Designing Better Characters

In this lesson, Wouter will design two different characters. For his main character, he will go through a more traditional process of building, posing and then drawing on top of his model. The line art, color and lighting will all be on distinct layers, so one aspect can be easily altered without changing the other elements. The second character will utilize what Wouter calls the 'Character Creator,' a modular technique which allows mixing and matching of finished costume parts for easy selection later by the artist or clients.

In this lesson, Wouter will design three separate props, each demonstrating a completely different technique. The first will be created from start to finish in Photoshop, utilizing tight line work and strong understanding of proportion. The second prop will be created entirely in 3D, using Fusion 360. Then the third prop will be a 2D/3D hybrid. This will have its base shapes designed in Blender, before being exported to Photoshop to fill in various details. Each technique has its own strengths and weaknesses, so keep in mind what tools you need when fleshing out your own prop. 

Now that the designs have been finished, you can start creating an illustration which utilizes your character and prop together. In this lesson Wouter will create two separate images, each with its own distinct tone. These will utilize a blend of 2D and 3D by placing the character in a scene, lighting them, then creating linework and detail on top. The focus here will be on using composition, dynamic lighting and post-processing to create a compelling overall scene.