This week we have explored the topic of character design. Having joined as a foundation year student, I was already aware of some of the basics taught to us by Aodhan back then. The main focus was on shape and how altering aspects of a character can help reinforce their roles in the story. I was interested to see how I can expand that understanding and use it to make a better use of my time while designing characters in the future.

Within their lectures, both Sarah and Aodhan placed emphasis on the need for references. One thing Aodhan said in his lecture which stuck out to me in particular was: “There’s only two people in the world that draw from their head – amateurs and masters; and you guys are neither of them.”. This really stuck with me and has made me see references in a different light.

Sarah explained the importance of ‘avoiding the ladder’ in her lecture. I was quite relieved to look back at my alien lumberjack character design and see that I have indeed strayed from the ladder design. Picture below for reference.

That being said, I will definitely pay more attention to how I place features on my future character designs.

All in all, I gathered a lot of useful information from both lectures this week and I’m excited to test and implement them as part of the homework!