Preface｜

Hello, we are i-BOOM Creative House.

 

There are all kinds of people in the world.

However, in terms of character design, beautiful designs always have a solid position that cannot be banned. While there are many ways to practice character design, anthropomorphism, which depicts a human form with non-human objects, is a very popular method.

 

The Millennium Vampire, mentioned in the previous TIPs, arrived in Hong Kong and met the local Hong... in human form.

 

*This TIPS mainly talks about "anthropomorphic illustrations", and also includes the application of "drawing dynamic poses" and "using ideas of alignment and equalization".

If it is not convenient to watch the videos that will be added in the future, you can continue to read this tutorial article. The article part and the video part complement each other.

Greetings from HKD

Hong Kong is an incredible place.

Her beauty is intricate, made of all sorts of things — good and bad. It is densely populated but has its own urban legends in the 18th district, making it a mysterious and fascinating beautiful place.

 

Perhaps walking on the road, at the corner, you will see a 1,000-dollar sister wearing a bauhinia, who is being rejected by the store clerk...

 

Oh wait.

It is an anthropomorphic HK$1,000!

Combing the concept of anthropomorphic design - this is the same feeling as "in order to anthropomorphize cats, there is nothing wrong with carefully observing and sniffing them"

｜Observation

When it comes to anthropomorphism, generally speaking, people start with the "appearance" of the object to be simulated, and extract the visual elements for processing.

However, in the context of information globalization, purely extracting visual elements will inevitably lead to similar designs.

How to do it? At this time, the association of things becomes very important.

 

Vision, hearing, smell, and touch are all good friends who bring us associative elements, and they are also good observation methods.

"Replacement/metagenesis" is a concept often used in anthropomorphic design.

 

Today, the Hong Kong dollar is issued by three major banks and the Hong Kong government, so that the banknotes of the same denomination have three different designs. In addition, the anti-counterfeiting features are updated every few years, making the banknotes in circulation in Hong Kong dazzling. It's just that everyone is running around the city wearing different clothes.

 

Therefore, when designing Hong Kong dollar anthropomorphism, I regard the denomination of banknotes as "characters", and the design of banknotes of the same denomination by different banks as "clothes".

How does the anthropomorphic object change under different angles? what does it look like how does it smell If you think of abstract words, if you visualize or integrate the words into your character, you will get a completely different effect!

 

Some people use mind maps to help themselves, but for those who have difficulty using them, such as me-this makes me tend to complete all relevant associations in my head, but makes it frustrating when I need to record the creative process situation - you need to find another exit.

｜Absorptive

"Drawing is like cat smoking, a painful but relaxing thing to do.

If you feel like you can't do it, maybe you just need some patience to examine the pain you've suffered, or maybe the method is wrong. "——Toriye, the bird who wrote the article you are reading

People always have vague descriptions of smells, but smells are so evocative.

When drawing anthropomorphic designs, try to recall scents that relate to the theme, that make you feel comfortable, and that you might even want to follow! Thinking about how to add "smell" into the picture, so that every breath is a moment to sort out one's life, and it is also a moment to bring relaxation.

 

However, how should the concept of "smell" be expressed in the painting day? An anthropomorphic subject does not necessarily have a good smell... Try to understand its smell from different directions.

 

Money always has a smell, no matter how new banknotes are, they will have their own unique smell: paper, plastic, ink, metal embossing, technology, market... all kinds of smells originate from different concepts. They may be mixed with other things, they may be prejudices, they may be desires, they are all neutral-of course, what attitude towards them is entirely up to you-it makes people prejudice against them.

Having said that, you may have some associations of "like" and "dislike".

Understand the reasons for your "likes" and "dislikes" for the theme, and then add or subtract the anthropomorphic design according to your preferences!

 

Just like sucking a cat, inhale information, sort out and integrate it, and then exhale the works that show your creativity.

—｜Maomao looks like a Mao Maochen, and also looks like a...good boy

Although substitution and borrowing are concepts that are often used in anthropomorphic design, one needs to be careful not to overdo it, so that the resulting design cannot be connected back to the original anthropomorphic object at all.

Contents under anthropomorphism—credibility starts from the details

Everything has its own unique history in every culture. This uniqueness includes language, accent, usage, beliefs, changes, etc., as well as the personal thoughts of different people from the first meeting to the later.

