20 tips for character characters in cartoon images

From the famous three fingers of Mickey Mouse (when the character was moved to the screen in the 1920s, it was designed to save time so that only three fingers were drawn), to the simple "Simpsons", character design did not leave the main line to keep it simple.

What do you need to know about character design, in addition to clean lines and easy to understand characters? You need to know where to exaggerate, where to lay low, how to effectively prompt the background and content of the characters, and how to show the personalities. When you start contacting people, you're going to have a problem with these things, and once you get it, it's different. Here are some tips to help you better inspire your inspiration.

1, determine the audience

Who is a role audience should be the first thing to be considered in the design process

Think for your audience. For example: Designing a character for a child is generally based on basic shapes and crisp colors, and if you're working for a client, the target audience for the image is usually pre-set, said Australian artist Nathan Jurevicius, explaining: " Commissioned image design is usually more restrictive, but not lack of creativity. Customers have specific needs, but also hope that I can make their own work. Usually I will break down the core characteristics and character. For example: When the eye is the focus, I will focus on the design of the entire face, and again strengthen the focus on the core of the eye features. ”

2. Consider where it will appear

Where the image design can be seen, it will directly concern you how to design your character. For example: If it is a mobile phone screen, there is no need to design a lot of complex details and functions.

Nathan Jurevicius said: "No matter what kind of design, the beginning of the conceptual process is always similar: with paper, pencils, a cup of green tea ... Start your work, write down ideas, repeat graffiti in the sketch book, and so on. ”

3, research other similar design

Doing research helps us answer why some images are successful and others fail. We are surrounded by such research materials, illustrations and other people are everywhere: TV ads, cereal boxes, store signs, fruit stickers, mobile phone animation. Look at the design of these images and think about the success factors and your favorite parts.

4, make your image different

Matt Groening used the yellow color to make the Simpsons different from the public.

Maybe you're creating a monkey, a robot or a monster, and you have to know that there are countless people out there who are like this. Your personas need to be visually powerful and interesting to attract viewers ' attention.

When he conceived The Simpsons family, Matt Groening knew he had to give the reader something different. When viewers saw the show on TV channels, he ruled, the bright yellow skin inherent in the characters caught their attention.

5, with lines and painting style to show the character

The lines that make up your character image can in some way indicate your character's character. Thick, smooth, soft and rounded lines give a person an approachable, likeable character, while sharp, irregular, and uneven lines convey a restless and eccentric disposition of character.

Sune Ehlers's characters are bold and bright in the paper, which echoes his forthright way of painting. "Graffiti is the process of manipulating pens, and strong lines come from the power and rhythm of writing," he explains. ”

6, the use of exaggerated role characteristics

When designing your character, trying to exaggerate the character will make the character more alive than the reality. Exaggerated features also help audiences to identify the typical characteristics of a persona. Exaggeration is a key point in Cartoon comics, helping to emphasize specific personality traits. If your character is strong, do not only design the normal size of the arm muscles, to exaggerate the arm circumference, you can make them a normal five times times thicker!

7, the intention to choose color

Color can help to show the character of a character. Usually dark colors, such as black, purple and gray, depict villains with evil thoughts, and light colors such as white, blue, pink and yellow express innocence, purity, and beauty. In comic books, red, yellow, and blue give a person a character set to a hero's character in a way.

8. Add Accessories

Once you have your cartoon villain put on his clothes or have a play on hand, his image will be instantly alive.

Props and costumes can help us to better interpret the characters and backgrounds. For example: A tattered shirt can show a poor character, and a lot of jewellery and blingbling elements can show a rich man without taste. Other accessories also expand the character, such as a parrot standing on a pirate's shoulder, or a maggot crawling in the head of a ghoul.

9, 2D or 3D

Depending on your plan for the character design, you may need to draw a look at it from a variety of different angles. A seemingly mundane character may turn out to be a whole new character from the other side, just as it has a huge beer belly. If you set the character in a context, it is important to draw its height, weight and shape as an animation or even as a toy.

