How To Design A Character: Step By Step Process For Character Design With Tips And Tricks From The Experts

How to Design a Character: Find the Spark

A character design rarely arrives from nowhere. Any number of things you may think about, or even not think about, can find their way into your character design process. Think of it this way: on a conscious level, that specific anime style you love may inspire the character you create. On the other hand, you may not be quite aware of the color choices you’re making in the design process because they may come from a color combination you saw in the past that stuck with you.

It comes to this as a character design trick: your experiences and environment influence your character designs. Both what you think about and what happens subconsciously. So, how can we fill our mental catalog of inspiration down the line?

Watch, Read, and Listen

“Character design, like story design, requires a hook to grab the reader’s attention.” - Ted Naifeh

Ted Naifeh, the artist behind Gloomcookie, makes a great point about a hook in character design. Think back on some of the most iconic character designs regarding hooks, and this seems pretty straightforward, right? 

Let’s start with Spider-Man. Here is his latest incarnation from Insomniac Studios.

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Sure, Spider-Man has a stunning red and blue suit with iconic webbing, but the real hook is the dynamic posing of the character. It’s why you rarely see Spider-Man just standing there. It just wouldn’t seem right. Spider-Man’s hook is the contortion present in his posing. Artists may take in live contortionist acts as inspiration. The hook is a sense of motion at any given moment.

Let’s try another character, Radical Edward from Cowboy Bebop. 

The character is a whole mix of exciting design choices, but the most apparent hook here seems to be, for many, the androgyny of her look. Ed’s androgyny helps communicate a kind of spritely characterization in her personality and role on the crew. Ed is a kind of unknowable presence who does magic on the computer like a computer fairy. The fact her gender isn’t inherently easy to read adds a lot of that feeling. Fairy tails could be an inspiration here.

But if a hook is so important, how do you find it? The trick is to open yourself up to inspiration and become more media literate. To build your inspiration library, you should take inspiration from various sources. That means watching movies and TV, reading comics, manga, and books, and listening to podcasts and songs. You never know what sort of things these can spark down the line, and a diversity of media can help expose you to new things you may not have considered.

If your media diet consists of nothing but shonen manga, you don’t have a very deep well to draw from. Can you find inspiring hooks within? Potentially, but you also run the risk of creating generic character design concepts as well. One tip for anime character design is to read more than manga and watch more than anime.

Research

Taking in that diet of different media isn’t merely a passive activity, though. A good character designer should be active and think about what they are experiencing. Let’s take in a cartoon character design tip from one of the finest cartoonists ever.

“I keep very weird hours. I never know when I'm going to get an idea.” - Sergio Aragonés

Sergio Aragonés reveals an exciting thing here when he talks about his schedule. His weird hours reflect the trait of someone who is always thinking with an active mind. Sure, sleep is essential to the body. But Aragonés, as a creative mind with an eye for taking in experiences to turn into inspiration, is always thinking. It’s not that ideas show up spontaneously - they need to be recognized and noted. Noting these ideas can take any form, from mental notes to sketching or writing them down. What all of this ends up being is research.

You’re not just passively watching a movie and hoping inspiration comes to you. You seek it out. You find those hooks and collect them. The research is part of the process. Of course, research also comes in the actual study of ideas, concepts, and forms. Take this example from Eriana Mirabal, who stated in a write-up for Art Rocket, “Your closest reference is yourself. If you look at yourself in front of a mirror and start moving, you will notice that your body works as a single element.”

When trying to construct the form of a character, you can research by studying how your body moves, how clothing folds, and how limbs bend. Beyond that, though, you can push research in character design further. Photos and reference books of historical clothing can be invaluable in creating the look of a character, just as much as reading and understanding what the day-to-day life of your ancestors may have been like.

Always being open to and actively hunting inspiration is part of the research process that results in excellent character design.

Designing King Kabuto: Inspiration and Research

When designing the character of King Kabuto, the ruler of the Insect Kingdom in my Bandit’s Quest setting, I already had a pretty strong idea. I wanted a giant, bullying beetle. So, for research, I found a wrestler who had the vibe I wanted: Antonio Inoki. Inoki is a historical “strong style” wrestler who also entered politics. Big, powerful, and controversial: perfect for a brash king.

As for the insect I chose, I went with a Rhino Beetle, particularly for the large horn. It’s a showy element that should play well with a larger-than-life character.

Character Design Process: Feeling out the Character Design

Once sufficiently inspired and having conducted any necessary research regarding your character concept, you enter the most challenging stage of the character design process: designing the character. This stage can be the most time-consuming and frustrating part of how to design a character, but it is also the most rewarding. It is where the central imagery of the concept begins to solidify.

Sketching

Let’s open with a quote from an expert, but not necessarily the type of expert you may be thinking about. 

“You can’t do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh.” -  John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925)

While John Singer Sargent wasn’t a character designer, more a portrait painter, his philosophy is essential in art, especially in character design as a process. And when you think about it, a portrait can also get the subject's character across. His portraits reveal a lot about his subjects and are worth studying.

