8. Part 2, Character Design

altokaa
7 мар. 2020 г.
2 мин. чтения

Style comes into play dependent upon which format the character is needed for. The range of character design hierarchy can go from extremely graphic (like “Hello Kitty”) to very photo-realistic (as with CG animated characters like the “Hulk” in the Avengers film series). The basis of creating a character design is still first and foremost dependent on drawing ability. Weather it is with pencil and paper, or drawing digitally on a tablet or Wacom Cintiq (often called “Tradigital” art), computers or programs are not at the heart of this beginning phase of the process.

The character designer must have a strong knowledge of all the drawing and design principles to create an appealing character that best fits the needs of the story at hand. Once approved, the concept artwork of the character can then go on to be modeled in the computer to create a 3D version that can then be used in video games or CG animation. In the larger studios, another person, not the character designer, creates the character modeling.

After immersing themselves into the script or story, the next step for a character designer is to thoroughly research any anatomical, costume, historical, style, or theatrical references needed to create the character needed for the project. Next step is drawing. Lots of drawing. Depending upon the whims of the director/ art director and timeline for the project, anywhere from 4 to hundreds of versions of a single character can be created. The idea here is to not settle on your first version. Create many varied versions of the same character so you and your team can analyze the best features for that character. Showing character personality through poses and facial expressions is important even in these early stages. An important part of the character designer’s job is to bring something more than just visual design to the character he/she is creating. They must begin the process of imbuing them with personality and life.

The main example of this presentation/lecture was Pikachu and the character's. What I found about it :

"Pikachu was specifically designed to be cute, Sugimori said, according to a translation of the interview. While Pokémon were originally envisioned to be more “tough-looking” overall, a few people in the company expressed desire for cuter Pokémon. Sugimori was unsure of how to approach a cute design since he was coming at it from a “boy’s perspective,” so he turned to the women in the company — specifically Nishida — for ideas on cuter designs.

Pikachu’s electricity-holding cheeks were inspired by squirrels, says Nishida. Its yellow coloring (not present in the original Red/Blue/Green games) was chosen because of the electric motif, and also because it was a naturally compliment to the red-green-blue colorings of the first-generation starter Pokémon."