10. Set character for your character

Just because an interesting shape doesn't necessarily build a good character design, it's the character that matters. In some cases, we can see that a character's character can be displayed in the form of cartoons and animations. Your character's character doesn't need to be particularly amiable, but it has to be fun (unless your character is set to be sluggish). In the role of the drawing process of its character can be simple to show out.

11, focusing on expression of facial expression

Facial expressions are key to the image of a cartoon character, like the droopy of the world's animated movie master Tex Avery.

Expression to express the role of different emotions, ups and downs of emotional expression will make you create a more full cartoon image. Depending on the personality, the character's expression can be subtle distortions, or extreme exaggeration.

The classic example is the legendary Teksi Avery: When he is excited, the Wolf's eyes often pop out of the head. Another example of how an expression conveys emotion is that Droopy has a tired, listless face and he has little emotional change.

12. Set goals and dreams for your character

The driving force behind a character's personality is the goal it wants to achieve. The lack of this "goal", whether it be wealth, a girlfriend or a mystery, can help you increase the drama when creating a risky role, often imperfect or flawed character design that makes it more interesting.

13, the idea of a background story

If you plan to design cartoons and animations for your character, then the background story is important. Where it comes from, how it appears in everyone's eyes, and what subversive events it has experienced can help shape a strong character and give it some kind of faith. Sometimes a character's background story can be more interesting than the person's current adventures. (not necessarily, like Star Wars prequel)

14, Continuous testing

Yuck's role design depends to a large extent on the mood of his day.

Don't be afraid to try, ignore all the rules about planning and making a role look. The opposite of what is rightly called the right design method can create unexpected and exciting results.

When the artist Yuck to create the cartoon image, he did not know what he would draw. He said: "I just listen to the music, and all the things I draw depend on my current mood: grotesque or lovely." I've always wanted to create a painting that makes me feel interesting, and then I feel like I'm going to spend more time in the character's carving. ”

15, so that your role design has greater flexibility

It is useful, but not necessary, to have enough hardware and software to work on your image design early planning. Many of the great images that were designed a few years ago were done in the age of no personal computer or PS image processing software. Your image should be simple and still vivid on paper, such as Sune Ehlers pointed out: "Your role should be, that is, the use of mud-stained sticks on the asphalt painted, but also vivid." ”

16. Replace Mouse with Brush

Ian has created a few computer and sketch books in I like drawing, and has an interactive image design with the external environment. "I really like the images that interact with the environment around them," he said. The environment usually implies an idea, and then I just need to fill the picture with imagination. I prefer to paint with a paintbrush in the real world than using a computer, because it feels great and something wonderful happens. ”

17, collect other people's feedback

Show people your creations and ask them what they think, and don't just ask them if they like it. Instead, see if they can accept your character and personality, find an audience you think fit or ideal, and ask what they think of your work.

18. Hone, plan and polish your design

The creator of the horror girl's Nathan Jurevicius will do a lot of preparation for his character design.

Painting or doodling is not much upfront planning, and Nathan Jurevicius tends to take a different approach. He said: "I spend a lot of time finishing the final image sketch and will continue to think about how the character can be extended, even the 3D extension, my role is set in a particular world how to speak and behave."

19. Create the right environment for your character

Create a background for your character and you need to create an environment to help you further consolidate the credibility of your creation. The role of life and interaction of the world in some way will make the role of identity more convincing.

20, adjust the details

It is possible to fine-tune the elements of your creativity, especially the details of your face, and even the slightest adjustment is likely to affect your character.

Illustrator Neil McFarland suggested: "In the design process do not forget the deep meaning of the ' characters ', to give you the design of the characters to life, let them become vivid, so that the public to your design of the characters to expect, see them when they will think about the life of these characters, who will meet, What kind of action it will have. I think it is very strange to classify cartoon image design as a branch of graphic design. ”