My Character Design Process
My Character Design Process
Character design is a challenging yet satisfying process that is all about creating, well, a fictional person. Either it be an animal or a human, the process for creating a good design is the same. In this article, I will be going over my process. While it takes some time, the process is a straightforward one that creates a winner every time.
Meet Kimiko Ó Marcaigh
The example character in this article is a feminine individual known as Kimiko Ó Marcaigh. She is a major character in my upcoming superhero webcomic Our Home; Eternal and my most recent design. While the comic itself is still long ways away from being published, Kimiko is happy to show off her journey to looking the way she does today.
The Concept
Every character design starts with one simple thing- an idea. Sometimes the idea is the basics of a design, sometimes it is a written element of the character. Many character designers prefer to have the character inform the design, but the other way works, too!
Kimiko is a “writing first” character. Which means there are several things to take into consideration for a design for her:
She is in a part of a trio that consists of the protagonist. Her design needs to compliment her friends’.
She has a bubbly personality that asks for a fun outfit
She is a selkie-kitsune hybrid with Irish and Japanese ancestry
Selkies’ seal form are like a costume that they put on, meaning that Kimiko’s fox form has to be present in her design as a clothing feature
About That Fox Form…
The last feature was a little tricky to figure out. I originally went in a more fantasy-like direction that featured the fox form as a cape. But put her next to her friends in this original concept, and it looks like they’re not even from the same setting!
So, as cute as this original concept was, it was scrapped for a different idea for the fox theme: a hat!
The Passes
The first pass for Kimiko was one where the direction for her was found. She wore her fox form as a baseball cap and a long, flowy yellow dress. It is a much more modern look that helped her fit in with the rest of the trio better. Unfortunately, the dress wasn’t playful enough for her.
So, I moved on to the second pass. Kimiko 2.0 was drawn on paper, showing a much more playful vintage-styled look. Her baseball cap turned into a beret. While this version was a vast improvement, it could get even better.
That is how I finally came to this version of Kimiko. The dress she dons is playful while still being adventurous, and the beret is kept as the final version of the fox accessory. It is a journey that Kimiko went on, but she eventually came to her own in a fitting design. Although, the colors are not yet to be finalized.
Conclusion
Capturing a playful fox in the body of a human as a design is what character design is all about. My approach consists of experimenting and seeing what works. While some things don’t work, there are many things that stay in place all the way from the first pass.
Behind every good design is at least two failed designs. It is a part of the process that brings the pride and joy of many artists. So, do not be afraid to make bad character designs. They are the foundation you need to create designs that truly shine.
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