Character Development

How to Bring Your Character to Life

It is easy to bring your characters to life by using different expressions, body stances, colour ways and accessories. In this exercise we are going to look at how our characters might obviously look in their everyday situation, such as going to the shops, beach etc.

Let’s say you wanted to draw a bushranger and he was at “work” for instance, you might give him a stern, or menacing expression, a big bush hat and a scarf over his mouth. His clothes would probably be dark and maybe a little worn.

But you could still tell your audience that he was a bushranger, even if he was going to the beach. He could still have a stern expression, and the same hat, but tie the scarf around his neck.You could design a bushranger-type pattern for his shorts and shirt, make them the same colour and a little worn, like his clothes.

Or say you wanted to draw a Queen. She would probably be a little older than a princess, very upright would wear a crown, pearls and pearl earrings and have a Orb. When she is sitting on her throne she might be wearing a purple or dark red cloak edged in Ermine (which is white fur with spots)

But when she was going to the gym, although she might still be wearing her crown, pearls and pearl earrings, she wouldn’t be wearing the cloak. You could use the Ermine pattern and colour of the cloak for her gym clothes. You could also use the Orb as gym equipment like weights or simply have it poking out of her gym bag.

Exercise:

Make a list of the characteristics of your character.

Draw your character in both settings.

Some Ideas For You:

Bushranger: Menacing expression, bush hat, scarf over his/ her mouth, dark clothes, a little worn.

Queen: a little older than a Princess, upright, long purple cloak or dark red cloak edged in Ermine, pearl necklace, earrings, crown and Orb

Old Witch: Blue tongue, black cat, broom, long fingernails, messy hair, warts, cauldron

Businessman: Short hair, suit, tie, briefcase, umbrella, mobile phone.

Ballerina: Tutu, ballet shoes, hair in a bun, leg warmers, 

Clown: Wig, big red nose, big shoes, striped pants juggling balls

You get the picture!

Now these characters don’t have to be human, they can be animals, fish, birds, etc. And they don’t have to be comic.

Have a go at doing as many as you can in as many different styles as you can come up with.