The character creation process is surprisingly complex, with illustrators needing to leverage the leading techniques as well as technological and traditional tools to bring their characters to life. From drawing facial expressions to costume design for characters, there is a vast range of elements to consider.
Knowing the leading character development techniques can help you create character concept art that is compelling and memorable, ultimately allowing you to grow your career as an illustrator.
Understanding Character Basics
There’s much more to creating characters than meets the eye. As an illustrator, you are responsible for creating a visual representation of a character. No matter if you are designing a character for a video game or illustrating a character for a picture book, you need to be able to draw on its emotional depth, experiences, and background in order to design a character that suits the story.
The Anatomy of a Character
As you begin illustrating, first focus on the anatomy of the character. You will want to start illustrating with a basic, shape-based design before delving into the details of your character’s anatomy. Once you have an idea of the size of your character and how it will need to move throughout the piece, you can then focus on the bodily details. Some of the factors that need to be considered as part of the anatomical design of your character include:
- Posture
- Poses
- Muscle structure
- Skin tension
- Sinew
- Fat
- Facial expressions
Psychological Depth
After anatomy, one of the most critical character design fundamentals is psychological depth. Your character — whether an animal, a science fiction creature, or a human — should be able to express emotions in a way that is both compelling and relatable.
The psychological depth and emotional expression of your character will depend on its:
- Background
- Story arc
- Demographics
- Family
- Occupation
- Overall Personality
As an illustrator, you have the creative freedom to bring the emotions and experiences of your character to the forefront, often by drawing facial expressions and incorporating character costume symbolism.
Design Techniques for Character Illustration
Artists must rely on the leading illustration character design techniques to bring their characters to life and improve the storytelling overall. From using traditional techniques (such as sketching characters on paper) to designing characters on computer-aided design (CAD) software, illustrators may employ a variety of design techniques when creating characters.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
Facial expressions and body language are two of the most crucial elements of the character design process. Facial expressions in character design can determine the course of the story, indicating the experience of the character or hinting at what might be coming next in the plot.
You can improve the emotional depth of characters by using these facial expression design techniques:
- Focus your designs on the most widely recognized emotions — which include happiness, surprise, anger, sadness, and fear.
- Become more familiar with how the muscles in the face work by practicing your own facial expressions in front of a mirror.
- Create character sketches showcasing your character experiencing a wide range of emotions, allowing you to better identify with your character and zero in on how they might be feeling in a particular scene.
- Practice, practice, practice. You won’t get it right the first time, but if you keep creating sketches, you will eventually see your character’s facial expression come to light in an authentic and compelling way.
Color and Costume Design
While emotional expression has an obvious role in developing psychological depth in characters, color and costume design also play a pivotal part in character storytelling. It is essential for character illustrators to create authentic costumes for their characters. To choose the right colors and costumes for your character, consider:
- The style and tone of the character.
- The character’s environment.
- The character’s role in the story.
For instance, if your character is going on an adventurous excursion through the mountains, you are not going to draw them in a dress and high heels. You have to make costume choices for characters based on their personality and their purpose in the story.
Developing Character Narratives
Characters are often the medium through which stories are told, which is why narrative development in characters is so vital to the success of any project. Character storytelling requires you to develop the emotional depth of your character and illustrate a visual representation of them that aligns with the experiences they will have throughout the project.
Developing character narratives allows you to stretch your imagination and draw upon your creativity, but it also requires thoughtful precision. Knowing how to build relationships through your illustrations and enhance character storytelling will make you a better illustrator.
Storytelling Through Characters
Character-driven storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to illustrate because most readers, viewers, or gamers are going to relate more to a character with strong narrative development. You can improve the overarching narrative development of your characters by:
- Studying the story and having an in-depth understanding of the journey that your character is going to embark on.
- Creating a storyboard for your character. Storyboards provide a visual outline of the character’s journey, and they can play a vital role in the character design inspiration process.
- Keeping the pace of the story in mind. Your character’s evolution will need to stay on track with the overall narrative pace.
Building Dynamic Relationships
In most cases, your character will also interact with other characters in the story. You need to use the best character design techniques in order to not only develop your individual character but also build dynamic relationships that will further propel the plot. Whether you are creating multiple characters for one project or working with other illustrators who are designing different characters, you will want to emphasize relationship-building throughout the design process.
Tools and Software for Character Creation
While traditional media character design still plays a central role in character illustration, most illustrators are relying more heavily on digital tools for character creation. The leading tools and software for character illustration allow illustrators to streamline the process of creating characters, simultaneously giving them a greater ability to draw realistic, lifelike characters that can enhance the overall storytelling of the project.
Digital Tools and Techniques
Digital tools and techniques are becoming the norm for character illustration. These are some of the most well-known and widely-used digital tools for unique character design:
- Digital drawing software programs – These programs allow illustrators to sketch designs on their laptops or mobile devices, giving them a greater ability to create and recreate their characters.
- Graphics tablets – Many illustrators use a graphics tablet and stylus pen to draw their characters traditionally while still relying on advanced digital tools.
Traditional Media in Character Illustration
However, traditional media in character illustration is not obsolete. Many character illustrators rely heavily on traditional character design principles, which require sketching out characters using a pencil and paper. Storyboarding is still a key part of the character design process, and many illustrators enjoy using traditional media to plan out the development of their characters before they begin the actual illustration process.
From Concept to Completion: A Step-by-Step Process
Effective character design is a highly structured, step-by-step process. Illustrators should become familiar with various stages of character design, encompassing the details from the first character sketching techniques until final character illustration.
In addition to earning an illustration degree, aspiring illustrators may want to enroll in a character illustration workshop that takes a specific look at character design and development. Specialized programming and niche workshops can help you set yourself apart as a character illustrator.
Sketching and Conceptualizing
The first stage of character illustration is sketching and conceptualizing. During this stage, you will be making generic drawings, adapting your character accordingly, and addressing any flaws in the overall character design. It is one of the most fluid stages of character illustration, but it can also be one of the most enjoyable parts of the character creation process. Through sketching and conceptualizing, you can try out different appearances, emotional expressions and experiences for your character, giving you a chance to get to know your character better as you move forward toward the final character rendering.
Final Illustration and Presentation
Once you have created your character concept art and thoroughly explored your character throughout the sketching phase, you can begin using the most advanced digital tools in character design to complete your character. Your final illustration will need to include expert emotional expression, an authentic costume, and a variety of poses that will bring the story to life. It will be a highly detailed representation of your character.
When you have perfected the final illustration, it’s time to present it to the creative team. At this point, you may still receive some feedback and need to adapt accordingly, but if you have properly conceptualized your character, you can hope that revisions will be minimal.
Explore Character Design Techniques at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
If you want to learn how to design a character using the best techniques and illustration technology, consider pursuing a specialized illustration degree. At Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, we offer an on-campus Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration as well as an online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. These degree programs provide more than just an overview of character design basics; they take an in-depth look at traditional and modern illustration techniques that can be used for character growth and storyline development. Request more information about our on-campus and online degree programs today.