelings into consideration, I can go easier on myself, even though I’ll set my standards much higher for myself than normal, which can create added disappointment and frustration during the process.