Last week we were able to gain some insight from Sorcha on the topic of Character design, and the many indepth details that make a character interesting.
We went through many topics, from anatomy to character dynamics. Sorcha mentioned the four fundamentals that help majorly in character design:
Shape
Silhouette
Rythm
Construction
Shape
Shape and Rhythm
Thick and Thin – which is rhythm. Avoid samey shapes. Book to read – The Silver way by Steven Silver. Bringing variety to the rhythm of character design can instantly create a more unique and interesting design and posing too. Pushing proportions, shifting balance can be useful.
Rhythm can present in design like:
Wide, Narrow, wide, narrow
Dark, Light, dark, light
Short, tall, short, tall
Thin, thick, thin, thick
Small, big, small, big
Anatomy
Measurements of what body part aligns itself with another as a basic guideline for anatomy but can be stretched and warped for the purpose of cartoonish animation. You need to have a baseline understanding of the rules, so you can break them the right way.
Silhouette
Silhouette
To make what you’re designing readable. Especially for animation, the key frames in a scene need to be readable and understandable for the viewer.
Leading lines / Line of Action
Add appeal and dynamic action into a pose. A quick line can be a base for the character to create dynamic action. Get the whole body involved in the action.
Straight vs Curve
Having a good balance of straight and curved lines that parallel each other especially can make poses and character design more interesting. Like the lines and contours of a leg.
Character Dynamics
Billy is comprised mainly of round shapes with a secondary shape of rectangles. This creates a sense of a fun, bouncy, trusting character.
Mandy’s head shape is circular but ends in two sharp points that resemble horns. This still gives the character the look of a child but with something more sinister and mean.
Grim is long and thin being mostly rectangular but with less sharp corners, to push the idea that he is a rigid and boney skeleton but with a slight submissive character trait.
Sorcha’s details:
Sorcha referenced a book – The Silver way, by Stephen Silver.