Building Characters!

Yay! Part 2! For this segment, I wanted to show the importance of using simple shapes in building complex characters. For the first character (let's call him Big Bruce), I wanted to make a big, bad, bodyguard kinda fella. Big Bruce is an army veteran. He saw some dark shit, and kept his mouth shut about it. He's lived life working under bad people, and all he knows is that bad people pay well. Big Bruce is the guy you go through to get the mastermind villain. For his face, we gave him a large, sturdy jaw. Big, neanderthal brow ridges. A small, robust nose, and a large gaping mouth. Using different shapes, I was able to make the character I imagined in my head.  It's important to think of a story for a character before creating them. Give them purpose, and creating them becomes 10x easier.

For the second example, (let's call her Lolita), I aimed to create this tough chick who spends her days fixing up old muscle cars and listening to Elvis. She has a no nonsense attitude and knows how to out drink even the burliest of men. However I still wanted to retain her femininity and soft features. For her, I puffed up her cheek bones and gave her a slender chin and soft jaw line. Her nose is straight and her lips full. I added eye makeup to show her interest in still taking care of herself, and she's got eyebrows to put all men to shame. I like the juxtaposition of large hoop earrings with her short, well kept hair.

For Timothy, I imagined that school nerd who no one ever notices, but is making a life size mech suit in his basement at home. He's incredibly awkward around girls, and does his best to never be seen by Johnny, the school jock. He has a large cranium that swoops into a very narrow and weak jaw. He has large peering eyes that get him into trouble because I forgets not to stare. He's got large ears, and a thin nose. On top of that, he has freckles and unflattering hair.

I hope this exercise helps you with building a character for whatever it is you're working on. If you are planning on building a comic, jot down the key points that make your character who or what they are! And remember, simple shapes go a long way in making a believable character!