Today we're going to be talking about Character Design and what goes into making one that is effective, understandable, and memorable.

1:47 What are good character designs vs ‘bad’ character designs? How do you achieve that balance?

The truth is, character designs are very subjective to personal taste. Nevertheless, there are several good starting points including:

• Character designs and traits that fit with the character personality you are looking to convey. But on the same note, you don’t need to visually show every part of their personality
• Character designs can convey plot details and foreshadowing and cause people to ask questions and wonder
• Don’t fall into offensive and bad stereotypes

18:53 Comics require you drawing the same details again and again. How do we choose and understand the detail levels and aesthetics that make sense for both general appeal and to prevent drawing burnout?

Drop details that don’t help convey your characters personality or things that don’t mesh with the aesthetic or things that are just too difficult/frustrating to draw over and over. Carefully think through the pieces of a design that work and show the things you want and don’t be afraid to get rid of what doesn’t fit.

32:17 How have your character designs changed over the years? What have you streamlined or what have you added? Why?

Bonus Thoughts

Creating a distinctive, memorable, and great design for original characters can be a challenge, one of the many things we as webcomic creators have to do in order to deliver the full package of our story and its journey. Several factors are present in deciding how to effectively create a character that not only works for your project, but leaves a large enough impact for the audience to care and want to follow their story more. What are the certain aspects we should consider with the design process?

Aesthetic: Keeping an eye on what works not only for a main character to be recognisable, but how they can fit in their world. Think of it the comic in its entirety, make sense for the certain designs to sit, fit, and work! Jarring differences in design can break immersion (when the intention isn’t there to do so) so keep in mind the overall aesthetic that you’re going for.

Silhouette: Shapes, curves, lines, and a memorable shadow all tie in what makes a good silhouette. This is about creating something unique and dynamic enough to stand out to your readers (in a way that suits your work). Balance: It’s good to have fun when designing characters, giving them many features and personal touches to look as a a reader- It’s also good to keep in mind not to go overboard and create something still easy to digest and have solid legibility. Does your character need as many aspects as you have thrown at them? Would your character benefit from having more or less on their design? Keep these in mind when going through the motions of creating!

Inspiration: Talking about designing a cool characters can be easy for some, but where exactly do we start from to make it all happen? Consuming your favourite media in the genres you enjoy, the aesthetic you’re trying to push, or even just at random can help fuel where to start. Remember to workshop it, have a couple designs in the lineup, mash them up, and take your time! OC design can be one of the longest processes in creating a webcomic!

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Episode Release Date: August 31, 2022

Episode Credits:

Kristen Lee (@feathernotes) - she/they, ghostjunksickness.com lunarblight.com

Megan Davison (@star-berrymint) - she/her, sorceryshenanigans.com

Phineas Klier (@tentacledeity) - they/them, heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de

Claire Niebergall (@phantomarine) - she/her, phantomarine.com

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The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.