6 Character Design Resources

Before you start designing the characters for your project(s), consider reviewing these sources for guidance:


1. Great Character Designs—Tips on Creating, Monetizing and Popularizing Digital Characters
Discusses the qualities of the most enduring game characters.

2. Character Design/Artists Interviews

Numerous interviews with character designers and examples of their work.

3. 20 Character Design Tips

20 useful tips to help you in the character design process.

4. Tips for Successful Character Design!

Tips from a manga/anime perspective.

5. Mentor Experiment: Head Design

Head design tips from Krishna M. Sadasivam, creator of the long-running web comic "PC Weenies."

6. JohnKDesign

John K., the creator of "Ren & Stimpy," has a blog dedicated solely to his particular approach to character design.

Make Your Drawings Solid

Unless you like your cartoons to look flat and lifeless…

…it's important to understand how to create on paper the perception of three-dimensionality. Follow the Kimon Nicolaides (modelled drawing exercises) and Florian Satzinger method of drawing interior contour lines. These make you FEEL the 3-dimensionality of the object you're drawing on your 2-dimensional paper.

It's sculpting with a pencil. As Al Hirshfeld said, a sculpture is a drawing you trip over in the dark.

How to Beat Creative Resistance—Part II

Despite our schedules, commitments and responsibilities, we can all find at least 10 minutes each day to improve our skills and ultimately, our lives. Here's my plan for improving my drawing:

This curriculum is simple and based on what I've read online, in books and was taught in classes: 15 minutes per weekday each on gesture, art instruction book (to be explained below), copying from other artists (also to be explained below) and anatomy. On weekends, I do 30 minutes each. I'm focusing on my deficient areas so as not to waste my practice time. Your needs may vary but the keys are to do a little every day AND to focus on the areas where you're lacking.

Gesture—If Glen Vilppu stresses getting the gesture right, it MUST be important. Not to mention that every figure drawing class I've ever taken began with 1–5 minute gesture drawings. It's not only a great way to warm up but is THE essential element of a good pose in a drawing.

My gesture drawings

Art Instruction Book—What do you call it when you buy endless books on drawing and animation and don't bother to read any of them or follow any of the suggestions? Resistance!

Starting with Andrew Loomis' "Drawing the Head and Hands," I came up with a plan to carefully study every how-to book I own. It's an ambitious goal but, as Robert Beverly Hale said (I think), if every book has just one helpful nugget, it's worth reading.

Copying—I read that one way to improve one's drawing is to copy other artists' work. Isn't that how people learned during the Renaissance?

I've always loved the drawing in the classic MAD Magazines. Armed with a DVD of pdf files of every MAD issue from the first until the 1980's or 1990's, every day I copy the drawings in those magazines, absorbing the basics of those artists' brilliance.

Some MAD magazine copying (plus a Preston Blair cute kitty copy!)

Anatomy—Since about 1993, I've gotten as far as learning the anatomy of the head down the body to the arms BUT have always abandoned it thereby forgetting EVERYTHING I've learned. This time, armed with two excellent books—Stephen Rogers Peck's "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist" and Robert Beverly Hale's "Albinus on Anatomy"—I'm confident that I'll successfully learn the human musculature in its entirety. The Albinus book is unique in this it's the only one I've found that isolates each muscle so you can clearly see the origin and insertion points. VERY helpful!

I'm convinced that daily use of this routine will produce results. Whether you use this routine, someone else's or your own is not important. All that matters is consistently working to improve your own deficient areas (by the way, the same approach applies to physical workouts, too!)

Next post: a suggestion for ensuring solidity in your drawing.

How to Beat Creative Resistance—Part I

Hiatus is over. Back to work!

Are you trying to improve your skills in some area? Have you spent YEARS doing this? I've spent TWENTY years (!) trying to improve my drawing and learn artistic anatomy.

I haven't succeeded because I'm stuck in this crazy, illogical catch-22: my skills are poor because I don't practice them enough BUT I don't practice my skills enough because the results are poor. Crazy, right?

This situation is what author/screenwriter Steven Pressfield calls the "Resistance" in his insightful book The War of Art.

Man vs. Art host Raul Aguirre, Jr. recommended this book in one of his podcasts and it's one of the best I've read about the struggle of creativity. Professional visualizer Sunni Brown even made a helpful visual summary of the book which I also recommend you check out.

