Character Design for Comics, Part 1

alien character design sketches concepts
Sketches of an alien race, the Uthers (Click to enlarge).

“Character Design” is generally something you hear more in the animation industry than the comics industry. However, the two industries often overlap, especially whether you talk about camera angles, lighting and moods, or, in today’s post, character design.

Character design is especially important in comics. You need characters that…

  • express the full range of human emotions,
  • are visually individual from each other, and
  • embody necessary elements in your story.

On top of all of this, the character design should be simple enough that you can draw it repeatedly and NOT want to stab your eyes out with a mechanical pencil.

So before I show my own character designs and what elements I think work, I’m going to show some things that…don’t.

While there are no hard and steady rules for character design, I have this one personal rule of my own. It’s the only one I need, but it’s no less important.

If it makes a gorgeous illustration, it’s a terrible choice for a comics character design.

This is something mentioned briefly in an Aaron Diaz blog post about costumes in character design, under a section called “Simplicity.” He says…

Above all else, keep it simple.  Comic characters are not pin-ups or other illustrations; you have to draw them over and over again, from various angles.  If you pile on too much detail, you’ll wear yourself out slogging through all the bits every time you have to draw them.

Let’s look at an example…

final fantasy belt dress lulu
THE BELTS.

THAT is a beautiful illustration. It would be a total pain in the ass to draw repeatedly for a comics story.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: A Bride’s Story.

a bride's story manga
A scene from A Bride’s Story (Click to enlarge)

Yes, it is insanely detailed and gorgeous. The artist also has assistants to help her meet her deadlines.

Most comics artists I know don’t have the luxury of an assistant to help them make art. They are, 99% of the time, making everything on their own.

To that end, I still stand by my personal rule.

If it makes a gorgeous illustration, it’s a terrible choice for a comics character design.

Remember that simplicity is key.

So, what else doesn’t work?

Same Face Syndrome.

disney frozen same face syndrome character design
The most notorious example of “Same Face Syndrome” to appear in recent years. (Click to enlarge)

Same Face Syndrome is when you use the same face in your character design. The most cancerous of Same Face Syndrome symptoms spread into the physique, when you draw all of your characters with the same general body shape.

I used to suffer from this HARD when I started out. It’s a common mistake because Same Face Syndrome is so formulaic, and formulas help make new work faster…even if it’s not necessarily better.

The thing about character design is it should not be formulaic. Your characters should not fit a mold.

They should be individuals, with their own physiques and faces and personalities.

Each character you draw is their own person. They should serve a unique but specific purpose in your story. That’s why you draw them into your comics, after all.

Have you noticed any Same Face Syndrome elsewhere? Have any tips for character designs? Leave them in the comments!

Thank you for reading and I’ll see you tomorrow, when I show some of my own character designs and the creative decisions behind their looks.

Lessons Learned from a KickStarter Project

seeing him webcomic logo work in progress
Click to enlarge.

My sister Kia and I were running a KickStarter to help fund the beginning of our new webcomic, Seeing Him.

AND…

It did not meet the goal.

To be honest, Kia and I weren’t really sure whether this project would get funded or not. We were hoping for the best, whatever the best may be.

Now that the KickStarter is over, I think, for now, it DID turned out for the best.

I am sad our comic cannot be made right away.

However, we did learn the following things from this KickStarter:

  • People WANT to support indie comic creators (we did, after all, raise a little over $500. We didn’t get any of that money because KickStarter is an all-or-nothing fundraising system, but people were still willing to contribute money towards our project!)
  • People WANT to see more positive trans representation, especially for trans men.
  • People are more altruistic than we are lead to believe.
  • And digital rewards are way more popular than I thought they would be.

Kia and I are going to take these lessons in and plan our next move.

We are hoping to fund raise for the project again sometime after New Years, and perhaps…

  • Lower the asking goal.
  • Offer more/only digital rewards (so we don’t spend our funds on making rewards for the backers, therefore justifying our lower goal amount and getting the comic made faster and sooner)
  • Offer more ways backers can be included into the comic, because MY GOODNESS during the campaign the $100 reward to be drawn as a recurring character got sold out FAST.

As soon as Kia and I have a plan, I will let you fabulous readers know so we can try again and, hopefully, succeed.

Thank you to everyone who shared Seeing Him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and elsewhere on the internet.

Thank you to Pink Dollar Comics and Women Write About Comics who wrote about the KickStarter project as it was going.

