EXPLORATIONS: CHARACTER DESIGN

Introduction

Welcome to my Explorations website! The Explorations project was our final project of our junior year at Freestyle Academy, and it was also the most open-ended. It was a research-based project where we expanded upon what we had learned at Freestyle this year by developing whatever art or design-related skill we wanted. We had freedom over what we researched, who we worked with, how we spent our time, and what our final product would be. The only solid requirements for this project was for us to create an infographic and a presentation showing what we learned.

Preliminary sketches

When I started the unit, I actually meant to create music as my final project. However, after only a day or two, I burned out and switched to a medium I had more experience in: visual art. I chose to focus on the character design process. I would research the best way to design unique characters for writing and art, display that information in an infographic, and then apply it by developing a single character using that process.

The Process

Initial page of sketches

The character I developed was one created just for this project. The caracter started as a single page of sketches to use only for my infographic, but I got attached to her and chose to develop her further. Her name is Scarlett Pine, and she plays on the stereotype of a pirate owning a parrot by being both a parrot and a pirate. The first page of sketches was an initial idea that I built upon when creating a reference sheet for her. I gave her an eyepatch and braids so that she would immediately be recognized as a pirate. I kept the clothes understated, though, as fancy clothes would have taken attention away from her colorful plumage and make the whole design look too busy. I also based a few elements of her appearance, such as her necklace, on a rough backstory I had drafted for her.

Final reference page Screenshot of the Dreamweaver file for the Explorations website Screenshot of the Photoshop file for the initial page of sketches

Infographic and Illustration

My two final products for this project were an infographic and an illustration. The infographic was a visual compilation of research we had done on the topic. Since the character design process is somewhat subjective and depends on the preferences of the artist, I researched the processes of several different professional artists, then synthesized the most important parts into a four-step process. I also replicated each step of the process, using a different type of character in each step to show how the process is universal.

Infographic

I had little experience creating an infographic, and little time to finish it. In addition, drawing the four graphics took up most of my time, since each one had several drawings and there were four to complete. As a result, I used an infographic generator and I chose a simple design for the infographic so I would be able to complete it on time. Although it was nothing groundbreaking, I am still satisfied with the result. My layout might have been simple, but I put a lot effort into creating the content inside it, from the text to the drawings.

Screenshot of the Photoshop file for one of the graphics in the infographic Screenshot of the Piktochart file for the infographic

The other final product I created was an illustration of Scarlett, the character I had developed over the course of the unit. Using the design I had drawn earlier, I composed a scene that would be both eye-catching and true to Scarlett's character.

Thumbnail of final illustration

Because of the reference sheet and page of sketches I had, the actual illustration of Scarlett was suprisingly easy. I have made many character illustrations before, but I never realized just how useful it was to have a good grasp on the character, their design, and their mannerisms in detail. Because I had already drawn her in several different poses in the page of sketches, I knew what kinds of poses were unnatural and unnatural for Scarlett. Because I had settled on her design, proportions and colors in the reference sheet, I didn't have to guess what the product looked like. In fact, the only errors in my illustration (the buttons on her shirt are on the wrong side, and the strap of her eyepatch should still have been visible from this angle) were because I didn't follow the reference sheet closely enough. Other than that, I followed the reference sheet to the letter, even going so far as to use the color picker to find Scarlett's exact colors and then changing the color balance and lighting later to reflect the scene.

Photoshop file of the reference I used as I worked on the final illustration Sketching out the final illlustration

Reflection

I am already experienced in digital art, but character design is not a topic I had studied in detail. Most of my art involves coming up with the characters as I am doing the illustration, and while this method is quicker for a single drawing, it makes it difficult to draw a single character with any consistency. I was familiar with reference sheets, but rarely did any of my own characters. I am used to doing a bit of guessing when I draw, so having an already developed reference to keep looking back to was unexpectedly useful. Overall, I am glad I was able to work on a project that built upon a skill I had already developed, but a specific topic that was new to me.

Ihis project was the final unit of my first year at Freestyle Academy. When I came to Freestyle, I didn't realize just how different it was from normal high school classes. I believe it is more comparable to a combination of college classes and the real world. At Freestyle, I learned to think about the work I was doing in terms of weeks and months instead of days. There was almost no nightly homework at Freestyle, so it was up to the students to stay on track themselves and meet the quarterly deadline for each project. The year also moved very fast. In the span of two semesters, we covered photo editing, music production, website creation, creative writing, illustration, animation, research and research-based writing, color theory, graphic design fundamentals, and more. We applied all of those concepts into professional-looking productions. Completing my projects was one of the most satisfing parts of my junior year, as I got to see just how far I had come since the fall.