CDQ Character Design Quarterly

DOWNLOADABLE EDITION
Image © Enrique Fernández

contents
04 08 12 24 34 44
BEHIND THE COVER GIVING LIFE CACTUS MEET THE ARTIST: BAD DOG! STYLING HOPE
ART: GABRIEL PICOLO TO DESIGNS ACUPUNCTURIST MICHAŁ DZIEKAN AND SHOCK
Find out how a daily See how TB Choi Donna Lee Michał reveals Andrea Femerstrand Bev Johnson’s quick
drawing challenge uses flowing lines to explores the design what motivates him captures the guilty tips for styling
changed our cover capture a character’s possibilities for a to create twisted expression of a expressions on varied
artist’s career personality cactus-themed healer satirical illustrations greedy dog facial features
WELCOME TO CHARACTER DESIGN QUARTERLY 02!
Here at Character Design Quarterly HQ we are always looking out for exciting new artists and original
character designs to share with you. With so much inspiration at your fingertips, and the possibility of a
future dedicated to character creation, we feel it is right to explore what educational options and career
opportunities there are for character designers. In our debut issue we spoke to the wonderful people at Blue
Zoo about life at a busy animation studio, and Disney TVA character designer Amanda Jolly told us how her
career developed.
In this issue we continue this exploration with an insight into what students can learn at
the renowned Ringling College of Art + Design. In addition, we find out how
Michał Dziekan created evening illustrations to unwind from work, leading
to a full-time career, and how Meg Park has managed her workload as a
freelance character designer. Enjoy!
Annie Moss
EDITOR
46 58 66 76 84 92
EDUCATION PROFILE: GALLERY THE DRIVER ELITE WARRIORS MEET THE ARTIST: KIDS WITH ATTITUDE
Image © Donna Lee
RINGLING COLLEGE MEG PARK
Discover what the Tina Jiang, Sam Hicham Habchi Learn the techniques Meg shares her lively Learn from Enrique
college’s Illustration Nassour and Dani demonstrates how Lucile Meunier uses work, and advice Fernández how to
and Game Art majors Diez share their to render a comic to group a rabble on working as a capture a child’s
have to offer portfolio works book character of warriors full-time freelancer spirit in your designs
4 | Behind the cover art
With initiatives such as Inktober (an annual sketch-a-day challenge

throughout October), the MerMay challenge to create mermaid
characters throughout May, and the monthly themed Character Design
Challenge competition, there are many different drawing challenges
out there to be inspired by. It was a similar, year-long daily drawing
challenge which encouraged Gabriel Picolo to continue drawing at a
time when he might have given up completely. As well as providing him
with motivation, the project also garnered Gabriel a huge amount of
attention online. This in turn created a launch-pad for his career which
now sees Gabriel living off his art as a freelance illustrator and comic
artist, with his first book CELESTIAL recently released.
Continuing his passion for telling stories through drawing, and the
recurrent archery theme of his recent work, Gabriel created the brilliant
cover artwork for Character Design Quarterly 02! Here he tells us more
about what he learned from the challenge, his experiences as a self-
taught artist, and what advice he would give his younger self.
All images © Gabriel Picolo

Gabriel Picolo | 5
Hi Gabriel, thanks very much for

taking the time to chat to us!
Please can you tell us a little bit
about yourself and your work?
Thanks for having me! I started getting
noticed because of my 365 days of doodles
project, a daily drawing challenge I did in
2014. Since then, I’ve been freelancing full-
time and most recently started creating
comics. I’ve created artwork for Blizzard
Entertainment, DeviantArt, Autodesk
SketchBook, and HarperCollins. I’m also
very passionate about my personal projects,
the most important being my series Icarus
and the Sun.
Your 365 days of doodles project

was a really big challenge. What
did it teach you?
I started my doodle project during a really
low point for my art; I nearly quit drawing,
even as a hobby. By doing a daily project,
drawing became a habit again. Also, seeing
how I progressed each month was really
exciting. It taught me not to expect instant
results but to try instead to see further
ahead. By the end of the year I was a
completely different artist.
Left: Warm-up ink studies to test new ink brushes
Right: The sun

6 | Behind the cover art
As a self-taught artist how do you

learn new techniques? Are there
any tools or resources you can
recommend to our readers?
In the beginning, the process of teaching myself
“The sooner you

was very random. As I kept drawing, it became
easier to understand what my weak spots were and
allow yourself
so I was able to look for guidance on the techniques
I lacked.
For instance, there are plenty of websites with to make mistakes,

the sooner your
free 3D models or life drawing sessions, meant for
artists’ studies. I also critiqued every resource and
art will improve”

tutorial I could find, as there are plenty of them
now on sites like Pixiv, DeviantArt, or Pinterest.
It is important to be picky though, since most of
these online tutorials are made by artists who are
still learning too.
You’ve just published CELESTIAL, a

coloring book collection of your
zodiac work (which looks beautiful
by the way). How does it feel? What do
you hope people will get from using
the book?
Thank you! CELESTIAL is my very first published
work; the support I have received from my followers
and peers is so overwhelming! I’m glad I decided to
make it a coloring book because my favorite thing
is when people send me their colored-in version of
my drawings.
If you could travel back in time five

years, what advice would you give
your younger self?
Get started earlier! The sooner you allow yourself
to make mistakes, the sooner your art will improve.
Oh, and make sure to dive really deeply into your
projects and, by all means, don’t keep them to
yourself! Put your work out there, and show it to as
many people as you can. There is always someone
who will be interested.
This page: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constellations
Opposite page: Snap Out Of It

Gabriel Picolo | 7
8 | Giving life to designs
GIVING
LIFE TO DESIGNS
TB Choi
Before you begin working

on a character, focus on
making your hand loose
and free. Normally I sketch
ideas when I am sat in a
café. My character designs
start with doodles that
have uncertain shapes and
unclear stories.
From these loose doodles or quick

sketches, start to make your ideas
more certain. Pick one of the designs
and make up a backstory for them.
TB Choi | 9
When you have selected your design, you can

start to develop the character concept. Try
to catch her core personality. This will be her
defining image, like a Facebook profile picture.
10 | Giving life to designs
It is important to make your character’s shapes clear. Try to

emphasize through the shape what you want to tell people
about the character. If she is a little prickly, it is better to
make her face a sharper shape to imply this personality.
Try to empathize with

your character while
you are working on your
design. Think about what
they may do, and act it
out yourself if necessary.
TB Choi | 11
Ask a friend, or people online, “does this character

look alive?” and attempt to fix it if not. If you want,
you can also ask for feedback on your work from
professional artists.
All images © TB Choi

