Reading up the 1 year to draw PDF, it has a section about character design. Aside from Schoolism, what are some really great places to learn character design?
Life.
>>2371116
I get a lot of inspiration from runway shows, specially for stuff like techwear which is what the gaming industry's all about.
if character design was cooking, there's only few ingridients to use, theory is way simpler than actually cooking
everything is about contrasts and communication
there's sizes/proportions of the parts, with themselves and with other characters, for example mario, luigi, wario and waluigi are the same thing with different proportions (also color and minor details)
there's shape languaje, with itself and wth other characters, you can compare the shapes of Monsters S.A. MC with the evil one
or shrek, how to make a funny friendly character? round shapes
then there's the influence, motifs and so on, you might want to take a look in historical references to use or to mix cultures and make something new but beilable
then the personality, it must be obvious or it would be bland
then the context, form must follow function to a minimum
but at the end of the day, to actually do it yourself you must git gud first :^)
>>2371155
The problem I have found with all that theory is that it mainly works with stylized characters.
It wouldn't really work with pic related
>>2371169
you don't get it, it works for everything else, when you start actually thinking how to use it to compose your character atention points, it's about to distribute visual weights (importance), where to charge detail, where to leave an area to the eye for resting, it totally changes your game
when the exageration is too hard and unrealistic, then yes, it goes to stylized, but you don't have to, you can just play with proportion of local things like clothing/armour and so on
think of the cake parts pic related
documentaries, history and culture study so that you have the roots and content
>>2371231
that's not userful at all, we have google and pinterest
all that shit is public knowledge not further than two smart clicks
>>2371169
>good guy
>round helm, smooth circular chapels on pauldrons, idealistic proportions
>bad orcs
>spindly proportions, helm is sharp and angular, not even sword is curved
Wew lad
>>2371116
/ic/ doesn't know shit about character design.
Go read Donis A. Dondis' Primer of Visual Literacy then sit down and analize your favourite movie/videogame for visual rethoric ques in the character and costume design.
If you still don't get it you're looking for magic tricks and will not get it until you drop that shit.
>>2371669
Can you upload it somewhere? It doesn't seem to be in book thread and it's actually hard to find download anywhere.
>>2371707
I only have it in paper, in spanish.
If there's old book libraries in your city you may find an old print of it for $8-10.
OP here, just curious to know of what "methods" are used for character design. Just trying to see what the fundamentals look like, I'm still a beginner and my drawings look like shit, but I was just curious to know what future lectures and what not look like.
From the PDF, it's easy to find out more about every subject, but there's very little on character design. Not sure why that is, but I may understand once I get there. Thanks for the feedback.
>>2371116
not digging the weak chin pinhead design.
>>2371169
Isn't your picture just costume design?
>>2372159
not that guy but pretty much. there is a difference between character design and costume design. i'm sure we can all know the latter, but good character design goes beyond what said character is wearing, keeping in mind the outer silhouette, the graphic shapes that the local colors encompass, the personality and archetype of the character itself and how the design helps portray that, not to mention posing
>>2371116
The towergirls thread, not joking, all the characters are pretty diverse, and I've seen some great shit in there. Good practice.
>>2372140
I actually like it, would love to see those characters in action.
>>2372325
Wut
>>2371116
Go on tumblr and look at some undertale/steven universe fanart, its all pretty good and the users change the design of their favorite characters
HOW DO I TRAIN MATERIALS
HOW DO I TRAIN RENDERING MOST EFFICIENT WAY ?
>>2372439
post your work so i can help
could someone post a link to the PDF? lost the one I had saved
>>2371244
>>bad orcs
>>spindly proportions, helm is sharp and angular, not even sword is curved
you must be retarded
Why the fuck good guys who are into honesty and honour and bullshit like that will be wearing super agressive curvy stuff?
And why orcs that eat and kill humans and basically evil itself would wear "safe" and "nicely done" stuff?
Rounds VS Triangles is an old design and life rule and breaking it seems unnatural.