 

 

In your culture, what is the unique view on this matter?

In your culture, what does believing in that thing do for you?

What nickname does this have in your culture?

 

The things you are most familiar with are often forgotten because of "habits", but they can also unearth the greatest treasures.

｜Integrate into daily life

Hong Kong people have a unique nickname culture for their currency.

 

Taking HK$1,000 as an example, in addition to "one thousand mosquitoes", it will also be called "golden bull".

Why is there such a name?

This is because the HK$1,000, the largest denomination, is printed in gold that looks like gold, which is called "gold"; on the back of the HK$500, which is called "Big Bull", there is a buffalo, and The word "cow" is still used in the folks to call one thousand Hong Kong dollars, so it is called "cow". This makes HK$1,000 have a vivid image and a sense of intimacy, so I extracted "buffalo horns" and "bull ears" as the beginning of the hair design.

 

Do you know which denominations of Hong Kong dollars are referred to by "cotton tire", "red shirt fish", "flower crab" and "black firewood"?

The history of the Hong Kong dollar is not too long, but it has been enough to make every kilogram of high-grade rice rise from a few Hong Kong dollars at the end of the nineteenth century to more than ten Hong Kong dollars today.

The smaller the denomination of Hong Kong dollars, the longer the history, the more people have used them, and the more experience they will accumulate, making them look more mature.

 

These historically constructed details allow me to easily set the age, height and characteristics of Hong Kong dollars.

｜Scribbled on the wall, traces about height

After Ver. 2.0, the function of "alignment and equalization" has been added to Clip Studio Paint. This function can make it easier for us to align the feet of the characters and make a list of heights.

When making a height chart, the layer of each character needs to be flattened, or the layer is made into a file object with the "drawing range".

After selecting all character layers, select "Canvas" for the alignment base, and "Align Bottom Edge" for alignment, and the characters will "stand" on the edge of the canvas. Equally divided by equal intervals Select "Equally divided by horizontal intervals".

Hong Kong dollars, move!

Hong Kong is a dynamic place.

 

Here, there are people no matter how far or near, and there are many mountains and little flat land. In the rear-view mirror of the bus, you can often see the running figures of white-collar women in black and white, and there are many tall buildings.

These characteristics can always help us remember how to conceive a dynamic composition.

 

*Dou Lingling is stiletto high-heeled shoes.

"Dou Ling" refers to something very thin and filled, and it is extended to a change (size) of a few cents.

And then extended to "the heel of stiletto high heels is as small as a dime".

For the picture composition of an illustration, it is a very similar visual concept to the design composition of a single character. Expressing these dynamic elements requires a good generalization ability, that is, being able to show the shape of a character under simple color blocks or lines.

 

Try to use these dynamic elements in anthropomorphic character design, you will be pleasantly surprised!

 

｜Don't let money lie idle

As I said before, anthropomorphism is a very popular practice method, and it is also an element that many readers are willing to pay for. It is a good subject to realize "creation is valuable".

So, when you're done with your designs, try publishing them on the web! Whether it is simply sharing, or considering it as a design that can be purchased, all kinds of responses are a good training for the painter.

If you know some good art exchange or character trading platforms, please leave a message below to tell everyone!

 

However, it seems to be a common thing to be unable to let go of the character after the design is completed.

That being the case, don't let the design just lie in the drawer boringly, try to tell the story about the character you designed in various ways! Whether it's illustrations, comics, novels, animations, films, or even games, or by using updated technology to achieve or preserve methods, tell the public stories that belong only to you and your characters.

 

And what kind of story will our Mr. Vampire experience after meeting Hong Kong dollars? It will be a great honor for us if this succeeds in arousing your interest. You can continue to pay attention to the follow-up development, we may tell more stories about them in future TIPs, or you can buy us a cup of coffee first!

Epilogue - Cheer proud of your own unique culture

The world is in various forms of storms and torrents, washing away different things may indirectly destroy some personal cultures, but it also makes people want to be unique.

 

Everyone has their own different cultural experiences, which create different beliefs and values, making everyone's creations unique. do not forget,

 

Don't be swept away by the flood,

Don't waste the advanced information of this age,

 

If possible, please make good use of the language and culture that brought you up, and let them shine in the world in another form!