VAILL 385 Character Design Fall 2014

Demo of Folds

Hey Guys, Here is a great Demo on drawing simple folds.

http://comicbookgraphicdesign.com/comic-book-video-tutorials-how-to-draw-clothing-wrinkles-folds/

Anatomy of Costume

THE ANATOMY OF COSTUME

Clothes Tell Stories!

Remember, the costume is just as much a part of your character as their hair or expression. DESIGN!

Clothing has a voice and give insight on the human life and conditions, of ideas, conceptions and thoughts, of customs and usages, of trade, crafts and fashion in all times everywhere in the world.

Clothes tell stories

It more than just cloth, leather or material - How does a peron wear it? are they comfortable? Mal a'laise?, how does what they wear or how show their personality?

Materials:

know what materials you are drawing. Is it leather? cotton? metal or silk? Think about how gravity will act on each of these materials and also how they will interact with the softness of your characters. Understand how they fit together. where are the seams? are there zippers? buttons? is this hand crafted or machine made? Is it heavy? how is it worn or attached? - even if the details arn't there (goodness, we don't necessarily want every button and seam drawn!) understand how it is put together.

If the cloth is thick - where and how will if bunch?

If the cloth is very fine, how and where will it drape?

History:

whether consciously or unconsciously our brain makes connections between ideas and images. Even if we are seeing something we have never seen before, our brain will search for a frame of reference to make sense of what is seeing. As a designer, you can control this.

Look at reference and Historical costumes: what connotations go with these designs? how can you use or manipulate them?

Ex: Star Wars

Darth Vader - Samurai Armor = power, ruthlessness, skill, fear

Imperial officers - Nazi uniform = evil, unfeeling, stiff, military, slaughter, war

Jedi Robes - Spanish Monks = quiet, calm, serenity, peace, in control, steady, solid, oath bound

Leia - Greek Goddess = Beauty, order, regal, elegant, minimalist, bold

Han Solo - Cowboy = gunslinger, tough, cocky, suave, witty, heroic

Check this out: for a great source on period dresses used in character design - pay attention to the different handling of different cloth and materials - http://drawthisdress.tumblr.com/

Costume - "What would..."

What would this character do if presented with this clothing?

Consider the following characters and ask yourself...

Would they feel comfortable? un comfortable?
embarrassed? would they hide?
Proud? confident? feel good? feel special?
would they alter it? how?
would they even wear it?
etc.

This is one way to start your storytelling or make sure that your costume is telling a story

Present each of these characters:

A baseball hat
A top hat
A belt
A fancy dress or suit
Striped stockings
A leather Jacket
etc.

Character design vs. Costume design

This is not really a character design. Sorry.

See Sam Neilson's Post here

Character design is about the person underneath the clothing. That person should be essentially the same no matter what he or she is wearing. And this personality/identity should be visible to everyone, not just something the artist knows is there!

- Sam Neilson

The heart of the character shows through no matter what she is wearing.

Clothing is a Symbol, or Window to the Character underneath:
Costume design, on the other hand, is merely a modifier to the character. Clothing has long been used as a symbol of transformation---but what makes that transformation feel real isn't the change of clothing itself, but how that clothing reflects what is happening inside the character.

- Sam Neilson

A character is never just a mannequin - Consider how a character may wear or alter a given bit of clothing?
ex: Hat - worn backwards? buttons or stickers added? not worn?
Scarf - how is it tied?
Pants - rolled up? too big? second hand? torn? patched? how patched - self? Mom? Ducktape? too

Despicable Me character designs from Living Lines Library

Notice how the character and their personality comes first, but the costume adds to the overall design.

Khang Le, a concept artist who works for Titmouse and was one of the three guys in the Skillful Huntsman book, said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Everything about the character can help tell a story about him. Story suggest design, and design (in this case costume design) can also spark new ides for story. Metallic goggles with then slits on a character suggest a world with a fiery sun. A patch on his shoulder could suggest a piece of fabric given to him from his late grandfather."

Costume examples - Draw this dress!

some cool character designs for inspiration

Check out this site: http://drawthisdress.tumblr.com/ They take historical dresses and illustrate them with a character - super cool. Some demos in there too.