You know nothing john trohn.
>>2372331
>The towergirls thread
not a waifufag. another "young early 20s cute girls + add different clothes" seems like a boring design meme, and im sick of it.
>>2373922
Im sorry im wrong, you was ironic and was answering to that guy's post.
i sperg'd and won't do it again. :^)
>>2373922
I'm not sure if you read that guy right. I'm not even sure what you are implying even though he used >iblying and you supposedly wrote your thoughts in full sentences. Actually I'm starting to think you are saying about the same stuff but you chose to lash on the other fuck just because.
>>2372325
Kek
You have no idea what you are talking about kiddo
>>2373923
That's just the starting point for you to work with, you stupid fuck. The design is completely up to you and if you can only come up with "young early 20s cute girls + add different clothes" then that's entirely your own problem.
>>2373934
>I'm not sure if you read that guy right.
dude...duuude...
see this:
>>2373924
>Im sorry im wrong
that's exactly what im saying. i misread that because i start reading thread from his post and thought he judging design shapes for "being too generic xD".
I saw this kind of posts twice already and thought its this guy again...
>>2373922
this is an interesting design.
>>2372325
>there is a difference between character design and costume design
first time im hearing this
whats the difference?
>>2375356
other one is designing characters, other one is designing costumes.
>>2375356
If I think about it, you can have various people wearing same costume, but they will still be separate characters.
On the other hand if you take whip, hat and leather jacket from Indiana Jones he will stop being Indiana.
Stuff on design seems super elusive, scroll to the Daniel Chavez notes, I found them pretty helpful
http://russelljonesart.blogspot.ca/p/artist-notes.html
I have a question; what exactly do you learn in a class like "fundamentals of character design"? I'm not too sure what to expect. I have styles in mind that I would like to mimic, but not sure how these type of lessons would impact me.
>>2371169
study fashion
>>2371117
This
every time you see something about a character or costume that makes you go 'woah, nice', save it.
then, when you have the time for it, look at the picture and ask yourself
what, exactly, makes this design good?
what makes this design likable/unlikable/in tune with what the artist wanted me to assume about the character?
what sticks about this design if i look away and try to recreate it from memory?
what's the foremost compelling thing about this design? (color, detail, silhouette, etc.)
and so on
everything you'll be able to learn is already there. just vivisect the shit out of it.
There are many things to be said about character design depending on what you are going for as well as some basic guidelines, many of which have been provided by the posters above me. I will however make a very personal observation that has greatly helped me, and perhaps only me here, but it's always good to hear input from different artists with different experiences.
Before I do that, however : do keep in mind color theory and composition when creating a character. I won't go into the specifics of both these aspects but basically everything you have to take into account when making an appealing composition with appealing colors, varying depending on your goal (and there are very clear rules for that), you have to take into account when creating a character.
Now for the personal remark. OP I don't know if you live in an environment where people tend to dress in a cool/personal/creative way but that's the case for me. Observing the way my friends and acquaintances differently express themselves through fashion depending on their character and how their character and fashion are related has inspired me a lot for character design, mainly because I work with realistic settings. You can also stumble upon some really great ideas by simply observing people in the metro, out and about in the city and such, going into areas of your city that you find to be cool/appealing and drawing people from life is always a useful experience. Widening my acquaintance circle and simply being more observant has helped me a great lot with character creation. Next time you have your headphones on or you're daydreaming, forget about that shit and look around. Especially in big cities real people are all so different from each other, looking at them is the best way to rid yourself of platitudinous character tropes.
TL;DR look at real people, talk to real people, observe their expressions, quirks, gestures, ways of dressing.
>>2375356
It's more of the semantics problem.
When you usualy design a character, you are creating the whole thing (body langage of sorts) like OP's picture.
When you design a costume (which is part of designing a character) you are trying to further emphasize already established character and character traits through clothing. Both of these requires slightly different skillset (psychology, anatomy VS history of fashion, color theory etc).