Cactus
acupuncturist
DONNA LEE
Creating an original and unique character can be an exciting but daunting
challenge, especially when you are about to start a new project. Do not fear
though because most artists will tell you that it takes time and a lot of bad
drawings to find your end result!
In this tutorial, I will go over the steps I take when creating a new design using
these keywords as a brief: teenage girl, cactus, excited, healer, and green. The
tools that I’ll be using are my sketchbook for writing notes and doodling, and
Photoshop for making “roughs” (loose designs) which will be turned into the
final design.
Donna Lee | 13
Left: A treat can mentally

prepare you for a challenge
Below: Use a sketchbook

to explore some ideas
and doodle out the first
looks for the character
Treat yourself!
It is important that you take the time to
mentally prepare yourself before you
even pick up a pencil. It always helps
to be in an environment that you feel
comfortable in or that can inspire you.
You will be spending a lot of time using
your brainpower so treat yourself to
a nice iced coffee, some inspirational
music, or a browse through art books to
get motivated. A good workspace and
having the right tools can make a big
difference in helping you to be efficient
with your time and have an enjoyable
working experience.
Who Is this character?

Once you are settled in, it is time
to think about who you are going to
create. Whenever I design a character
I find it incredibly helpful to think about
who the character is as an individual
with a mind of their own. Knowing
your character’s personality and back-
story can help you think about their
aspirations, poses, expressions, and the
mood that they’ll affect in the viewer.
Start by jotting down some bullet

points of the character’s key traits and
anything else that pops into your mind.
One of my favorite ideas is for this
character to be a little desert nymph
who lives inside a cactus.
14 | Cactus acupuncturist
Research hunt
Doing research for character designs can be a
great way to get fresh new ideas. Regardless of
whether you look at live or online references,
making your work as authentic as possible will
contribute to its believability for the viewer.
Since one of my keywords is “cactus” I search
for some images of cacti online, and I also take
a walk around my neighborhood to look at
them in person.
There are no bad ideas

Once you have done your research, you can
start to scribble out some of your ideas. In
this step, really stay loose and try to get that
energy onto your paper. Do not worry about
making a bad drawing because this is all a part
of your character exploration. This can also
be a good time to try out some of your more
ridiculous ideas. You are still in the early stages
and who knows, your weird idea might actually
lead to one worth keeping!
Thumbnails
Drawing thumbnails of scenes can help you
create poses and generate some new ideas in
a natural way. It will lead to an out-of-the-box
kind of thinking and make your character more
believable. You are still at a stage where you
can stay messy, so making simple compositions
will not be a problem.
Produce a catalogue of drawings to choose

from, referring to your initial notes about the
character to help you explore different options.
I incorporate the keyword “excited” into my
thumbnails so my cactus-themed character
develops a playful and bubbly personality.
Above: Draw sketches from references

to use later in the design process
Right: In this idea the character

is actually a cactus plant
Opposite page: Continue exploring

ideas in your sketchbook in a chart form
Donna Lee | 15
“You are still in the early stages and

who knows, your weird idea might
actually lead to one worth keeping!”
Don’t lift your pen ►

One way to keep your drawings loose is to keep your pen or
pencil on the paper until you have finished sketching. Imagine
you are trying to finish a sketch in lightning speed; it is this
speed that will help your drawings stay fresh, flowing straight
from your head. At this stage you really want the raw energy of
your ideas to show through, and then later you can refine them.
Building shapes
Designing characters requires you to train your eye to simplify
shapes so you can achieve a clean and appealing silhouette. Imagine
you are building a snowman: if your snowman has three circles that
look the same then it wouldn’t be very special would it?
Try experimenting by bringing contrast to your shapes, adding

straight lines and curves, and acknowledging the influence of each
shape. Having a strong foundation can go a long way and it will
maintain the design throughout the process.
Above: Use unexpected shapes to create characters with

interesting silhouettes
Left & below: A dotted line displays the overall shape of the design
IDEAS TRASH CAN

During the exploratory phase, I think about having
my character as an actual cactus plant. While the
idea of a cactus trying to heal people by giving
them hugs seems hilarious and ironic, I know it
will be challenging to portray it as a “teenage girl.”
Sadly, I have to give the idea up and toss it into the
trash can. But like I said, there are no bad ideas
and it’s always nice to give things a try even if they
seem ridiculous.
Donna Lee | 17
Sculpting shapes
Once you have picked some shape designs that you want to move forward
with, you can work out the finer details of the design. At this point, imagine
an invisible line that guides each design into one cohesive shape. I have drawn
a dotted line around my ideas to illustrate this. My character is a nymph who
lives in the desert, so I want to keep her shape a little more organic with a
few sharp edges just to give that cactus-like impression.
The right outfit

The fun part about choosing outfits for your character is that it can help to
shape your design. If you decide to make an outfit, consider what material
it will be made from and how it can affect your character’s silhouette. This
can be a great opportunity to enhance your design, especially if you feel it
lacks exaggeration.
An outfit can also say a lot about your character such as their personality,
where they live, and what kind of style they like. For my character, I play
around with different types of looks ranging from tribal to fashionista.
This page: Ideas for cactus-themed hair and outfits

