Create Better Characters
So often I have troubles defining my characters and I use this sheet to help me define the characters. It’s simple and easy to use.
Parts of the worksheet
Title: Character Design Worksheet Components
Outer Circle: The outer circle of this character design worksheet encompasses essential but often unseen elements that shape a character's identity.
World: This quadrant delves into the character's environment, detailing the setting and events that influence their daily life and decisions. It includes factors like the socio-economic background, cultural context, and geographical location that contribute to the character's worldview.
Job: Focusing on the character's profession, hobbies, and daily activities, this quadrant explores how their job or role in society impacts their personality and appearance. It also considers any specialized tools, equipment, or attire associated with their occupation.
Self: Central to character development, this quadrant delves into the character's personality, values, beliefs, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. It covers aspects such as temperament, attitudes, fears, aspirations, and interpersonal relationships, providing a deep understanding of their inner workings.
Influences: This quadrant examines the character's backstory, including past experiences, significant life events, family dynamics, and cultural heritage. It delves into how these influences have shaped the character's identity, choices, and outlook on life.
Inner Circle: Transitioning to the inner circle, we focus on the visible aspects that directly impact how the character is perceived by others.
World : Here, we explore the visual elements of the character's environment, considering factors like the era, technology level, climate, and overall ambiance. This includes details such as clothing style, architecture, flora, fauna, and any notable landmarks that contribute to the setting's atmosphere.
Job: This quadrant visualizes how the character's profession or daily activities manifest in their appearance. For example, a scientist may wear a lab coat and glasses, while a musician may carry instruments or have a distinctive fashion sense associated with their genre.
Self: Describing the character's physical appearance, this quadrant covers aspects such as age, gender, race, body type, facial features, scars, tattoos, and unique identifiers. It also considers how these attributes align with or contrast the character's personality traits.
Influences: Finally, we explore how external influences and life experiences have visually transformed the character over time. This includes changes in attire, grooming, posture, expressions, and overall demeanor that reflect their journey and personal growth.
By dissecting these aspects comprehensively, this worksheet provides a holistic framework for designing dynamic and believable characters with depth and visual appeal.
Right click and save as to use this sheet.
Let's break down the process into more detail:
Worksheet Completion: The first step is to fill out a worksheet. This likely includes details such as the character's backstory, personality traits, role in the story, and perhaps some initial visual concepts or themes.
Silhouette Blocking: Next, you begin blocking out the characters using simple silhouette shapes. This step focuses on creating distinct and recognizable outlines for each character, ensuring they are visually distinct even in a basic form.
Sketching and Detailing: Once you have several silhouette options, you choose the best ones and start sketching them in more detail. This phase involves adding more intricate features, refining proportions, and capturing the character's unique attributes.
Photo Reference and Inspiration: The video suggests using Google or other sources to find photo references. These references can inspire aspects like clothing styles, accessories, facial expressions, and poses. Integrating elements from real-life references can add authenticity and depth to your designs.
Incorporating Reference Elements: With the photo references in mind, you incorporate specific elements or details from them into your character designs. This could involve clothing patterns, hairstyles, body language, or even thematic elements that enhance the character's story or role.
Adding Unique Quirks or "Weird" Elements: Finally, the video recommends injecting a touch of uniqueness or eccentricity into your characters. This could be something unexpected or whimsical, like a rubber duck accessory or a theme like fish armor. These quirky additions can make the character memorable and help them stand out in a crowded visual landscape.
Overall, this process emphasizes a blend of structure and creativity. It starts with a solid foundation of character details and shapes, incorporates real-world references for authenticity, and then adds a dash of imagination to make the characters truly captivating and memorable.
Some Rough character designs.