>>2376428
Hm, actually this is an interesting question.
>>2376428
Anyone?
>>2378744
Character design is not about styles, it's about communication.
You surely will thread on shape and form design while at it because it does help communicate your character's concept, and stylization itself is entirely based on design and visual communication. But character design itself can be much more subtle and mundane.
Check out Ben Cladwell's Fantasy Cartooning. It's a kids book but it threads on the basics of character design and visual rethoric. Once you're through it check out artbooks for movies/videogames and try to understand why they settled in the designs they did.
Also, don't think color is an afterthought. It's as important as shape design.
I have a character that looks more like a vampire pirate than a hero/knight but people instantly recognize she's good because she wears the same colors as Superman/Spidey and people have been conditioned through marketing to relate those colors with superheroes.
>>2382666
In that case, what would be the best way to study characters? Say, there's a person's style I fancy and would like to mimic said style somewhat. How would I go about adapting their style into mine?
>>2382822
Learn design so you can understand why they draw the way they draw.
No heavily stylized drawing is drawn that way by accident. Not Schielle's, not Keane's, not Toriyama's. It's all visual communication and designed around a concrete visual rethoric.
>>2384302
>Learn design
how?
like that is what all this comes to
>>2384670
This. Fuck, nobody on this fucking board has any advice or resources regarding design, storytelling and composition with a humble exception of the animation general floobynooby link:
http://www.floobynooby.com/comp1.html
>>2384670
Yea, it's kind of funny reading this topic and no one is answering the question.
>>2385750
>Just go outside and draw :^)
So, literally no one has the answer to OP's question. If you didn't know anything about character design, you could have simply not answered, ya know.
>>2385765
just because you're pissy and don't want to take advice doesn't mean it's not given. there;s no magic one-size-fits-all tutorial which will suddenly open your eyes.
i design for a living and that's literally the answer. go outside, read a lot and think a lot and make shit up based on what you see around you. any professional will tell you the same nobody's gonna hold your hand for you bro
>>2385768
he's right thought.
Alright, so you're born with the ability to character design. Gotcha'.
So talent does in fact exists? I thought people here didn't believe in that.
>>2385769
you're not right, stop samefagging
if you cant even think for yourself then give this profession up now and go get a job at walmart
>>2384670
Study as many artists as you can. There isn't a single good answer.
>>2385773
But what if you're not sure how to study another artists' work? How do you obtain that ability to study other's work?
>>2385774
you think about it.
what do you want to get better at?
>>2371187
The pic is interesting, there is more?
>>2385777
When it comes to design, that answer isn't very clear at all. You can just ask yourself. That's impossible. Literally, no one can.
>>2385779
>I don't want to make an effort
Just give up if that's what you want to do anon
>>2385772
No, they're right. You are talking out of your ass and are just parroting the usual /ic/ lipservice. Life drawing is not the answer to literally any question. There are hundreds of thousands of fine artists who draw from life all the time and can't design for shit. I'm not saying that observing life and using it as part of your inspiration isn't incredibly helpful for a designer, but it sure as hell is NOT how you get actually good at design.
Copying an apple and a flowers for the 1452345th time is not going to make you a better designer. For that, you need to study other artists, don't be afraid to stand on the shoulders of giants who came before you, learn the principles of design, shape language etc.
>>2385780
You're not even trying to help, retard. Make an effort in what? I guess when I draw I should breath more. Should I breath more as I draw? Stop being so vague and actually offer advise. If you don't know the answer yourself, fuck off.
>>2385781
>Copying an apple and a flowers for the 1452345th time is not going to make you a better designer. For that, you need to study other artists, don't be afraid to stand on the shoulders of giants who came before you, learn the principles of design, shape language etc.
This is a good way in wording it.