Negative and positive space

Another great way to see how your design is looking is to shade in the
positive space with black and see where the negative spaces are. This will
determine the balance of your design and simplify it even more. You can
add or subtract around the places that you think need more work.
Creating scenes
Creating vignettes or small stories can add another layer of depth to
your character, and is a great way to engage the viewer in your work.
I personally love this step because you get to share more information
about your character than might have been included in the design
so far.
For example, this is a great way to show the “healer” aspect for my nymph
character by making her into an acupuncturist. I come to this concept
by taking “cactus” and “healer” and letting my character use the cactus
needles to do her acupuncture procedures.
Right: Look at the positive and negative

space to check if the design is strong
Opposite page: The character pulls out

cactus needles to use in acupuncture,
adding to the story
No over-working! ►
While you are drawing your first sketches, try
squinting your eyes to blur your view of the
drawing. This can save you from working your
drawing to death, and keep the focus on the
general shape of the design.
If you are working digitally, try to force yourself

to draw on a small scale without zooming in. The
danger of over-working a drawing is that it can
take away your precious exploration time and
lose that nice initial drawing.
Donna Lee | 19
“Creating vignettes or small stories

can add another layer of depth to
your character and is a great way
to engage the viewer in your work”
Props and other characters

Let’s take the storytelling to another level and add
props along with an additional character. This will
allow people to see how your character interacts
with their surrounding environment and see them
in action.
In the illustration on the previous page my

character pulls out cactus needles to show where
she gets them. My new illustrations show what she
does with the needles: she uses them to heal other
creatures. These sketches are visual glimpses of
the character’s story which help fill the missing
gaps to complete the character’s description.
Posing and acting

Your character’s poses should correspond with
his or her personality. Ask yourself what your
character would be thinking in that moment.
Would your character be sad, upset, happy, or
scared? Think about the body gestures that would
sell the idea and portray what your character is
feeling. If I feel like I am stuck with a design I get
up and do the pose myself.
You could draw a line of action (a line showing the

force of the character’s movement) as a guide for
where you want the character’s energy to flow.
This can also be used as a compositional tool to
lead the eye around the drawing.
Facial expressions
Having a page of facial expressions is not only
helpful to you, but also to the people you will be
working with. In animation, other artists will look
to your drawings and use them as references. Just
like the previous posing and acting exercises, you
should try to reenact the facial expressions as well.
Do not be afraid to squash and stretch some of
your character’s facial features in order to achieve
the expression that you are trying to portray.
Above: A detailed action sketch of how the

character places a cactus needle into a patient
Right: The character interacts with others,

using her needles to treat a desert fox
Donna Lee | 21
Choosing colors
This stage is when knowing your character’s backstory can be useful as it will
help decide what to do with your colors. Since I have the color green to work
with I need to think specifically about which areas I want to be green. Should she
have a green dress, hair, or skin? As you can see there are a lot of options, but I
decide to go with her dress, mainly because I want the green to be the vibrant
focal point of the design.
Above: Draw a variety

of expressions so that
the viewer can see
how the character’s
face moves
Left: Use small

thumbnails to test
different color
combinations
Final touch-ups
In this step, I use Photoshop to
make my finishing touches to the
final design. Check to see if there
is anything else that you could do
to sell your idea, and check that the
brightness level is where you want it
to be. This is also a good opportunity
to ask a friend or co-worker to look at
the design and see if they understand
the concept or not. ♦
This spread: Using Photoshop, make final

tweaks to the final character design
Donna Lee | 23
© Donna Lee
MEET THE ARTIST
Michał Dziekan
The satirical illustrator and character designer
discusses his ideas and motivations
All images © Michał Dziekan
26 | Meet the artist
Hi Michał, thanks for taking the time to

chat to us! Tell us a little bit about yourself What is the best thing about being an
and where you are from! illustrator and character designer?
Hi guys, you’re welcome. Thanks for having Firstly, doing something I’m passionate about continue doing what I do. As for character
me! I’m an artist living and working in Warsaw, and making a living from it is one of the coolest design, it is basically the same – I love to tell
Poland, and I specialize in illustration and things. With illustration it is very satisfying that stories in art, and the idea that a character’s
character design. My illustration career started I can express myself and tell the stories I have design can tell their whole story is very
around 2011; before then I was working for the in my head, and even if it’s not very important, I appealing to me.
Warsaw-based animation studio Platige Image like to have this voice of mine out there.
as an art director and motion artist. Back then
I drew mostly for fun or to blow off work- Knowing that people might be affected by my
Previous page: Perfectionism for Duży Format
related steam. Illustration then started to feel work keeps me going. If someone slows down magazine, 2014
more natural for me than anything else I did, for a moment and thinks about an illustration
so I decided to dedicate most of my time to it. of mine, this is a great motivation for me to This spread: Lazy Love for Newsweek, 2015
Michał Dziekan | 27
“I love to tell stories in art, and the idea that a character’s

design can tell their whole story is very appealing”
Have you had any reactions to your work humor, and besides a central idea, this is what
that have particularly stood out? defines the style of my illustrations.
A few people have tattooed my art onto their
skin, and a few others have written to me You said earlier that your illustration work is
saying that my art has inspired them to work important for expressing yourself and your
in illustration themselves. People tell me that voice. Has there been a significant artwork
they can’t wait to see new artwork. Besides that clearly expresses your voice?
that, I have been invited to events I never I can’t think of one particular piece as there are
thought I might get to attend as a speaker, like a few illustrations that are more personal than
the CTN animation expo in Burbank. others. There are illustrations reaching back to
my experiences as a kid like Perfectionism, and
I have also had some negative comments too pieces related to parenthood like Lazy Love.
for some of my work, but in general I don’t Others tackle some more serious subjects
think those reactions particularly stand out. that I was really emotional about, and some
I’m really pleased when my art makes people illustrations talk about living in Poland.
feel good for a minute. It would be really
nice if someone told me that my illustration This expression is important because it gets all
was a part of something that made the world this buzzing stuff out of my head; sometimes it
better, but I don’t delude myself that art can works just as therapy. When I can see there are
change a lot. I don’t think my art has to be that people who relate to my art, that is satisfying
important either, it’s entertainment mostly and in some way.
rather silly. Instead of worrying I try to focus
on smaller things. If my art distracts someone You used to work in film and animation; has
from their problems or simply if someone this experience influenced your work and if
says “Hey that guy drew the exact thing I was so, how?
thinking about,” then for me that is important. It was a “school of life” experience for me
“I have always
as I left college to work there. In the studio I
Your illustrations often give a playful but learned a lot about taking a business approach
liked bitter-sweet dark twist on everyday situations. What are

the ideas behind this?
to art, and I learned a lot about people too. I
had a chance to work on cool projects in great
connections and It all started with illustrating a couple of

situations from my life that were either
teams and, something that was also important
to learn, how to handle dark, badly-managed
black humor, and annoying or stressful; just some simple stuff I

wanted to complain about but also make fun
projects with tight deadlines and tough clients.
besides a central of. I wanted to keep my pieces a bit unreal and From an artistic point of view this time was
idea, this is what

exaggerated, but still anchored in reality. rich in experience. I tried a lot of different
techniques while working on a range of
defines the style of

