From running across the written page to bursting onto a digital screen, characters have always been a way to bring stories to life. But what does it take to create a character with the kinds of detail and depth that bring them to life in the digital world? How can you create a character that not only looks right, but feels right too? In this article, we will explore the process of developing characters in digital illustration and explore how to bring your concepts to life.
1. The Birth of a Character: Conceptualising a Digital Illustration
Creating digital art is no small feat – but what’s more impressive is how every piece of digital art begins its life as nothing more than an idea in a creator’s head. Though intimidating, the process of taking a concept from your mind and forming a unique and engaging piece of art is both an exhilarating and rewarding experience.
Brainstorming Starting Points
- What is the core message or feeling you’re trying to convey?
- What is the final intended result of the artwork?
- Who are you creating this artwork for?
- What tools will you be using to create the artwork?
- What elements are needed to successfully bring this artwork to life?
When it comes to conceptualising your digital illustration, the possibilities are virtually endless. If you’re stuck, brainstorm by collecting all your ideas about the artwork and begin to classify them according to colour, shape, and/or theme. To bring a touch of professionalism to your project, it’s important to choose elements that are relevant to what it is you’re trying to convey.
Choosing the appropriate colour palette is one of the most important steps to constructing your artwork. The chosen colours should complement each other and help create a desired visual effect. Additionally, the hues you select should also be true to the core message, theme, or feeling you’re trying to portray. As you develop your colour scheme, also consider the design elements you will include in your artwork such as illustrations, textures, or objects to make your project a masterpiece.
2. Flesh to the Bones: Creating a Character’s Persona
When writing a character, it’s essential to develop the underlying persona that forms who they are. Whether you’re creating a protagonist or any other character within the story, a persona can bring them to life for the audience and make them real.
Personality
The foundation to any character revolves around their personality. The personality traits framework works well to pinpoint core traits that a character could possess, ranging from meekness to Western Life Skills like leadership. Once you have the core concepts identified, it’s important to consider how each of those will manifest in the character’s life.
Backstory
The building blocks of a character’s persona should start with their backstory. Where did they come from? Who were they at a young age? How did life have an effect on the person they are today? Think of building a timeline to their life, highlighting how those key formative moments shaped & influenced them.
Flaws
No one is perfect, and your character likely has some flaws. List out the traits that could be viewed as weaknesses for your character. Did someone close to them shape their opinion of the world, leading them to become opinionated? Are they distrustful of others or too passive when it comes to decision making?
- Self-aware
- Learns from mistakes
- Empathetic
- Dedicated
Aside from adding the flaws, it’s equally important to also detail the traits that your character has that keep them doing what’s right. Are they:
Creating a character with a real, three-dimensionalPersona can be request, but not an impossible one. By doing the research, listing out strengths & weaknesses, and developing the character’s backstory, you can create a tangible person that might just become the fan favorite of your story.
3. Crafting with Imagination: Developing a Character’s Look
Constructing a character’s look reflects the essence of who they are, both internally and externally. Crafting a character’s outfit provides the visual identity that aids in understanding their personality and reveals how they may interact with others.
The foundation of every significant look begins with the basics. A visual foundation of pants, a t-shirt, and shoes provides an important layout that allows for additional elements to be layered onto it. From there, the HERA-C (Height, Ethnicity, Race, Age, and Class) of the character should be kept in mind when adding or subtracting components.
Once the layout is complete, the fun begins – accessorizing! Finishing a look gives the visual representation necessary for a character to become alive on the page. Details such as:
- Hair Accessories
- Body Piercings/Tattoos
- Jewellery
- Scarves/Shawls
Adding any of the above items will bring the character to life on the page, more so than any of the clothing pieces previously selected. Imagination and creativity are needed when making the selection as they should correlate with the character’s HERA-C as well as their physical and internal personality traits.
4. Bringing it to Life: Making a Character Come Alive on Screen
Character development is essential to telling a good story, and this is especially true for moving pictures. When you see a character come alive on screen, the director, writers, and actors play a huge part in that. Here’s how to craft an engaging character and make them come alive on the big or little screen:
- Build on the Writers’ Work: Writers create a character’s back-story, offering directors and actors plenty of material to build upon. Often, writers will create a private world for their characters that can be expanded on. Directors and actors should feel free to take risks and hone in on character quirks to bring each character to life.
- Let the Actor Have a Say: A good actor will intuitively add depth to a character’s personality. When someone can understand and inhabit their character, they become comfortable enough to take creative and dynamic risks. What they can bring to their character should be discussed and nurtured so their performance can be as rich as possible.
- Define the Character’s Motives: Every character needs a singular goal, which pushes them forward and makes them active within the story. Once the actor knows why their character is wanting something, then big and small decisions become easier to make. This helps to create a more realistic and dynamic performance.
By following the above steps, directors, writers, and actors can craft a fully real character that audiences can recognize and connect with. When these steps are taken in tandem, it can bring a character to life in a truly cinematic way.
The development of characters in digital illustration may seem daunting, however with time and dedication, anyone can bring a concept to life and create something unique for all to enjoy. Art is an ever evolving thing, and the same principles can be applied to the creation of digital characters.