15 TIPS FOR BETTER CHARACTER DESIGN
I was once asked to name three important skills required to be a successful book illustrator. I said, in no particular order, draughtsmanship, character and pathos. No doubt others will have their own top three, but I stand by these for the kind of book illustration that appeals to me.
In my opinion, character is right up there. But what is character? And how do you go about finding it, creating it? And when you have it, how can you use it most effectively in your work?
When I started out, I acquired some by looking at the books and art that appealed to me and asking myself why I liked them. Character seemed to be the answer time and time again. We all hope our art will appeal to a wide audience, but character appeal is subjective. In that respect, there’s no golden ticket to character design. Yet I’ve learned there are things you can do that can be effective in bringing your characters to life which, with a bit of luck, resonate with others.
1 CHARACTER SHEETS
Once I’m