My approach is inspired by Stanisław Bareja’s projects, from realism to 2.5D cutout
films; he made satires on the Polish People’s animations. With some projects I had a chance
my illustrations”
Republic, showing a gray, muddy reality with a to experiment with art which constantly made
lot of humor. His films were funny, but depicted me test new approaches. I took this habit home
a very sick society. Much of my inspiration also with me and drew after work, and finally it
Left: Coming Out for Wysokie comes from Monty Python’s sketches. I have brought me to the style of drawing I use in my
Obcasy Extra, 2017 always liked bittersweet connections and black illustrations today.
It takes a lot of dedication to continue working on

your own drawings after a day of work. How have
you balanced your professional and personal work?
Is it a struggle to find time and energy to pursue
your other passions?
At the beginning it wasn’t hard, as I was working in a
completely different field from illustration. When I
sat down to draw at home it was even a relief to do
something other than work. It was a lot of fun, and
most importantly it was extremely satisfying as I was
at the beginning of the road and made progress much
faster than I do now. Finding a balance between art and
personal life wasn’t too hard as I only lived with my wife,
and she studied after her work, so we were both busy
almost every evening.
It’s a bit harder now, when my work is illustration and

my personal art is also illustration; after a day of work it
is not so easy to find more energy to do the same thing
again. Maybe that’s why I started to play the drums a
few years ago, just to have another passion that differs
from my work.
Also, now we are parents I need to balance my work,

art, and drumming time with my family time. I feel a
responsibility I never felt before, so comparing the old
days to now it all seems like it was a piece of cake back
then. But it is all fairly manageable and I still have a lot
of fun and get satisfaction from my art.
What is the most important thing you think someone

who wants to be a professional illustrator needs to
know about working in the industry?
I would say that it is most important to like what you
do, and to have the drive that makes you practice all
the time, gaining more skill and experience. You can’t
choose to have this drive, but you can learn to be
professional and communicative. That isn’t always so
easy, but it pays off. ♦
Right: Storks for Duży Format magazine, 2015

This spread: Affirmation for Duży Format magazine 2015 Format magazine, 2015
34 | Bad dog!
ANDREA FEMERSTRAND
This design will be centered on an emotion, and as I absolutely love
drawing animals it feels natural to use dogs as my inspiration. Dogs
can be extremely expressive, especially when they’ve been naughty, so
I am going to base my character design around the emotions of shame
and guilt.
In this tutorial I will explain my progress, sketching traditionally in the

beginning, then moving on to digital media later. I will eventually sketch
in Photoshop on my MacBook Pro, using a Wacom Cintiq 13HD.
Andrea Femerstrand | 35
Research
The very first thing to do when creating a new
character is to gather together some sources of
inspiration and a few references. For this design I
choose to watch various videos of guilty dogs, to
get an idea of how they behave. You can then write
down some quick keywords in a spider diagram to
help you remember what you’ve learned.
Quick pencil studies

I look at photos of different breeds of dog, and
draw some fast scribbles using a mechanical pencil
with a wide lead. I love sketching with wide leads,
as they help you to stay loose with your lines.
It is important that you don’t copy your photos,

instead try to capture the common essence and
Above: A spider diagram created while researching
characteristics of dogs and puppies. You could also
will help memorize the subject’s behavior
catch up on some anatomy studies, if needed, to
Below: Fast scribbles on paper using a broaden your visual library. This preparation will
mechanical pencil with a broad lead help draw a dog from memory with ease.
36 | Bad dog!
Fast thumbnails
I say this all the time: repetition is key!
Scribble some more dogs onto paper,
keeping your shapes really loose. Add
notes to your page if you find that helpful.
This time, focus on drawing guilty dogs
from memory.
Let these sketches be fast and messy, and

don’t worry about making pretty sketches
at this stage. Concentrate instead on the
dog’s energy and emotions. Try to draw at
least five different thumbnails that can be
a base for your design.
Above: Draw different thumbnails that

will work as references later on!
Right & opposite page: Five typical

behaviors of a dog that is ashamed
and submissive towards its owner
“It is important that you

don’ t copy your photos,
instead try to capture
the common essence
and characteristics of
dogs and puppies”
The five faces of guilt

I have now found five different poses
suggesting shame or guilt that I like and
will be able to work with. I am going to
call these behaviors the five faces of guilt
and name them: squinty, otter, invisible,
sneaky and smiley. There’s a huge benefit
to having such clear key poses established
early, as you can use these as guides when
you dive into your final design.
It’s always better to make the studies

really to the point, or even exaggerated,
since you can always tone the features
down later if necessary. The more options
you have in the early design stages the
better! Now we’re on our way to creating
a brief for the final design.
38 | Bad dog!
Breed studies
As dogs can differ greatly depending
on their breed, let’s also establish five
different dog breeds to explore the
emotion further. Start to think about
the dog breeds that you like, and pick
your favorite breeds to make this
design phase as fun as possible.
Using Photoshop, I’m going to draw

a Rottweiler, German Shepherd,
Labradoodle, French Bulldog, and a
Welsh Corgi. I just think that these
breeds could be fun to base a design on
– they’re so adorable!
Stylized breed thumbnails

Start looking for stylized, appealing
shapes in each dog. Working digitally
now, keep your sketches loose and
scribbled. I have a pretty good idea
of how stylized I want the design to
be. I want to find a balance between
realistic and cartoony features, as it
suits my personal taste, and is a fun
style to work in.
The face and eyes should be expressive

and easy to read, and the rest of the body

should have clear shapes. Imagine a fat
greedy dog with short, skinny legs to
contrast nicely with the rest of the body,
and emphasize the greediness.
Early breed explorations