>>2385783
I am trying to help you. I asked you what exactly do you want to improve on because you said "how do I study" and you just give me some bullshit answer on how you can't try. I was going to go on to give you specific advice which is why I was asking what you want to improve at but you've got a fucking shitty attitude and don't even want help. you just want to pity yourself
>>2385781
as I said before what the fuck do you want? some secret magic industry kept advice that gives you an epiphany and makes you good?
What design comes down is your ability to create things that are interesting visually and functionally. the ability to execute this comes on one side from your technical ability as an artist, which surprise surprise, requires hours of study from life, other artists and your own work, and the other side comes from the ability to imagine interesting ideas, which as I said before comes from your own personal thought process and research. No ideas come from your own, unfed mind. LOOK at things that exist, take things apart and see how they work. get mundane objects and imagine them as something totally different.
The only thing which separates professionals from amateurs is that professionals have spent hours and hours doing exactly that. I can tell you as a working professional that there is no secret, there's only hard work and experimentation, nothing anyone can say negates this, if you can't put the work in then you're not gonna make it
>>2385789
Anon, you fucked up and someone else already gave an answer. Just drop it already, you don't know shit about the subject, we get it.
>>2385792
whatever. enjoy your self pity
>>2384692
hey man, thanks for this
Op here, didn't bother looking in here cause I thought this topic died long ago. Kind of neat to see all the advise from everyone. Basically, I just wanted to know Fundamentals of this concept, but schoolism and cgma explain this,really qell. Hopefully I can upload some videos once I'm done with the lectures (that'll be sometime, though)
>>2385793
stick to the beginner threads, you're out of depth here.
>>2371169
>It wouldn't really work with pic related
it doesn't work in the first place.
boring and bogged down by realism
>>2390928
>muh huge armor spike
Shape theory may be at its best with highly exaggerated characters, but even with realism a little exaggeration can go a long way.
I love a lot of Matt Rhodes's stuff for this reason. He exaggerates for effect, but not so much that it turns into caricature.
Paul Richards has talked a lot about design, his blogs are interesting to read through.
http://www.autodestruct.com/thumbwar.htm
Same can be said for TAC blog
http://www.theartcenter.blogspot.com/
Either you people don't think this is relevant or it really isn't common knowledge anymore, if its the latter then thats a shame.
>>2391805
>Google books on communication sciences, rethoric, the basics of graphic design, iconography, symbology, semiotics and signaling.
find it hard to believe that i will need all that the next time im drawing a fantasy knight
>>2390955
>>2391830
thanks for the resources guys. i knew abou
Paul but some people said he was mediocre
What PDF are you guys talking about?
To me, the best way to learn about character design is to just look at more art and TALK to more artists. What makes character design so interesting is that different ideas call for many, many differences in styles. Sometimes you need something that's more realistic, other times you need something abstract. Just as diverse as we are, ideally you can talk to artists and see something in a new way, because you briefly get a glimpse into their perspective.
The only BAD character design I can think of is something strongly in an academic vein or school of thought (ie- Disney house style, current anime trends, internet influenced design choices from DeviantART, tumblr, etc). Either that or a design that's completely inconsistent in its rules. That being said, that is NOT the same as a team of skilled artists taking the character model and adding their own stylistic twist to them when they draw, as they'll have their own consistencies in place (hopefully) when they express the character and make them move.
Try drawing in many different styles, it could influence and possibly improve your drawing process. It's been working for me. Also, I want to add that there IS a difference between character and costume design, but costume design should still be important. You can get away with a less than perfect costume, but you can't get away with a bad character design.
So to sum it up, my design philsophy is OASIS. Observation, Abstraction, Simplification, Influence, and Substitution. You observe what you see in real life and decide what's most important visually, you can abstract your observation by exaggerating or simplifying it, your execution of this is influenced consciously and subconsciously by what you've been exposed to, and then you synthesize your own ideas and execution and possibly supplant drawing principles with your own consistent design philosophy.
>>2394020
>find it hard to believe that i will need all that the next time im drawing a fantasy knight
You would if you were drawing a fantasy knight worth remembering.
