STEP BY STEP: Character design — from quick notes to the final artwork

Here are the essentials I've learned so far.
I'm going to update this type of Step-by-steps with more info in the future posts.


STEP BY STEP IN MY WAY OF CHARACTER DESIGN:

1. CHARACTER BACKGROUND: First I'm thinking about the personality of my character and take some notes. The story behind the character is absolutely essential. Otherwise the person you create won’t be realistic and unique. I’m writing few questions to help my imagination:

What he/she likes?
Where does he/she come from?
What is the world around the character?
What’s his/her favorite book/animal/movie/thing to do?
Why is this character special and interesting?

(Usually I chose the name at the end but you can start with it, if you want)

I decided that my character is going to be a young woman. She’s an introvert but with strong spirit and rich personality. She want’s to show it in her appearance but she doesn’t like vivid colours. I wanted to show this in her style, poses and face expressions. The environment and stuff around her would be the next stage. Here I wanted to catch my character just in her body language, clothing and hairstyle. 

2. REFERENCES: I chose reference photos from the internet (Pinterest, Stock pages). If I can't find some specific figure, I make photos of myself :)

3. SKETCHBOOK TIME: I make study sketches in my sketchbook to chose specific poses.

4. FROM TRADITIONAL TO DIGITAL: I transfer traditional sketches to the IPad (i just take photo because it's is faster but you can also make a scan). Then I make digital sketch on new layer.

5. COLOUR PALETTE: I chose colour palette (that my character would like) and I’m sticking to it through my whole painting stage. It helps me to stay consistent.

6. DIGITAL PAINTING: I’m painting each pose. I try to paint them together to keep whole artwork consistent. I need to be careful and focus on special features of my character anatomy. The character must have the same face and body in each different pose!

______________________

Tools that I used:

• Arteza sketchbook https://arteza.co.uk/dp/8-3x11-7-sketchbook-100-pages-pack-of-2

• Regular Faber Castel Pencils: from HB to 6B

• Brushes in Procreate:    
Sketch – dry ink    
Painting – Nikko rull    
Smudging – soft brush