Top 40 character design tips - Part 2: Human based characters

Don'ts 

31. Don’t get lost in the details

“Don’t try to get too much detail too fast, or try to finish the drawing and start colouring it before you have the character. Bruce Stark once said, ‘Always try to work from general to particular.’ That really stood out for me. No matter what, get the general shapes, then work on the particulars.” -- Stephen Silver, Animator, California, USA

32. Don’t force oddities 

“An eye patch, peg leg, robot arm, cowboy hat and butterfly wings on one character could be too much. I’m not completely a fan of the ‘less is more’ rule, but I am a fan of the ‘too much is too much’ rule (which I invented). Your character needs one good idea, not 100 poor ideas.” -- Rubens Cantuni, Art director, Genoa, Italy

33. Don’t neglect cartoon culture 

“Poses are a very powerful tool: they can either make or break the dynamics of your creation. Posture is a direct consequence of the qualities of the character, so don’t be afraid to exaggerate the poses themselves. This comes directly from the influence of cartoon culture.” -- MEKA, Graphic designer and illustrator, Montreal, Canada

34. Don’t forget the silhouette

“When you have finished your character, concentrate on the silhouette. Is it recognisable? Is it different to the rest? If it is, then your design works. And when you apply the colour, work with a palette that also contributes to the personality of your design.” -- Charuca, Designer, Barcelona, Spain

35. Don’t settle

“Drawings suck for a long time before they get good, so don’t give up. Don’t settle on a pose or a position.  If there’s something you can’t get, just keep at it. Plenty of times everything I do sucks right until the very end. Push through, and all of a sudden it starts to look good.” -- Dacosta!, Creative director, Vancouver, Canada

36. Don’t lack emotion

“A successfully strange character only looks strange and unique at first sight, but it will need an aspect that is emotionally familiar to the viewer. Something that picks him up, arrests his attention and whets his appetite to discover more.” -- Mark Gmehling, Illustrator, Dortmund, Germany

37. Don’t ever stop looking

“Look at people, clothing, hair, accessories, make-up – anything that can add detail and mood to a design, reflect a personality and give a sense of uniqueness to your design. These details can be used to convey humour – a witty slogan on a T-shirt, a tattoo, or a pair of weird sunglasses.” -- Wayne Harris, Illustrator and character designer, Cardiff, Wales

38. Don’t let it slide

“This might sound like a simple tip, but don’t procrastinate. When the lightning bolt of inspiration strikes, use it. And if you’re rolling on a design, see it through to the end. It’s a shame when a great idea is left almost finished In other words: strike while the iron is hot.” -- Tom Whalen, Illustrator and designer, Los Angeles, USA

39. Don’t confuse sex and sexy

“A sexy girl isn’t necessarily skinny, so don’t forget to play with little anatomy details like the belly, or shape of the breast. And remember, porn and vulgarity are not sexy: everybody will like a sexy, fun girl, but most will be offended by too much sexuality. Think sexy, not sex.” -- Xavier Ramonede, 2D and CGI animator, Paris, France

40. Don’t go for unnecessary realism

“If an all-singing, all-dancing character is needed, then I think the only thing to do is strive to not make it too realistic. Not because there’s anything inherently wrong with veering towards realism, but it rarely looks good. And the closer it gets to realism the more it begs the question: why?” -- Marc Craste, Senior animation director, London, UK

Main image credit: Wayne Harris