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Introduction
Have you ever seen a photo that caught your attention and felt like you could create something with it but didn't know how to start?
It's happened to me quite a lot, especially when I started drawing, and it was mostly because I didn't know any process to put this idea I had on paper.
So I hope this tutorial helps you have a clearer guide of what you can do to bring your ideas to life.
Creative process
Find (or take) an image that inspires you
We'll start with the reference image, perhaps the most important one, as it will be the basis for everything that comes next. Look for reference images from wherever you like or take one yourself. Remember that you can use your surroundings to find inspiration, not everything has to come from the internet; go outside your house to take photos or use objects inside your house, whatever helps you generate ideas.
You could start with inanimate objects or photos of animals, for example, a photo of a house, flowers, your pets, a bed, a shower; any object or thing that inspires them or catches their attention. Don't stress yourself out looking for the perfect image, after all, what you want is to learn, improve and have fun with the process.
Brainstorming (words or concepts) based on the image
Now that we have the image we can start defining concepts or keywords. Write down the first thing that comes to mind when you see the object/image you chose, it can be more than just adjectives.
For example, this is what I think of when I see my image:
Friendship, romance, bar, joy, unsocial, outgoing, lonely, colorful, tall, short, neighbors, strangers, irritable, comedy, workers, work friends.
Choose your favorite concepts
When you've finished writing them, choose the words or concepts that you liked the most, since they will be the basis of your characters.
I chose: bar, romance, comedy, tall and short, unsociable and outgoing, happiness and strangers.
Develop the concepts to create the personality of your character(s)
And so, we'll finally start working on our characters. We'll take the concepts and words from our brainstorm as a base and start thinking more about the world and personality of our characters. There are endless possibilities for your stories and characters, from the most everyday things to the most fantastical, so keep an open mind when choosing.
What genre will your story be and what world do your characters live in?
Another of the most important things for your story is the genre. Here is a list that you can use as a guide to choose it. It can be your favorite genre, the important thing is to make a story that you enjoy writing.
Do they live in a fantasy world? Futuristic? Medieval? Contemporary? Since it's your story, you can do whatever you want with your characters' world, just try to make it coherent and have some element that can make it interesting.
Maybe your characters' world isn't the main focus and your focus is the interaction of your characters. In this case, you don't have to kill yourself thinking very specific things about the world, but try to make it believable so that people can feel immersed or identified.
For example, my story will be a romantic comedy in a contemporary world. It will take place mostly in a bar and will focus on 2 main characters.
Personality traits and history of your characters
Now we will start working directly with the characters. I recommend you start with general features and then break down their personality. I will leave you with this general list that you can fill in. You decide how much of the list you want to fill in:
An example of a more general trait could be that your character gets angry very quickly, with this you can start to develop his personality more easily.
In my case, since I used flowers I can look up the meaning of the flowers to get an idea of what their personalities might be like:
First character (related to roses):
General information: Mateo, male, 23 years old.
Personality: He is shy, absent-minded, affectionate, pessimistic and determined.
Physical appearance: Thin build, 1.75 cm tall.
Job: Artist.
Second character (related to yellow gerberas)
General information: Natalia, female, 24 years old.
Personality: She is cheerful, absent-minded, optimistic and disciplined.
Physical appearance: Slim build, 1.65 cm tall.
Job: Interior designer.
Generation of alternatives
Now we'll move on to my favorite part, which is generating alternatives. Here we'll finally start drawing and applying all the information we've been gathering before.
Remember to experiment with different body types, clothing, faces, genders, etc.
It's also important to keep in mind that when designing characters, sometimes less is more. Think about the functionality of your design and whether what you're adding to your character serves a purpose.
Mood board
Starting with the moodboard, which if you don't know what it is, is a collage of images, colors, materials, styles, etc., a lot of things that can help you decide the style of your final design.
You can make a different moodboard for each character, putting the things that best represent them.
Sketching the characters
I recommend that you make at least 3 proposals for each step, to have variety in your alternatives.
Always remember to use references for whatever you're working on and try to relax your hands. Start with simple shapes and flip your sketch over from time to time to check that your anatomy is correct.
The first sketches don't have to be so detailed because we're just
>> testing out what might look best on our characters.
A tool that can help you a lot when you're starting out is the symmetry ruler. But I recommend that you don't overuse it because you can get used to it.
I decided to start with the characters' faces. I made 2 alternatives for each character that reflect their personalities.
You can vary the eyes, lips, nose, face shape, hair, etc. Whatever you want to have several options.
For the body you can vary height, limb size, muscle mass, and body type.
My characters are slim with average heights, but don't feel limited to just one body type. There is a lot of variety and you can portray different things depending on your characters' height, weight, and muscle mass.
My favorite thing to do is to create clothing alternatives. It doesn't have to be normal clothing, it can be armor or weapons that your characters use. Try to find the type of clothing and accessories that best fit your character's personality.
Think: "If I were my character, what kind of clothes would I like to wear?"
Choose the alternative that you like the most
Now that you have all this, all that's left is to choose the alternative you like the most. You can combine elements from your 3 alternatives to create the final one or just choose one of the 3.
After this, all that remains is to work on the final alternative, defining the colors and making the lineart.
Template for practice
I'm leaving this template here in case you want to practice with it. It may help you at the beginning, but I recommend that you also practice doing these poses on your own.
Create your character sheet
Here you should put the most relevant information about your character and a color palette that represents them (you can try looking into color psychology).
After choosing your final option, it's time to refine it by adding lineart, colors, and details.
These are the character sheets I made, you can add expressions that show a little more of their personalities or more detailed accessories.
Try to make the design as understandable as possible so that you can use it as a reference when working with your characters again.
My characters don't have a complicated design, but if yours has clothes or any accessories that require a back or front view, it's best to make them.
Applying your character(s)
As a final step, you need to apply your characters to a final product.
It depends on whether you designed them for a comic, manga or game. Try to draw how your character would look applied to reality.
I hope this tutorial and video have been useful to you. This is my first time doing something like this so I don't know how well it turned out but I tried my best to explain what I thought was most important. Bye!!!
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