I now have five dog designs that I will use
to explore shame and guilt. It is useful
to already have a rough design to start
working with, and draw in different poses.
However, I do not settle on any one
breed or style yet. I want the emotion to
support the design, instead of the other
way around.
Left: Make quick studies of favorite

dog breeds
Below: Explore the shape styles of

each breed
Right: Further rough designs of the five breeds

40 | Bad dog!
Below: A spider diagram of bad behavior that

many dog owners can probably relate to!
MY FAVORITE
PHOTOSHOP BRUSH►
Bottom: Draw rough thumbnails I only use one Photoshop brush for
from memory all of my line sketches in this article,
and it is the awesome Animator Pencil
Brush by Kyle T. Webster. I really love
his brush packs, but this is one that
mimics pencil strokes and it is my all-
time favorite for sketching!
Back story
It’s time to get back to generating ideas. I find
it a lot easier to create a character when there
is a back story to my drawing. Try to come up
with common scenarios a naughty dog could
get into. What would be upsetting for a dog
to do to you?
Try to challenge yourself, and find situations

where it is almost impossible to forgive your
dog. You can challenge yourself to design
the cutest, most heart-meltingly guilty dog
possible. A dog you just cannot get angry with,
no matter how hard you try!
New thumbnails
I now feel confident enough in my ideas to
start designing the final character, so I go back
to the drawing board. Do some fast thumbnails
from memory, experimenting with some of
the different poses you established earlier.
Keep your first spider diagram in front of you
when you are sketching to remind you of your
earlier research.
Do as many sketches as you want to give you lots of options

to choose from. I like to spend time on this stage and after a
couple of attempts I think I’ve found a pose that I like. I want
to use the Rottweiler design (top right) as I like the way he
sits, his back hunched, and the way he avoids eye contact. I’ll
explore this one further!
IDEAS TRASH CAN
Time for some more notes
I move back to drawing with pencil and paper as it feels easier I decide to leave these two sketches of the Welsh
for me to sketch thumbnails traditionally. Digital media, with Corgi and German Shepherd behind, as they
all its unlimited options and toolkits, can be distracting at look rather sad and afraid instead of the guilty
times. With only pen and paper you just work with what is in expression I am trying to achieve. It is certainly a
front of you, and it is a lot easier to invent new ideas. I also challenge to find the right balance of emotions!
tend to capture the essence of a pose much faster on paper.
I look at the Rottweiler digital sketch and start to scribble

down a fast idea of his proportions. I like the idea of a fat,
greedy Rottweiler who has probably eaten from the cookie
jar again. I add notes to the sketch as I go.
Left: Select a favorite pose. In this case the Rottweiler wins
Below: Tweak the proportions of the final design

and add notes
42 | Bad dog!
Designing in the later stages

I make two more iterations of the same design before I
find the proportions I like. It is very handy to redraw your
design over and over again, instead of tweaking an existing
sketch. You can always combine older versions with new
ones, as long as you create several options along the way.
Adding props
Add some props and a hint of the character’s environment
to support the story and give context to the character’s
personality. I add a broken cookie jar and scattered
cookie crumbs. That naughty dog almost ate them all! I
also position the sketch so that the view of the scene tilts
down slightly, to make the dog feel small and weak.
Final piece
I now have my final design! I refine the sketch a bit more,
and try to maintain the simplicity of the design. This
process is pretty much what my workflow is like when I
take on a new emotion-based character design or one
with a story. I hope that you find the process useful for
your own work! ♦
LINE OF ACTION►
One thing that I notice while
studying the behavior of guilty
dogs, is that most of them have a
rather hunched posture. They keep
their heads low, and keep their tail
between their legs if they’re really
insecure. Keep this in mind while you
work on your final design.
“I like the idea of a fat,

greedy Rottweiler who
has probably eaten from
the cookie jar again”
Opposite page: Draw the design in several iterations to refine it
Top: Props help to support the story behind the design
Bottom: Final design of a naughty (but adorable) cookie thief! © Andrea Femerstrand
44 | Styling hope and shock
Happiness tends
to change the
STYLING HOPE
general eye-shape
and cause it to
crinkle upwards.
& SHOCK
Bev Johnson
Lines to the corner
and around the
mouth help to
make the smile
look more natural.
In this article I will offer some quick tips on how to
express shock and hope on characters with varying
features. I use Clip Studio Paint for these sketches,
and choose a semi-realistic styling which gives a more
natural expression to the emotions of my characters.
Older, more masculine

characters tend to have
straighter mouths than
HOPE
younger characters. A
curved “U” shape creates
a more youthful mouth.
For animal characters, more

simple expressions tend to be
more effective. When features
are too realistic, the animal
may lose its expressive nature.
Pointing the eyes upwards and
to the side implies that the
character is imagining something
happy, which demonstrates hope.
Bev Johnson | 45
Pupils become
smaller with
shock, making
the eyes appear
SHOCK
wider. Corners
of the mouth
can also twist
down as the
jaw drops.
In shocked expressions the

eyebrows are elevated in
disbelief. With older characters
this can cause particularly
defined forehead wrinkles.
You can incorporate some human

characteristics into animal characters.
Giving a slightly cartoony but human-
like eye style to animals can help for
expression. Even consider including
eyebrows, depending on the animal.
Don’t be afraid of incorporating
these cartoony elements.
All images © Bev Johnson

46 | Education profile
EDUCATION PROFILE:
Ringling
C o l l e g
of Art + Design
e
We find out how the illustration and game art
courses at the Florida-based college nurture the
talents of exciting new artists and designers
All images courtesy of Ringling College of Art and Design

Ringling College of Art + Design | 47
There are many things to consider when planning a creative career, not least how and where
to learn the skills needed to secure your first job. In this and future issues, we will take a
look inside some of the different educational options and institutions providing top-level
teaching for promising artists and designers. Here we take a look at the renowned Florida-
based art school Ringling College of Art + Design. Scott Gordley, head of Illustration at
Ringling College, and Martin Murphy of the Game Art department, give us an insight into
their courses, explain what makes their students stand out to employers, and share their
advice for building a successful art career.
Illustration Major BFA