Art courtesy of sunnibrown.com

I'm confident that this book will help you get past the Resistance. The first step is to recognize it. Actually, embrace it! The more you try to ignore it, the more it will win.

The second step is to accept that being a creative person is a lifelong struggle against the Resistance.

A LIFELONG STRUGGLE!

Remind yourself that every creative person experiences Resistance on a daily basis.

That's EVERY SINGLE DAY!

The trick is to be one of the strong ones who doesn't give in but fights past it and creates ANYWAY.

Next post I'll show specific steps on how to improve your drawing!

Brief Hiatus

I'm in the process of moving (you know how THAT is) and while I tried to continue work on the film while packing, it just wasn't possible to do both.

I'll return to posting about the film's production as soon as possible but until then, here's the latest version of Scene 2:

See you next week!

Super Sites: Cal Arts The Character Animation Mac Labs

This is the first of a new series of posts called "Super Sites." Since I've gotten such a HUGE education from numerous online sources, I should recognize individually for their positive contribution to my storytelling education. Without these sites, I'd be swimming in a cesspool of doubts, fears and ignorance!

First is this AMAZING resource from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Until sometime in the 1990's, CalArts was the ONLY school that taught animation (it was the only option for me in the United States when I graduated from high school in 1987 and considered an animation college). Today it boasts numerous graduates working in various capacities in the animation field.

While searching for field guide information, I came across their Character Animation Mac Labs handouts page that's available not only to CalArts students, but to the public as well. This site is especially helpful for us newbie independent animators with it's clear explanations on various topics. I'm confident that you'll find something of use here!

Let's Get Organized!

Making a hand drawn animated film is a huge endeavor. There's A LOT of paper involved which can quickly become overwhelming if not properly handled. To maintain one's sanity, I suggest getting organized!

First, I organize by scene. My export from Toon Boom Storyboard Pro is 75 scenes. Each scene that I open in Toon Boom Animate Pro gets its own legal sized folder…:

…that is stapled shut on the sides so nothing falls out:

Second, I create labels for the folders. It's a template containing all of the scene's important information, a helpful quick reference. I then add the specific production name and print for each scene folder:

I have found this to be the best way to keep track of all of the paper associated with each individual scene. The less time I spend looking for the papers I need, the more time I have for creating!

Scenes 1 & 2—Completed!

I was originally going to title this post "FINAL" but it's possible that changes could come later. At this point scenes 1 and 2 are definitely completed sufficiently that I can move on to scene 3.

I originally thought doing scene 2 in Toon Boom Animate Pro would be easy, or at least straightforward. I should know better than to think any of this project will be "easy." Anyway, I struggled a little bit with the t.v. flicker and the glow behind the silhouettes until I realized I had to use the Network function in Animate Pro. At first this was daunting, but once I realized that it was necessary to learn this feature, I watched some tutorials and discovered how important—and easy—it is.

Here's the first five seconds of the film:

Scene 2 Animation

This clip is described as the "animation," as opposed to "final," because the animation is the one part of this scene that's complete. There still remain some missing elements: I haven't yet figured out how to correctly sync sound in Animate Pro (I may have to do the final sound in After Effects or Final Cut Pro, not sure yet, although I'd prefer to do it all in Animate Pro), the background is missing and I'm considering putting highlights on the edges of the silhouettes.

But I got the animation done! Here it is:

Figuring Out the Timing for Scene 2

Along with the struggle in determining how to draw Scene 2 was the struggle of timing.

Never been my forte.

But I'm determined to figure it out! Here's the proof of my struggle:

Lots of false starts, meanderings and grandiose ideas.

Finally, I—accidentally—stumbled upon the answer: to fill the 84 frames of the scene, I made 17 drawings. The first 16 are exposed on 3's with the final drawing a hold of 36 frames. Done!

Tomorrow: Scene 2's animation.

43 Pages of Mistakes

Woo hoo, I'm done with the animatic, now it's time for one of my favorite parts…ANIMATING! (My other favorite part of the filmmaking process is developing the idea. The animatic and designing parts I could do without.)

So I exported the animatic from Toon Boom Storyboard Pro using the "To Animate…" option. This slices the single animatic into its individual scenes. Each scene can then be opened in Toon Boom Animate Pro.

I started with Scene 2 since it's the first with actual animation (Scene 1 is black with sound and music) and, like I said, I wanted to get to ANIMATING!

It's such a thrill for me to sit at my wood animation table with my metal animation disk, Acme-punched paper and a sharp pencil. I immediately dove into Scene 2…and immediately ran into problems! I made one major mistake that I'll share with you to hopefully prevent you from doing the same.