Take, for example, this portrait of Miss Beatrice Townsend.

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A tremendous amount of character and attitude is present in the portrait of this person. So much is communicated by a simple pose, the presence of the dog, and the pointed way the subject glances at the viewer. But do you know where such intricacies start? 

Sketching. 

It took sketching to start the journey to such a striking portrait. It's likely a lot of sketching, based on our quote from earlier.

Don’t Burden Yourself in Detail

“Avoid loading the character with too much detail.” - Carlos Nieto

Another sketching element to consider, especially early on, is avoiding getting bogged down in details. While a ton of detail can be fun occasionally, it ultimately distracts from essential parts of conveying character. It is mainly an issue in animation when you have to produce a large volume of images of a character. That isn’t to say some details aren’t important - details can make a character. But considering things like texture less is more, not only in the design process but significantly further down the line when you make lots of art to showcase the character.

A great example of why details can be a distraction comes from Emily Melling, author of 10 Principles of Character Illustration:  “If you remove detail from your character and test it out as a silhouette and still looks recognizable that is usually a sign of a strong design” This is also known as the silhouette test, where you try to convey as much character as possible by their silhouette alone. Not much detail is necessary here, and it conveys a lot.

Sketching is the most fundamental phase of character design because it is the earliest draft of how a character looks, acts, and feels. It is your first chance to show a character's appearance and general “vibe” through poses, expressions, props, and more. None of these require an extraordinary amount of detail, just relevant details. It is your first indication of what a more fleshed-out concept would be. Until the point of sketching, the character is just a concept. The sketch makes them a reality, albeit a slightly underdeveloped one.

Designing King Kabuto: Shapes and Attitude

When designing King Kabuto, I wanted to emphasize strength and showmanship. So, I focused on wrestling-style poses and flexes. I wanted the character to be a showoff with a tendency to pose in ridiculous ways that emphasize his unusual body shape.

Speaking of that body shape, I focused on the “big guy” aesthetic, as we’ll see later. The emphasis here is working fast and loose - I am not bogging myself down in details. I want to get as much out of the concept in as few lines as possible.

Building on the Sketch

The process can be complicated when creating the stylized forms of Monster High’s characters. Considering they are a brand, many restrictions and notes exist. Original characters like the kind made on CharacterHub don’t have nearly as many guidelines and notes in their design processes. But that doesn’t mean that your OC can’t benefit from some of the same thinking, either.

A great example of this kind of thinking in the early stages of character design can be found in the following quote from Keyframe Magazine by Bertrand Todesco, the Lead Character Designer for Monster High: “This is the kind of information we were given [...] It included patterns, color palettes, a mood board with inspirations.”

Mood boards, palettes, and patterns are all big-picture considerations for a character design that can influence a character design in the sketching stage. Regarding cartoon character design tips, characters should be sketched with color blocking and inspirations in mind. Even throwing a basic color palette on top of a sketch is a good step. Even better if you work digitally - you can easily duplicate your sketch and apply different palettes and patterns to find what feels right in the early design stage.

Mood boards are mighty in the early design stages for any original character. Creating a simple collage of images, colors, patterns, and inspiration nearby as you draw can help shape your work toward the overall theme you aim for. For example, if you rock a dual-monitor set-up and work digitally, you can draw on one screen while leaving the mood board on your second screen. The mood board would be unintrusive but welcome inspiration as you work. Mood boards are a tool that deserves a deeper dive of their own.

Aim for Imperfections

Perfect symmetry is not usually a thing in people, and it probably shouldn’t be in character design. People are imperfect, and characters can benefit from imperfections as well. Even models considered to have more symmetrical features aren't quite as symmetrical as you think. Aiming for perfect symmetry in a character can make them appear otherworldly, which can sometimes have its place but generally comes off as unnatural.

But let’s look at a quote from Matthew Forsythe, the creator of the adorable Mina. Forsythe states, “Perfect symmetry rarely exists in nature and if it does, it’s conspicuous - it’s the exception rather than the rule. Find interesting ways to throw your characters off-balance.”  A great example of this principle is the film Paranorman, where every character is presented, for lack of a better term, slightly “wonky.” The characters are still appealing but incredibly visually distinct and full of personality. It’s a masterwork, as are many other of Laika’s films, such as Coraline, which shares similar character design tropes.

Another example of character design tips and tricks is to play with shapes. This is especially relevant to the point about symmetry. Shapes help a character's design stand out. They’re so influential in good character design. But here is a valuable tip regarding shape-driven character design from The Etherington Brothers, a pair of British comic creators best known for the How to Think When You Draw series: “A great approach for designing a wide range of distinctive characters is to divide them up into three sections.”

This tip can apply to many great character designs, but let’s run with one as a specific example. Check out Mr. Incredible from the Pixar classic, The Incredibles.