Hi Scott, thank you for taking the time to chat to us! Please could you kick things
off by telling us a bit about yourself and your role at Ringling College?
I graduated from Ringling College of Art + Design a number of years ago and moved to New
York City shortly after. I lived and worked there for forty years, receiving my MFA from Tufts
University while illustrating full-time. At that time I also served as head of the art department
at a small college in eastern Connecticut, and played tenor sax every weekend in a long-
standing blues band. In essence, I am a classic representation of over-achieving middle-child
syndrome. I’ve mellowed a little lately; still doing all the things I did previously but not as
maniacally and with more balance.
Scott Gordley
Head of Illustration As head of the illustration department at Ringling it is my job to coordinate hiring in conjunction
with the dean and vice president, set faculty schedules, manage the budget, and evaluate
faculty performance. I am also a cheerleader for the students, shamelessly encouraging their
progress with free pizza
and other perks, while
generally keeping the
whole operation running
smoothly. Added to that,
I also teach the senior
thesis course. It’s all an
absolute labor of love.
Opposite page: Illustration

students working on Cintiqs
Left: The Alfred R. Goldstein

Library at Ringling College.
Photography by Ryan Gamma
All images © Ringling College of Art and Design

alumni
illustrators are
Many successful e te aching
ge. How does th
of Ringling Colle lu ce the
en
at the college inf
and environment ents?
ess of your stud
professional succ and
, drawing,
nstantly painting
Our faculty is co
inspires them.
ts see that and it
sketching. Studen
Night” where
t called “Demo
We have an even
ls, painting and
work at their ease
faculty members
und critiquing
e students walk aro
drawing, while th
ses money for
event that also rai
the work. It’s a big
items they have
ugh the sale of
the students thro
e students’ idea
e year. It was th
produced over th
dents to see our
great way for stu
initially and it’s a
oducing work.
faculty actively pr
ux of industry
have a huge infl
Additionally, we
recruiters are
us weekly. Many
recruiters on camp
on to do great
who have gone
Ringling alumni
sbro, and so on.
Pixar, Hallmark, Ha
things at Disney,
use they know
our students beca
They want to hire
ong work ethic
t: artists with a str
what they will ge
ative.
who are wildly cre
students?
for in prospective
What do you look e thinking
advice for someon
Do you have any
udy?
of applying to st st,
and foremo
dation skills first
We look for foun
mposition and
th a sense for co
good drawing wi
an area that is
ytelling is also
perspective. Stor
ve something
the applicant ha
important. Does
with pages of
eir portfolio filled
to say? Or is th
internet?
l they see on the
derivative materia
students and
de-program new
We often have to
rvation. Drawing
draw from obse
teach them to
fine-tuned sense
not establish the
superheroes does
figure does. The
drawing from a
of anatomy that
displayed in our
tion figure work
first-year founda
Our foundation
is unbelievable.
academic center
ve to orient the
intense and we ha
program is very worth it when
rk load, but it is all
students to the wo
ey’ve made in
mous progress th
they see the enor
just one year.
Left: Work by Megan Fisher (Illustration major)
This page: Coursework by Shannon Elam (Illustration major)

In your experience as a professional of because they were available and I got to business, including working with a calendar to
illustrator, what do you think is the indulge in a variety of creative pursuits which manage your time. Be smart about how you
most important skill to learn? increased my income dramatically. orchestrate your workflow.
Flexibility. I feel that one of the reasons our
department has been so successful over the What advice would you give to someone Network and always strive to think outside of
years is that we preach diversity of skills. considering a career as an illustrator? what you perceive to be normal. In the end,
Students may want to go into concept art for Stay focused but keep your balance. While illustration is a very large and varied universe
example, and we certainly encourage that, art may be who you “are,” you shortchange and there really aren’t any limitations, so go at
but at the same time we encourage them to yourself if you do that to the exclusion of it with an open mind.
consider other avenues as a fallback option. everything else. Keep your eyes open to all
the great art in the world (including music, Finally, remind yourself to relax a little and try
My career is a perfect example of what many literature, theater, food, and so on), but dig to alleviate as much stress as possible. You are
artists experience after graduation. I’ve into your own head for what will make your art blessed as an artist if you are allowed to indulge
done years of editorial work, storyboarding, personal and unique. professionally in what kids do instinctively:
book cover art, portrait commissions, and making something out of nothing. It is really
gallery exhibitions. I found a wide range of The industry changes constantly so be flexible playtime at an adult level and if you work it
opportunities that I gladly took advantage to new opportunities. Treat your career as a right, it also pays your mortgage.
This spread: Visual development coursework by Ashley Odell (Illustration major)

Game Art Major BFA

Hi Martin, thanks for taking the time to speak to us! Please, can you tell
us about yourself and your role at Ringling College?
I started teaching full-time at Ringling College in fall 2009, and I’ve been
collaborating with my colleagues to strengthen the curriculum since our inaugural
class. My main responsibility is to advise students on their capstone senior thesis
projects which this year includes the winner of the E3 college game competition.
My past projects have included collaborations with the likes of Francis Ford
Coppola’s film studio American Zoetrope.
I love new tech and try to stay up-to-date as best I can. The game art major always
aims to be cutting-edge, from our early use of the beta version of the Unreal 4
game engine in 2013, to the inclusion of virtual reality (VR). A third of our upcoming
senior thesis projects will be in VR, and a number of our graduates from the last four
years have secured employment in the VR or augmented reality (AR) fields at major
tech companies.
What career options are there in the video game industry? Are there many
options for people who want a career focusing on creating characters?
I think it is a fantastic time to be learning how to create real-time 3D graphics.
Never before have there been so many opportunities that utilize the skills graduates
develop here at Ringling College. Most find work at AAA studios, but others work
with smaller independent studios, some freelance, and a few others work for
outsourcing firms focused on content creation. We also have some graduates
going into VR and AR departments, feature films, and a plethora of non-gaming
visualization jobs.
The queue for a junior character artist job in games is as long as the line to get into
E3 (very long). Characters on big AAA games are team
efforts, where one artist may create the base body-sculpt,
others make customizable pieces, and another will work
on shaders for details like the stitches on cargo pants for
example. Where our students have had success sculpting
characters might surprise you. One of the largest
employers of character artists is Hasbro, the toy maker,
where graduates sculpt action figures for a variety of well-
known brands. Five of our seniors and one junior student
are interning with Hasbro this summer.
For students who want to break into the game industry

