Illustrate Noteworthy Character Studies

Illustration by Diana Santos - click image to see her folio on Insta!

Let's talk about: Character Studies !

(See the abbreviated post with illustrations on Instagram, here).

Welcome to my Let’s Talk About It Series! These are super speedy tips, written to give you a burst of info that will benefit you, the freelance illustrator. We give you the tools to empower your visual storytelling.

Character studies are the start to all great character driven storytelling!

🦋They help prove to agents, art directors, sales & marketing teams, that you can carry one character across a visual story & maintain continuity of character.

🦋 For author/Illustrators: Character studies help flesh out your character's personality traits & develop their spirit! You want your character to grab the attention of an editor & have them ask in excitement: “Is there a story?”

🦋 Character studies should provide at least 2-3 full body poses, and 6 expressions. 2-3 of the expressions could be on 'floating heads' if you don’t want to do every pose in full body.

🦋 If there are ages, ethnicities, or different characters you lack in your portfolio, create a character study to add meaningful characters to your repertoire.

🦋 Picture book artist? Well, make sure you have a character study of a boy and a girl (6 years old) in your folio. And make sure to scroll down to the tips that will help make those studies shine!

🦋 Middle Grade artist? Well, make sure to do some black and white / greyscale character studies of your 16 year old characters. Yes, they may be about 14 year olds but usually if we think 16 we will illustrate the age more visually accurate.
🦋The biggest problem I see in character studies is a dire lack of expression & emotion. Versions of happy or content & one angry face is not enough! Try adding:
Curiosity!

• Hope!

• Wonder!

• Excitement!

• Apprehension!

• Determination!

• And yes, anger & contentment as well.

🦋 Character studies don’t have to feature people! They can be animals, insects, robots, anthropomorphic objects, etc! Use the character study to make your character come to life!

🦋 Use character studies to show how you create characters in YOUR style. This is your time to shine, and show how your style is unique, and creates unique characters to match. Enjoy this process, if you are someone who doesn’t know your style yet, this is a chance to explore and find it.

So, how can you improve your own character studies?

Here are just a few tips:

🦋 Add a side kick: If it's a person give them a pet that also expresses various emotions & interacts with them in a pose or throughout.
🦋 Add unexpected detail: If they are wearing clothes, make sure the clothes & are not perfect. Add light & shadow, & accessories.

🦋 Every pose should use the above tips to give them a reason for the emotion.
🦋 If your study is animal based: Research the animal or creature & integrate real poses & attributes the animal would have in real life.
🦋 If your study is people based: Make sure to keep your character ages appropriate for the demographic you are marketing toward.
🦋 This is one of the many topics we go even deeper into in the Online Course (check it out here) and the 1-1 consultations (email me for info on those).

Have fun and perhaps

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