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If we divided him into three prominent “parts,” we would have his head, torso, and legs, and we can see how different each of those parts is. Mr. Incredible is built very “middle-out,” with the most prominent shape at the center, making him powerful-looking. Contrast that with a smaller head and legs, and you have a character that emphasizes strength. 

A character design tip for beginners should always be to study The Incredibles. The film is (pardon the pun) incredible regarding character design choices. Every central character stands out. Playing with shapes and proportions in the sketching phase of any project is well worth the time spent.

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Designing King Kabuto: Proportions

Based on everything I had on King Kabuto so far, such as the earlier poses, it is pretty clear I need proportions that emphasize strength, and my model here was Mr. Incredible.

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So, I went with the middle-out look here, with a big middle section, but I made his head a little larger in proportion. In contrast, I have given him four smaller legs, which are arranged and flared outward to give him a sense of stability. The larger, pill-shaped forearms are also meant to emphasize strength; think Popeye.

Variations

The idea of play in the early stages of character design, and yes, we are still there at this point, is best exemplified by variations. We’d hit that point earlier, talking about different alternative color palettes. But let's talk about that in a broader sense.

Here is a fascinating point about variations in character design in the show Krapopolis from Character Designer Andy Ristaino. In Keyframe Magazine, he states, “We’ll get closer and closer, and at some point they’ll be like, this isn’t quite working. We’re not back to square one, but we’ll take where we’re at and redesign it and go in different directions. … For each of these characters, there is a long evolution. For me, that’s what’s most interesting. To see how a character has changed before we even get to see them onscreen.” 

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Even deep into the design process, there is a chance a character design that seemed to be working initially has hit a dead end or isn’t quite delivering on what is needed. Or perhaps the concept has changed or evolved. It’s not like starting over, but it can feel like it - after all, you’re taking a few steps back. However, it is also very much about your mindset. Character design is a recursive process where you will find yourself going back and forth between stages and elements as you try to find a practical whole concept of the character. Your initial impulses for shapes might be great at first, but perhaps you need to dial them back upon reaching a further stage of character design.

Don’t look at having to go back and change a character design as a setback. Look at it as an opportunity.

Character designs are rarely ever final, even in productions such as animation. Characters may change between seasons, or designs may be refined further.

A great example is how much the look of Batman: The Animated Series changed as Glen Murakami influenced the production as a character designer. The original Batman look was softer, more like the work of the Fleischer Superman serials. 

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Still, as Murakami was promoted, the look of DC animation took on more refined and angular shapes with a slighter anime theme. This peaked with Teen Titans, of course.

Designing King Kabuto: Variation

By far, the longest process in designing and refining a character design is working on variations. As you can see from the following collage, I did a lot of drawings on my journey to a finalized design for the character. This doesn’t even include all of them, these are just the highlights.

Explore Contrast

During the production of the masterful Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, there were many things to try due to the film's innovation. With so many visual styles and pattern forms, character designs needed to be tweaked to work well so that the contrasting concepts were not a problem but a feature. Take, for example, Character Designer Kris Anka’s approach to designing Miguel O’Hara from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In Keyframe Magazine, he states, “I would try to holistically find commonalities between those patterns and bring it all into one unified piece.”

A character like Spider-Man 2099 is primarily blue with red highlights and shapes. However, a primarily blue bodysuit can still get lost in a shot, so different approaches to patterns and shapes were an element of designing the character’s look. Even something as simple as making the palms of the costume red so the character’s hands wouldn’t get lost in a scene proved essential in conveying their presence. So, while most of the core of the character design works, there was still a need to go back and make a change because of the context of a more extensive work.

Refining the Character Design

If you feel you’ve moved beyond the sketching phase and it’s time to render the character, you probably realize there is still much work left to do. Polished art of an original character still has a myriad of other considerations. The design itself may feel “locked in,” but you may need to go back and refine it for many reasons.

But, at some point, you should feel confident enough to move onto a more finalized form of “production” art. Consider it the final challenge before unleashing the character. However, polishing a character design is an entire write-up for a future time.

One thing that you should consider, though, is putting together a character reference sheet for your new OC. 

Designing King Kabuto: Refined

So, where did I end up with King Kabuto? Naturally, there were a lot of considerations I haven’t covered here, such as color choices and details, but I think I have arrived at something that works at this stage. Something that I feel shows the character off and says a lot about them.

While he has details, they aren’t overly distracting. He has a fairly unified color scheme with some pops of different colors for contrast. He has a very distinct shape with unique proportions as well. Overall, I am pretty happy.

Sharing your Character Design

Once you have your polished character design ready to go, there is the matter of sharing it. Thankfully, CharacterHub has all the tools you need to give them their turn in the spotlight. Our guide to creating a character profile should get you started. All you have left to do from there is share your design and ask people what they think. You may even go back and make changes based on feedback or new ideas, but CharacterHub makes updating your OC’s details easy. Look at King Kabuto’s profile to understand what you can include, such as worldbuilding details.

Did these character design tips and tricks help you out? Let us know!