as a character artist, I recommend they focus on modular
assets that could support a customizable player system.
Learn to replicate a celebrity likeness, and create the blend
Martin Murphy shapes that would support a facial action coding system.
Game Art Faculty These types of tasks kept me busy for years working for
sports franchises.
This page: Home by 2017 graduate Zachary Schlanger (Game Art major)
How important is a strong visual

identity to a successful game?
Art is the first thing that grabs the attention of
a gamer. Visuals were one of the main reasons
why our student Trent Sivek won the E3
competition this year. The game was not only
playable, it looked great too. An iconic visual
design can be the basis of the brand identity
that builds an enduring franchise.
Strong visuals speak volumes about the type

of experience a player will have in a game, and
great art supports the gameplay by providing
feedback and visual cues to inform player
decision making. Art in games can reward
tenure, encourage exploration, and offer a
player a way to personalize their experience, all
while supporting the game’s business model.
For examples, the top-selling game in May

2017 was Injustice 2, which looks gorgeous. Yet
the only difference between the $100 ultimate
edition and the standard edition is the inclusion
of twelve new characters, skins, and shaders.
Furthermore the free-to-play game League of
Legends made $1.62 billion last year in micro-
transactions for new heroes, skins, and other
cosmetic art content like visual effects.
What are the highlights of the game art

major at Ringling College?
The biggest highlight of the major is the unique
approach we take to our curriculum. That may
not be a very exciting answer, but a key to our
success has been the intense collaboration
our faculty routinely engages in to refine our
curriculum. At a typical college, program
courses don’t relate to each other, making it
harder for students to manage their cognitive programs. And most important are the headsets and Touch controllers. There’s a
loads and to build connections. In contrast, qualified instructors who teach our students twenty-four hour lab in the new library and a
many of our courses are interwoven and build how to create sophisticated results. Our entire virtual desktop solution available anytime and
on the previous courses’ learning outcomes. faculty has worked in the games industry, and anywhere on most devices.
We strive to make every assignment matter many still do.
and relate to the next one; this allows our How does the game art major prepare
students to focus on improving. We also have three high-end, VR-ready labs, students for the realities of working in
one of which features 4K G-SYNC monitors. In the highly competitive games industry?
The curriculum is one of the reasons why our addition to the ten VR kits in my office right We teach our students practical skills,
game art program has one of the highest now, five students this year were recipients of provide them challenging assignments,
graduation rates in comparison to other professional development grants for Oculus and hold them to high standards. Our
game art major focuses on the bread- Each course in the major dedicates a portion With more than eighty recruiters visiting
and-butter content creation task of to professional development, helping students our campus, many of our students have jobs
environment art. In addition to modeling form realistic expectations of the industry before graduation and the majority secure
and texturing, environments provide our and the job market. We routinely have leading employment within a month of graduation.
students with an opportunity to practice industry experts recruit on campus and
visual development, storytelling, level design, attend classroom critiques, and our graduates
advanced materials, cinematic lighting, effects, can seek their advice on curriculum,
and performance optimization. By building technology, and best practices. This year,
credible and interactive worlds, our students we had over twenty industry mentors
This spread: Phonetica by 2017 graduate Trent
create a showcase for the skills they most want reviewing student work in progress via online Sivek (Game Art major). This project won
to be employed for. collaboration tools. the 2017 E3 College Game Competition
“ Each course in the major dedicates a portion to

professional development, helping students form
realistic expectations of the industry”
You originally studied at Ringling College as an

undergraduate, how did you find the experience?
Has the college changed much since then?
During the mid-80s, a family friend introduced me to
an art director for an early game developer. At this
informational interview, the art director recommended
I check out the then-called Ringling School of Art and
Design, from where he had graduated. My research
found that the school was the only institution offering
a degree in Computer Graphics at a Baccalaureate
level in the United States at the time. So there weren’t
many options.
I found the experience amazing despite the technology;

old Intel 286 PCs, early Macs, and Amigas being all that
were available at the time. I learned to operate early
3D computer graphic applications like Crystal TOPAS
and 3D Studio before the school moved up to desktop
SGIs and Wavefront software.
The program was cutting-edge at the time, and I

was glad it put tremendous emphasis on traditional
art and design skills. These were the skills that I have
relied upon to help me transition from the old arcade
and sixteen-bit sprite-based games to the high-end,
physically-based rendering real-time 3D graphics
engines of today.
What are the most important things you hope

your students take away from their time at
Ringling College?
A strong work ethic, a pragmatic view of the world,
respect for how quickly technology changes, and an
understanding of the importance of fundamental art
skills in having an enduring career as a game artist.
I hope their time at Ringling College results in an
experience they will always cherish and friendships
that will last a lifetime. ♦
Left: Illustration students in the classroom,

Photography by Forest MacDonald
58 | Gallery
Gallery
In every issue we hope to inspire you with superb character designs and character-based
artwork from a selection of talented professional artists. This issue features work by:
Dani Diez | Tina Jiang | Sam Nassour
Sam Nassour | 59
ART DIRECTOR AND

VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
ARTIST, SAM NASSOUR,
CURRENTLY WORKS AT
CARTOON NETWORK
STUDIOS, UAE. HE
ENJOYS CREATING
STORIES, ILLUSTRATIONS,
AND CONCEPTS IN
HIS SPARE TIME.
Sam Nassour | samnassour.com | © Sam Nassour

60 | Gallery
© Sam Nassour
Sam Nassour | 61
Sam Nassour | samnassour.com | © Sam Nassour