>>2371116
Call me stupid but what is the 1 year to draw PDF? Been out of the game for awhile, trying to take thins more seriously.
>>2394503
>1 year to draw PDF
could be this?
https://monalisaliveshere.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/365-days-of-every-day-drawing-challenge-prompts.pdf
>>2395318
That isn't it.
Question.
How do you design anything mechanical? I feel like any mech/robot/whatever I make comes across as bland and just plain boring.
>>2395318
It's called aguri's 1 year of fundamentals. Can't find it at the moment though.
>>2398334
I don't know exactly who Aguri is but here's a link I found to the pdf.
http://www.docfoc.com/troll-proof-guide-for-all-K3bi
>>2398390
Nevermind the download doesn't work on that link.
https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=E06DB73ECC23E4EF!679&ithint=file%2codt&app=Word&authkey=!AD8ifQUs5NTi40Y
Here's one where you can download as a pdf. Just click the 3 dots in the top right corner.
>>2398334
>guise i want to learn to design but i don't want to read about the fundamentals of design.
I'm sure all you need is more Loomis.
>>2398402
I always see this posted but no one can tell me who he is. Who is he?
>>2391805
>Google books on communication sciences, rethoric, the basics of graphic design, iconography, symbology, semiotics and signaling.
can you name a few please, google gives me millions
>>2398483
http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=1981851
he's this guy I think, I found him by looking through old threads and doing a bunch of reverse image search
>>2399409
Thanks
>>2373923
You haven't visited the thread really.
>>2399348
Primer of Visual Rethoric by Donis A. Dondis.
Oh shit, I wish I had seen this thread earlier, I could have posted my question in here. Damn.
>>2403473
l-link pls
So is the 1 year to draw guide actually good? Can I git gud in one year?
>>2404112
[spoiler]google.com[/spoiler]
>>2404669
Not looking to buy it bro
>>2398402
Thank you
>>2394020
>Paul
>mediocre
he works at 343 buddy
>>2394233
Whats wrong with Disney
>>2405561
Last time I checked he was begging for money with his patreon
I'm wondering if there's any good lectures out there to download to learn how to character design? I know Schoolism has the character design classes, but not sure where they can be downloaded.
>>2405604
I haven't watched any good ones since jason chan's
>>2405604
they can be downloaded at schoolism by paying for them
>>2405604
Man I hate how much shit on that aguri list is a bitch to find and pirate.
>>2405614
>paying for lectures
>>2398326
I don't have good advice unfortunately but basically it's about a balance of detail and simplicity. the Iron Giant is a very good and memorable robot design, more so than his more detailed "evil" form.
>>2371169
/fa/ crossposter here
You can make that shit work in real life
With real clothes
It's doable m8
>>2398326
watch john parks mech design course
>>2375356
Character design involves everything around a character from posture and gait to personality, background story, dreams, goals and ambitions as well as their (at X point in time) taste in aesthetics, etc. etc.
What they actually wear in a particular piece of fiction (which can easily change several times within an installment), how well this reads in the glance of an eye and what this communicates to the viewer would be costume design. That sort of thing isn't just dependent on visual language , but also on the cultural background/general knowledge and expectations of your target audience.
Altogether this ties into the full mise-en-scène of a piece, wherein you can also play with things like lightning and composition to influence or mislead your audience's (sub)conscious perceptions of a character even further.
Tl;dr if you want to design the visual aspects of a new character and you don't know where to start, do a bit of writing first.
![bcd02fc4643ab915e4368cefdfe87fdb[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/nIFzfrs.jpg "bcd02fc4643ab915e4368cefdfe87fdb[1].jpg")
>>2371116
>what are some really great places to learn character design?
Nature. Look at animals, plants. Adapt their natural forms to character designs, and you'd be surprised what you can get
Pic related is one example, though a little crass.
>>2404676
You won't find it then.
It's an old book and /gd/ is
>too retarded for college
>too cheap to scan their books if they do go to college
>>2407103
a shame
