OUAN504 - Character & Narrative - Acting Up: Understanding Character & Narrative (Creating a Successful Character)

OUAN504 - Understanding Character & Narrative:

We often wonder why or how we become attracted and form bonds with animated characters. Disney are just one major company that have created some of the world's most renowned personalities, melting the hearts of children and adults alike. A skilled animator or character designer must be able to evoke a number of emotions through the use of their designs. Not only must the protagonists of a narrative be appealing, but the antagonists, or villains must have the same effect.

After researching ways of putting together a smash-hit of a character, I devised some small yet interesting tasks that I think are a good idea to follow when thinking about a character. Firstly, in order to create a realistic character, you must first convince yourself that they are real. They need to have very real personalities and interact with others realistically according to their own individual behaviours.

Creating character maps are a good first port of call when your mind is brimming with ideas and you must get them down onto paper quickly. Sketches of potential features, how they walk, what accessories they may own and so forth are all appropriate things to get you started. You need to know all about your character!

Thinking of a name for a potential character is always a good way to start if you're stuck for ideas to begin with as certain names and words may give you somewhere to start artistically. It needs to be original usually in order to be appealing.

Leading character designer and illustrator, Jon Burgerman (UK-born-New York City-based artist), has some interesting tips on how to make a character come to life. This particular article from CreativeBloq was very helpful to me and I plan to refer back to it when designing:

(http://www.creativebloq.com/character-design/tips-5132643)

Deciding who your character is aimed at is always a valuable point to make as the audience are the ones who are meant to be enjoying your creations. Simple shapes and bright colours are good if you're aiming at children, whereas you can aim to be a little more complex if aiming at an older audience. A quote from Australian artist Nathan Jurevicius states that: "Commissioned character designs are usually more restrictive but no less creative. Clients have specific needs but also want me to do my 'thing'. Usually, I'll break down the core features and personality. For example, if the eyes are important then I'll focus the whole design around the face, making this the key feature that stands out."


Knowing where your work will appear is handy as you can design with that in mind. For a mobile phone screen, complex features and shapes aren't going to do you much justice as it may seem fiddly and intricate for the user.

Your character need to be distinctive. Matt Groening used yellow for a reason when creating The Simpsons. We remember them, they are popular, they stand out! You can guarantee that no matter what you create, there will be a million other replicas of your character out there. Robots, monsters, mermaids, you name it, they've been done already. Thinking outside the box and applying a distinct style will get it seen.

There are plenty more things to bear in mind when creating a work of art with a life of its own. These are all great tidbits of information that I will hang on to throughout my animation degree and throughout my life.