Character Development? Oh No!

Okay, now that you’ve got a character that you designed with a previous post of mine, he’ll need a backstory. Something that makes him unique. Or something to give him depth, so he’s not just a drawn person on a sheet of paper. You have to make him into someone.

That can be a little tricky. You’ve got to make something that goes with what he looks like (or could look like if you want to redo his design). To start, there’s a few steps of character development you could go through: 1) design his personality 2) design his backstory 3) design his world.

For me, designing a personality is the easiest. Here’s a few questions you can start with to making him into a real character:

• What do his clothes tell you about him?
• Why does he have that haircut/scars/horns/etc? Does he have magic?
• Is he human? What species is he?
• What personality do you want him to have? (If you’re someone like me with lots of characters, I sometimes create characters for the sole purpose of having a personality that none of my others do)
• What personality would suit his role as a person?
• Could you see him existing in real life with this personality? How would he act with other people?

Next I create the backstory, sometimes even before I name him. This way, you might get more insight on what his personality should be through his past experiences. Some questions for this type of development could be:

• Who are his parents? Does he have any?
• Who are his siblings?
• What are some of his happiest moments?
• What are some of his darkest moments?
• Does he have anything that haunts him?
• Have ((your creative)) horrors been inflicted on him ((by your loving yet evil hand))?

Finally, you can create a world for him to live in. This is optional, but it helps you further understand your character. The world he lives in can set up borders on what is possible and what is not. Here are a few questions to get your mind rolling about his world:

• Is this the normal world? Or is it a made up world, or a spin-off of ours?
• Is there advanced technology? Steam-punk technology? Is it medieval with knights in shining armor?
• Is there magic? Is the magic nature/natural based? Is the magic innate to the people, or can it be taught to non-magic users?
• Is there mythical creatures such as dragons, griffins, or other made up animals?
• Is the world on an alien planet?
• How are the people organized? Government (like the USA)? City states? Warring countries? Utopian or dystopian?

After thinking through and answering all of these questions (and more), I hope you have enough to produce a good character. Continue thinking about him and slowly evolve him with new ideas. His design may change, and it may change a lot, so don’t be afraid of that. I’ve had two characters since early 2016 and both of them continue to change even now. One character, whom I created a few weeks ago, has already went through many phases.

So have fun creating and designing. Nothing is wrong here! It’s all up to what you want to do 🙂

((PS. I’m sure that you enjoyed the photo I posted on my last blog. Well, I’ve made a new one! I hope you guys like him. I got new markers and the wings look much nicer!))

*”Green Birb Boy” created by myself, for my personal use only* *Please do not steal, copy, or post anywhere else without my permission*

Having Trouble with Character Design?!

For artists and authors like me, creating a character is both exciting and stressful. Well, more exciting than anything. More often than not, I create characters just for the fun of it. Doodling in class can lead to a new character. Or sometimes listening to a certain song. Even finding a name you really like and creating from it. So, for today, I’ll be talking about how to create a character and even some about my own!

Method 1 – Just Start Drawing – Sometimes when I’m bored, or watching something but still want my hands to do something, I start drawing a human form. From there, I just add things on like hair, eyes, clothes, and accessories. I try to create someone who isn’t generic. I’ll add really odd things to the character in order for it to be more unique. Don’t be afraid to get creative.

Method 2 – Music – When browsing YouTube, I may find a song I really enjoy. And it seems to be a great song to use for a character. After listening to the song multiple times, I usually just start sketching and see what happens. I recommend finding playlists or watching music videos.

Method 3 – Background – Creating a character can be frustrating, especially if you need a character for something that has a deadline (a short story or art piece). Try creating the world first. Think of the role you want your character to have (it doesn’t even need to be that specific) and build around that. Create a nation ruled by a government, create a forest or a mountain or a desert, create a nomadic tribe, create tall skyscrapers. Add new and different animals of your making. Add magic, or autonomous robots, or whatever you like. Once you have a good grasp on what the world is, create your character based on the area around it.

Method 4 – Themes and Prompts – This method seems to work well for me. Sometimes it is still hard to get the ball rolling. When that happens, I find somewhere I can get prompts and themes. These can allow you to create with a certain phrase or word. Try using that phrase to shape an entire character. It could be a visual prompt, or a characterizing prompt. There are many places where you can find prompts. Many blogs on Tumblr are dedicated to that sole purpose. I also go to artprompts.org. They have a ton of stuff there!

Method 5 – Look at Other’s Art – A great way to get started is to look at other artists and their work. Other artists can be inspiring, as long as you don’t copy. Seeing someone else’s character can give you ideas on what to do with yours. Tumblr, again, is a great place for this. Be respectful though, be sure to not mimic their character too closely.

I’d thought I would show you two of my original characters that I created a few months ago. I’m a bit self-conscious about showing my art, but I wanted to give it a try. These two characters, Nell and Oliver, are twins in a steampunk-inspired world. I hope you enjoy them, the drawings aren’t the best, but I love them nonetheless. I’ve changed both of their designs a bit, but these are the original designs I created for the two.

*”Oliver”, “Scavenger Wolfdog”, “Nell”, and “Scavenger Blackbird” created by myself, for my personal use only* *Please do not steal, copy, or post anywhere else without my permission*

Maybe seeing some of my own art will inspire you to create. Use these methods, and have fun! Be unique and just listen to what you want to do! 🙂