My big mistake was: IGNORING MY ANIMATIC! OK, I didn't completely ignore it but I didn't follow it explicitly either. I quickly forgot that I spent TWO YEARS working on the animatic, ensuring that it "worked." The point of that time and effort was to make the animation process easier.

But when I sat down to draw, I decided that not enough was happening in the animatic and I started to make DRASTIC changes! What came of all of those changes? See below:

Those are piles of animation bond paper and tracing vellum with drawings and spacing charts on them. Forty-three pages of rejections, to be exact. For about one week (ONE WEEK?!) I struggled with lips and noses and positions.

Finally, while taking a break (I now try to take 10-15 minute breaks after every 90 minutes of work to stay fresh), I realized that I had strayed from the original layouts established by the animatic. Why was I trying to reinvent everything?! I already did that…FOR TWO YEARS! All of the "figuring out" was done during the animatic process; not it's time to PRODUCE!

After that epiphany (I'm always having epiphanies…because I'm always forgetting important lessons!), I printed out a frame from Scene 2 and followed it as a model. Once I did that, Scene 2 was completed within a few hours! Lesson learned—follow the animatic!


Tomorrow: figuring out the timing.

New Equipment!

My one-woman animation studio recently needed an upgrade in equipment.

This is the Epson Perfection 610 scanner that I purchased in Dec. 1999:

It has served me well from the last version of OS 9 through OS X Snow Leopard.

Right now, my animation method of choice is to draw on paper and then scan the drawings. A reliably functioning scanner is essential to my workflow. Unfortunately, Epson decided not to create a specific OS X Lion driver. I was able to get the scanner to work, but it did not allow me the same options it originally did (neither does the new scanner, but I'll get to that later.)

I weighed continuing with the old scanner but decided that Apple could come out with an upgrade to Lion that could potentially render the 610 completely unusable. Then I'd be in trouble.

I decided to replace Ole Reliable with something newer. After some research, I settled on the Epson Perfection V600 Photo:

Isn't she beautiful? It was affordable, scans slides, scans text and makes pdfs and is the more modern black instead of the old school beige. Me likey!

Just one complaint and it's more about my computer skills than the scanner itself: although the V600 has a TWAIN driver that allows me to scan straight into Toon Boom Animate Pro (although I can't rotate and clean up the drawings the way I'd like to), at this writing I'm only able to access the Epson scanner options via Animate Pro. So if I'm not scanning into Animate Pro, I can't access the Professional Options (TWAIN driver options) that allow me to, among other things, save my scanner settings. I said it's a matter of my computer skills because it's probably possible but I have yet to figure it out.

So if you need a new scanner, consider the Epson Perfection V600 Photo.

Tomorrow: some photos of test drawings from Scene 2.

ToonBoom Animate Pro!

First, Happy Belated New Year!

I can't believe I haven't posted since late December. Expect more consistent and better posts in 2012!

Second, I know I promised head anatomy in my last post. I did start creating it and decided that it was an unnecessary step. I'm on a tight deadline—completion by July 1, 2012—so there's no time for anything that's not absolutely necessary.

Instead, I've started learning ToonBoom's Animate Pro. I'm excited about learning this program now that I've moved on from ToonBoom's Storyboard Pro to the next step, animating.

My original approach was to skip to the specific sections in the user guide that I could use for my film. This shortcut approach soon became impossible. The user guide is over 800 pages for a reason! This is a robust program whose depth is worth learning. By switching to the time-consuming-but-with-depth approach, I've discovered a possible time-saving feature: True 3D space.

With this feature, the two rooms in my film in which all of the action occurs—the bedroom and the bathroom—can be created in 3D and manipulated on 3 axes! This feature will save me time; I create the rooms in their entirety ONCE then use them from any angle.

As I learn the program, I'll post the results along with any tips and tricks I come across.

Main Character Designs—Version 1

FINALLY got some working character designs completed for Honey and Luthor:

Next post: Honey and Luthor's head anatomy!

Proactive!

I just sent a copy of my film "Calls of the Wild" to the NW Animation Festival in Portland, OR.

This seems to be one of the few festivals that has no restrictions on the films that are submitted (any length, completed any year, online availability, etc.) It feels like a pure film festival, one unconcerned with premiering and being "the first." Hopefully, their only interest is to shown great animation.

Here's hoping I get selected!

