Character Art

It's great seeing characters in animated films and video games fully expressed and realized, but how do they get to that point? Concept artists initially conceive ideas about how such characters should look and what their personalities are like.

From experience, I found that there are several effective ways to creating characters for animated films or video game art. One method is to observe animals and anthropomorphize the bodily features. Giving "animalistic" characters human features gives the intended audience a chance to connect with them better. Of course, you should realize that you do not always have to do this. Just remember that when creating concepts, you should keep in mind what kind of creature your making as well as how the personality is recognizable to an audience. If you look at any animated film or video game, you will see how the characters have human-like qualities. While giving the characters human features, an artist should also play with shape and form, experimenting with different aspects that would best convey that creature's characteristics.

Another way to conceptualize characters is to caricacture the faces of ordinary people. You can even do this by looking into a mirror and distorting your own face on paper. It's also fun playing with wardrobe, turning a t-shirt into a pirate's costume or some kind of medieval garb.