Thank you to all of the backers who contributed (sorry we didn’t make the goal).

And a very special thank you to my friends and family who were eager and supportive for our project. You know who you are.

Again, stay tuned for further developments for Seeing Him!

Thank you for reading (and for all of your support), and I will see you tomorrow.

KickStarter Updates and Videos

The KickStarter for “Seeing Him,” the new webcomic made my Kia and myself, will end on December 15!

I made a video for the KickStarter on my own YouTube channel, which you can watch below:

We’re still not near our goal! So if you can, please donate and spread the word. You can get cool rewards like posters, stickers, or even a chance to get drawn in the comic.

But the best thing about funding Seeing Him is that you’ll help bring a story, featuring a trans man, to life.

Because there need to be more stories about and for trans men.

Again, the KickStarter ends December 15!

Here’s some art to show what the webcomic will look like when and if it’s funded:

seeing him trans man webcomic comic page preview
Click to enlarge (and read).

In other news, I’ll be updating my YouTube channel much more often. Hopefully the next update will be the blooper reel for the KickStarter video. After that, there’ll be a video showing off a sketchbook I finished recently.

For the rest of December, I’ll be finishing up the KickStarter, making commissions, and wrapping up presents. But the webcomics I do will still update regularly!

Here’s another crazy thing I’m doing: starting Monday next week, I’m updating this blog every day, from Monday to Friday.

I’ll be showing never-before-seen sketches, posting more videos, talking about comics (maybe even discuss some comics history), and who knows? Maybe I’ll write a blog post you suggest.

Leave suggestions for next week’s blog posts in the comments below!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you on Monday.

My YouTube Channel… IS ALIVE!

I have revived my YouTube Channel!

The first video is uploaded for viewing.

The second video, which will upload soon, will be a video Kia and I recorded for our KickStarter. OR WILL IT?

Speaking of the KickStarter…

seeing him kickstarter promo art trans man webcomic
It’s Katy and Adam! The stars of “Seeing Him”! (Click to enlarge)

There are less than 6 days left and we need your help.

The KickStarter is to help fund the first 42 pages of our new webcomic, Seeing Him. It’s a romantic comedy starring a trans man named Adam and a nerdy lady named Kate.

If you back the project, you can get cool rewards, like an ebook of behind-the-scenes sketches (and an extended version of this interview), being drawn into the comic, and more!

Again, the KickStarter link is here.

Thank you to everyone who has donated! Please help spread the word, if you can!

And now, I shall end this blog post with some new personal projects I finished recently…

the legend of jamie roberts ranki silhouette sketch
A silhouette of Raguna Ranki from “The Legend of Jamie Roberts.” (Click to Enlarge)
goddess watercolor sketch painting
God as Woman Dancing (Click to Enlarge).

Thank you for reading! I’ll see you on YouTube soon, and I’ll see you here on Friday.

Interview with the Cast of “Seeing Him”

The following is an interview I had with the cast of Seeing Him, which is currently on KickStarter raising funds to launch it online. There’s also an extended interview, but you can only read it by claiming it (and other swag) as a reward on KickStarter.

Interviewees: (From Left to Right in the image below) Kate, Adam, Julianne, and Greg.

seeing him cast bust shots for mock interview for kickstarter
Click to enlarge.

KELCI: So what’s your day job?

Kate: I am a small business owner.

Adam: I’m a doctor. Specifically an OB/GYN.

Julianne: I’m a personal assistant to Ms. Betsy Brookes. You might have seen her face on benches around town. She runs the number one realty agency in Nagadan.

Greg: I teach high school Spanish at Charles Strite High. Go Hawks!

What are your hobbies outside of work?

K: I like to hang out with my friends. Play video games sometimes. Plus, in the winter I like to crochet and sew things.

A: Every other Wednesday we have league bowling. Greg and I are on the same team. I also go to the gym a good bit. Sometimes I go out to the movies.

Juli: Outside of work I like to do puzzles and books of brainteasers. I also like to watch horrible TV movies sometimes.

Greg: Well I do a few after-school groups as the faculty leader. I teach sign language and I manage the sci-fi club. Completely non work related I go bowling, I hit the gym, and I like to cook. Particularly baking.

Have you always lived in Nagadan?

Kate: I grew up here, but I went away for college.

Adam: My mother and I moved here when I was 2. Since then the only time I’ve lived anywhere else was when I was in med school.

Juli: Born and raised here, but then I went away to school. That’s where I met Kate. We were roommates freshman year.

