CHARACTER DESIGN GCD61704/Task 4: Final Project

CHARACTER DESIGN 

GCD61704/Task 4

LIU CHENG RUI  (0370930)

GCD61704/Environment design/ Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University  

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INSTRUCTION

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Task 4

week12

This week, I began to create Character Overview. Since the background of my character is in the cultivation world, I plan the overall style to lean towards cultivation, such as cloud mist and Immortal light.

Fig12.1 Character Overview 1

Fig12.2 Character Overview 2

week13

This week, I showed the completed Character Overview to Mr. Fitri. Mr. Fitri thought it was good overall, but the black text was illegible. Mr. Fitri suggested that I give it a dark background color and change the text to white. Using a more standard sans-serif font, the large character "Chang 'an" transforms the font into a more calligraphic style.

I modified it using the Fondamento font recommended by Mr. Fitri and changed the font color to make it more recognizable.

Fig13.1 Modified Character Overview 1

Fig13.2 Modified Character Overview 2

After completing these, I began to make my final character preview. I intended to create an entrance scene for a character. The overall style is infused with ink-wash elements, just like the unique ink-wash rendering in some cultivation anime.

Fig13.3 Final character preview

Finally, I integrated all the character content I had previously created into one slide.

Character Board Compilation

Final Profile Page with Splash Art

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FEEDBACK

week13

Mr. Fitri thought it was good overall, but the black text was illegible. Mr. Fitri suggested that I give it a dark background color and change the text to white. Using a more standard sans-serif font, the large character "Chang 'an" transforms the font into a more calligraphic style.Character preview looks good.

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REFLECTION

Experience

The most rewarding aspect of the entire production process for me was learning to systematically advance creation and integrate cultural concepts with character narratives. From character concepts, worldviews, costumes, weapons, to poses, lighting and shadow, and ultimately splash art, I have been pondering the theme of "How ordinary people grow in adversity". This made me understand that design is not only a visual presentation, but also an expression of emotions and philosophy. Every detail - the layers of clothing, the structure of the shoulders, the texture of the sword hilt - can make the characters more realistic and the story more complete. At the same time, I have also learned to listen to feedback and flexibly adjust my design ideas. This experience has enabled me to have a deeper understanding of the depth of character design and has also filled me with confidence in how to create characters with a sense of story and vitality in the future.

Observation

During the entire character design process, it was only when I truly began to immerse myself in the integration of the character, actions, background and atmosphere that I realized a complete character illustration is not merely about drawing the character well. From collecting reference materials, designing poses, to constructing the background, light and shadow, clouds and mist, and the atmospheric atmosphere, I went through a very systematic process. Especially when creating splash art, I noticed the spatial relationship between the background, characters and actions, as well as the influence of color and light and shadow on the overall picture. In the past, I only focused on the character's styling, but now I find that the environment, atmosphere and light and shadow are the keys to shaping the story's sense. The clearer the layering of the foreground, middle ground and background, the more the character can become the visual focus.

Findings

Through this project, my greatest discovery is that the core of character illustration is not "drawing beautifully", but "being able to tell a story". Actions, light and shadow, background and atmosphere must work in harmony to convey the power, personality and emotions of the characters. For instance, I tried various poses to represent "summoning, spiritual power and farming", and ultimately chose the pose that best reflected the character's spirit. I also added clouds, light and the shadows of deities to enhance the drama and completeness of the picture. I also found that a unified style, the consistency between the characters and the background, as well as the readability of the movements and faces, all directly affect the audience's understanding and emotional connection with the characters. This made me realize that design is a continuous process of iteration and correction, and each adjustment makes the character more vivid and three-dimensional.