Final Animatic—DONE!

My holiday weekend push helped complete this phase of the film. I decided to not make more of the planned changes. I'm at a point where I feel that completing the project is more important than trying to make it great. Instead, it will as good as I can make it at this time and the next one will be better and the one after that better than its predecessor.

Here's the final animatic:

Next steps: design (characters, environments and props) and voice recording.

Final Animatic—Replacement Scene 2

Keeping it moving with more of the replacement scene of Luthor reacting to being smacked in the face by an unidentified object:

Final animatic is now 53% complete!

Final Animatic—Revised Scene

This scene not only differs from its predecessor in content but also in emotion.

In the original version's scenes, Luthor is frightened by the unknown objects from the drawer:

In this new version, Luthor's reacting to being smacked in the eye by an unknown object. He tumbles across the bed in pain, a reaction that I think is more natural…and funnier!

Is the new version funnier? Tell me what you think!

This completes 35% of the final animatic. Progress continues!

Final Animatic—Replacement Scene

This scene replaces the previous of Honey brushing her teeth. I decided the combination of the noise of the shower and the song logically drown out Luthor's shouts.

Why Artists Should Love This "New" Economy

A Bamun artisan at work in Foumban, West Province, Cameroon. 2004.

Even before the economic downturn, I was beginning to feel that—especially with the existence of the internet—the days of working in a factory or a cubicle were either decreasing or coming to an end. I couldn't articulate it but this post by James Shelley sums it up.

Ultimately, we all need to change our thinking, our attitude and our actions. We're no longer in the '50's nor the '80's; it's a new time with new rules that benefit those of us who aren't afraid to go out there and make our own way.

Also read these comments from columnist Thomas Friedman. Words to live by.

What is the "extra" that you bring to your work?

Final Animatic—New Opening Scene II

Below is the new opening of the animatic that follows the storyboard thumbnails from this post:

I am REALLY liking this new opening! There's an economy of storytelling of which I'm proud (although I am second-guessing that all of this takes place in a mere 52 seconds. Am I rushing it?) Do you think these new scenes work or that they are better than the first version? Leave your comments! Thanks!

106 Excuses That Prevent You From Ever Becoming Great

I just saw this and HAD to share it! I'm even borrowing the perfect photo from the post. It was written by Tommy Walker—online marketing strategist and principal at Tommy.ismy.name—as a guest post on the blog of Chris Brogan, a consultant on the future of business communications and social software technologies. A mere glance at this list took me back to the bad old days of 1991 (when I graduated from college) through to 2007 (when I began to learn that I had the power to live the life I've always wanted.) That's about 16 years of excuses, self-sabotage, a lack of self-confidence and a lack of guiding principles. Don't make the mistakes I did by falling victim to the excuses listed in this post! You can achieve anything you want to achieve by picturing it, believing that you currently possess it and working hard to acquire it.


Read this list carefully and consider, "When have I used these excuses?"

Opening Scene Thumbnails II

I'm convinced that my recent meditating and studying of the conscious and subconscious is helping both my day job AND this project!

Example: last night I was still struggling with this new opening scene. I decided that the thumbnails I posted yesterday were not going to work in silhouette. I needed a new solution.

I paced around the apartment consciously thinking about the problem. Soon after, I meditated for 10 minutes then went to bed.

Within 10 minutes of getting into bed, a solution popped into my head! It was the result (I firmly believe) of my subconscious mulling over the problem. The beauty of this new solution is that it satisfies all of my criteria…plus solves some other problems: it reads clearly, it allows for me to keep the credits on the t.v. (which I really like), it clearly sets up Luthor on the edge of the bed, it provides a reason for the lights being on in the room which means I don't have to figure out how to make the room look dark.

The hopefully LAST thumbnails for the new opening:

Would you like to see these thumbnails in animatic form?

Opening Scene Thumbnails

Honey and Luthor are kissing in extreme closeup. Honey moves out of frame, leaving Luthor behind. In the next scene, she enters the bathroom then we pan to Luthor sitting on the edge of a bed. The visual/storytelling problem: is it clear to the audience that Honey and Luthor originated on the edge of the bed in the prior kissing scene OR is it necessary, for clarity, to show the audience the environment of the characters and their physical relationship to each other?

I made an executive decision! I decided that, indeed, the audience needs to see—before Honey moves to the bathroom—that she and Luthor are kissing in a dimly lit bedroom, on the edge of the bed.