Greg: I moved here after college. I grew up in a little town in the south end of the state. You’ve probably never heard of it. I always wanted to live in the big city though, so when I got the chance, I moved.

Favorite animal?

Kate: Ocelots. They are just too cute.

Adam: Dogs. They aren’t called man’s best friend for nothing.

Juli: Narwhales. The fat unicorns of the sea.

Greg: um. I don’t know. Penguins?

Favorite food?

Kate: Chicken and broccoli. Preferably from Mr. Wong Wong’s in Ostmeadow.

Adam: Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Julianne: Definitely ham. I love having it for dinner and then getting to have real ham sandwiches all week.

Greg: Butterscotch muffins. Big ones.

How do you feel about musicals?

Kate: I love them but I haven’t taken the time to watch a lot of them. I’d love to see one live one day but right now I just watch my DVDs on repeat.

Adam: Meh. They aren’t the worst thing but I’d rather watch something else.

Juli: Some of them are good. Some of them are godawful. No one is that happy all the time.

Greg: …I’d rather not answer that in an interview. My friends might read this. So, on the record, I’m not a big fan.

Adam responding to Greg: You’re going to stick to that when I know for a fact you own at least 5 original cast CDs?

Greg: Yes, that’s my story.

Who is your role model/idol?

Kate: Adamantine Woman. Playgirl, philanthropist, badass.

Adam: My mom. She’s the reason I got into medicine. She’s made me who I am today.

Juli: I don’t have one. I am my role model.

Greg: The teacher from that one movie in the 80’s. You know, the one about the English teacher, they call him captain? That guy. Oh and Professor Y from the Y-Guys comics.

What is the nerdiest thing you have done?

Kate: I went to a comic convention dressed as Madame Majesty once. It was really fun.

Adam: Does being on dean’s list in college a lot count?

Juli: Kate made me dress as Monsieur Majesty at a convention once, but it turned out really fun actually.

Greg: I regularly played Orcs and Oracles with my friends in college. We had a campaign last 3 semesters once.

The following are questions about which of the options you prefer:

Ketchup or mustard?

K: Ketchup.

A: Mustard.

J: Neither. Mayo.

G: Ketchup.

Dandelions or dandy lions?

K: Dandy lions. All day.

A: Dandy lions would be a sight to see.

J: Dandy lions. All day.

G: Dandelions. I don’t want to make someone dress up a lion. Sounds dangerous.

Pancakes or waffles?

K: Why not both?

A: Pancakes.

J: Pancakes.

G: Waffles. Not the frozen ones though, real, homemade waffles.

Cupcakes or muffins?

K: Cupcakes.

A: Cupcakes.

J: Muffins. Cupcakes have too much icing on them.

G: Cupcakes.

Small gatherings with close friends in your living room or big dance parties with lots of people?

K: Small gatherings with friends.

A: Smaller gatherings are more fun.

J: Definitely big dance parties. I can meet new people that way. Plus show off my moves.

G: I like big parties, but house parties rather than dance parties. I like to be able to hear people.

Santa or the Great Pumpkin?

K: Great Pumpkin. Hands down. If I believe, he will appear someday.

A: Santa. I never did understand the great pumpkin idea.

J: Santa. He shows up more consistently.

G: Santa. I like how excited all the little kids at the mall are to tell him what they want for Christmas. If I ever get fat I’m going to be a mall Santa during the holidays.

Dinosaurs or dragons?

K: Dragons. They breathe fire so that makes them cooler.

A: Dinosaurs. The real life dragons. They actually lived so it makes them cooler.

J: Dinosaurs. I was really into them when I was a little kid. I even had a little stuffed T-Rex.

G: Dragons. I wish that scientists would splice them in the lab so that we can have fire breathing air travel. That would be badass.

Nerd or geek?

K: Me? I’m a geek.

A: I was always called a nerd, but I think I’d rather be a geek. They seem to have more fun.

J: Nereek. Everything is better when it’s a hybrid. Cars, dogs, ligers, everything.

G: Jock? But if those are my only options, I think I’d go nerd.

seeing him webcomic logo work in progress
Click to enlarge.

There’s also an extended interview!

The extended interview is available as part of our new rewards, available only on the KickStarter!

The KickStarter is barely to $300, and we have 10 days to go. If you can contribute, awesome! If you can’t financially donate, donate by using your words and telling everybody about it!

Thanks for reading, (thank you for contributing to the KickStarter), and I’ll see you again on Tuesday.