Below are some thumbnails/gesture drawings I used to develop this new scene:

Next post: this new scene in the animatic!

Final Animatic—New Opening Scene

I have officially started the final animatic. This will be the last "rough draft" of the film before I start the really good part…animating!

Below is the new opening scene. As I said yesterday, it's shorter than the first version which gets the story started sooner & grabs and holds the audience's attention faster. 

Should I change the opening to this new version or keep the original?

FINAL Animatic Has Begun!

Thanks for your patience as I took a break from this project. It was helpful to not think about it purposely; by doing so, I ended up thinking about it unintentionally and coming up with some great improvements!

The first change will be the opening. I—and others—really liked the original opening. It was, however, a bit too long; I was showing too much unnecessary information before getting to the important part, the characters.

My next post will be a video of the much-simplified opening. I think it's better because it immediately puts the audience into the story. Here's a screenshot from the new opening:

Version 1 Animatic Feedback

This two-week hiatus from the film has been beneficial in a lot of ways. First, I'm back to exercising. Independent animator M dot Strange posted on is blog the importance of not letting your fitness go while working on your film. I see his point and am working towards balancing the project and exercising.

Second, I've allowed my brain to randomly think of improvements for the film. I already have several pages of notes of changes in addition to the feedback I've gotten from friends & strangers. Here's some of the feedback:

1. The film moves well but could be a little overlong at 5:13 minutes.

2. Some of the camera moves are overdone and draw attention to themselves.

3. Honey shaving in the bathroom is too unlikely. It would be better to have her in the shower shaving.

All of this is helpful feedback so thanks to all who took time out to get back to me!

I'm currently working on the character designs and will post those once they're completed.

Animatic Version One—Completed!

I set the deadline for Monday, Sept. 5, 2011 for this animatic…and I made it! The sense of accomplishment is HUGE. I didn't realize how heavy the self-created pressure was until I completed this animatic. With a combination of realistic goals and taking massive action, I was able to complete this stage.

Below is the animatic. NOTE: it's (mildly) NSFW.

PLEASE post your suggestions, comments and feedback. Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks and enjoy!

Latest Animatic Segment—Angry Toys!

This may well be my favorite moment in the film:

I'm 78% done with the animatic! We're gettin' reallll close!

Latest Animatic Segment—Luthor's Realization

Sorry, I promised some more scenes over a week ago!

Here it is:

Clean Animatic 69% Done!

With a new-found intensity, I'm now 69% done with the clean animatic. By the end of day on Sat. 8/13, I intend to be ONE WEEK ahead of schedule to complete this by Aug. 31.

It's too late tonight for me to make a video of some of the new scenes but I'll get that to you soon.

Latest Animatic Segment—Luthor Laughs at His Joint

Making progress! Completing these scenes means "Adult Toy Story's" clean animatic is now 60% done! Per my schedule of work quotas, I'm one day behind for my schedule to complete this animatic by August 31. I don't care WHAT it takes, this animatic WILL be done by that day!

Artistic Anatomy Part 3: Brow & Forehead Planes

We learned the bones of the front of the skull. We learned the muscles of the brow and forehead. The final aspect to learn is the planes.

First, some information about the image below. This model is known as the "Asaro head," conceived by the painter, teacher and writer John Asaro.

Full Asaro original model head.

Booklet that comes with purchase of Asaro original model.

Comparing this model side-by-side with the skull model FINALLY made me begin to understand the planes of the head. That's why, in addition to recommending that you buy a skeleton, I also recommend that you buy (or make your own) model of the planes of the head. Having these three-dimensional objects available to touch, light and closely examine will make learning to draw infinitely easier. I bought my Asaro head—original model—from Planes of the Head for $98 (free shipping!) which comes with a booklet presumably illustrated by Asaro. There's a variety of other models offered, too.

Onward to the planes. Here's a closeup of the model's brow & forehead planes:

Closeup of Asaro head's brow & forehead planes.

Brow & forehead planes colorized for emphasis.

Notice how they conform to the curves and landmarks we studied on the skull. If you project the angular planes onto the curved skull, it would look something like this:

Corresponding area of planes on skull.

See how clear this is when you put all of the elements together!

A quick review:

Bones

Muscles

Planes

Hopefully I'm making this information clearer for you and not confusing! Keep in mind that I'm NOT an expert in this area, but simply learning as you are while hopefully providing some insights I've picked up along the way.


Next: the eye & nose muscles.