62 | Gallery
© Dani Diez
Dani Diez | 63
DANI DIEZ IS A VISUAL

DEVELOPER WHO LOVES
FANTASY AND SCI-FI.
AUTHOR OFTHE DRAFTSMAN’S
CLOSE AND DANI DIEZ’S
INKTOBER BOOK, HE AIMS
TO ALWAYS CREATE ART
AND EXPLORE NEW WAYS
TO DO SO. LATELY HE HAS
FOCUSED ON DESIGNING
APPEALING CHARACTERS.
Dani Diez | danidiez.com | © Dani Diez

64 | Gallery
© Tina Jiang 2017

Tina Jiang | 65
A DAYDREAMER AT HEART,
TINA JIANG USES ART TO
MAKE HER VISIONS COME
TO LIFE. GREATLY INSPIRED
BY EAST-ASIAN FOLKLORE
AND AESTHETICS, TINA
IS A FREELANCE ARTIST
LIVING IN LOS ANGELES.
Tina Jiang | illustina.com | © Tina Jiang 2017

The Driver
HICHAM HABCHI
The Driver had nowhere left to go so he slammed his brakes and
skidded to a stop beneath the neon lights. Blue and red flashed from
the rear-view mirror onto his aviators. His hands were slick with sweat
within his gloves. He took one long look back, breathed, and stepped
out with his arms raised. The Authority had him surrounded; every
headlight on him, red dots circled his leather jacket like insects. Even
in the glare and beneath the blue and pink neon advertising, he was a
dark figure; hair slick, boots and jeans black, grease smeared across
what you could see of his face. One foot on the tarmac, one foot in
the car; he smirked as a drone circled down from above to handcuff his
raised hands. Narrative by Adam J. Smith
Hicham Habchi | 67
In this tutorial I will use the narrative opposite as a guide to design and then render a new character.
I will use the Driver design to demonstrate how I create stylized renders for video game and comic
characters in Photoshop. The tool I will use throughout is the Cintiq 13HD tablet as it is small and
more convenient to draw on. However, I will also use a Mac to assess, my work because it is easier
to comprehend contrasts and color codes on its display.
Research and brainstorming

The first step of the process is a research phase, which I do by looking through images and videos
on several websites. However, research can be anything from browsing social media sites to
searching specific banks of images, such as Pinterest boards or Flickr. This step is crucial to the
development of an artwork in terms of style and idea.
The first idea I have in mind for this character is inspired by those 80s car chase movies. The
narrative reminds me of a vigilante guy who is against the law. I want to create a rainy background
with dark blue and reddish lights, and a combination of vintage elements with a modern treatment.
To fit with this look I search for images that have a retro feeling with a modern treatment, images
with blue and red coloring, and I look at some inspiring movies and games too. This step is vital
in terms of exploration because it helps to define the design and inspire you to come up with
something original using existing elements from reality or fiction. Make a mood board with the
results of your brainstorming.
Above: Hicham’s tools

and workspace
Right: Make a patchwork

of images to help define
the color mood and
design elements
Images from
www.shutterstock.com
68 | The Driver
Loose lines
This step is like a warm up. Start by drawing some loose lines to
visualize the overall character idea and pose. Using these loose lines
will help you to generalize your idea; with only simple lines you can
define your character’s posture, and show if he is happy, angry, or
feeling energetic or tired.
Your character’s posture is very important for the storytelling as it

reflects the idea and design, and gives more dynamism and life to the
design. A good pose with a strong expression will simplify your task
and help to sell the ideas given in the narrative.
Thumbnails
Draw over the loose lines, exploring different lines, shapes, attitudes,
and expression. In these sketches, I use all the information I have
grouped together from the narrative and images that inspire me to
start imagining how the character will look. Each sketch has a different
pose and each pose tells a story about the character’s confident and
mysterious attitude.
Top: Simple lines facilitate the
exploration for gesture and posture
By juxtaposing different lines and shapes, you can create volume,
interesting expressions, and distinctive accessories. A combination Above: Thumbnails showing three
of good narration, posture, and expression helps to sell your idea different designs for the Driver
to the viewer, and a good understanding of these vital points makes
your sketch immediately readable. I keep in mind to use elements
that create a feeling of déjà vu, such as a leather jacket with spikes,
sunglasses, jeans, and an aggressive look. These details reinforce the
backstory of a thief or vigilante who is being chased by cops.
Hicham Habchi | 69
Refined sketches
A refined sketch is like an enhanced version of the first draft. Try
to mix your ideas from the thumbnails by taking the elements
you like from each design and creating one design, more
detailed and clean, that explains your initial idea.
Looking at the spread of characters, I think options 1 and 2 are

the best. I take the pose from option 1 and add some elements
from option 2 to come up with a sketch I am confident with and
would like to take through to the final render. I use this pose
because it was the best in terms of narration, but I adapt it
slightly so it is similar to the pose described in the narrative.
This page: Mix elements from the thumbnail

sketches to create refined versions
70 | The Driver
Line art
After approving the sketch, make sure
“A cool mood creates that all the elements are clear and follow
the direction you want. Start by drawing
a cold and dark clean lines for a better understanding of

the character’s elements and attitude.
feeling which is perfect
for my character” I add an extra Photoshop layer
(Shift+Ctrl+N) to avoid painting directly
over the sketch. This is because the line
art needs to be smooth and drawn with
a simple default brush stroke. Once
you have finished the line art, duplicate
the layer for more thickness (Layer >
Duplicate Layer). This helps to define
some part of the drawing and make
them more visible.
Grayscale
Once you are happy with the line
art you need to fill the lines with
grayscale values. This step helps to
separate elements and ensure there
is a readable balance of light and dark.
This technique can vary because some
artists start working directly with color,
but it is preferable for beginners to use
grayscale first to avoid wasting time
looking for a correct palette of colors.
To make a grayscale drawing in

Photoshop, add a Multiply layer mode
(select Multiply from the drop-down
menu on the layers tab) and start
shading the different parts of the
drawing. Focus on creating contrasts for
better readability.
Above: The redrawn line art gives a

clear, defined sketch
Right: Grayscale adds contrast

between the elements
Hicham Habchi | 71
Shadows
Adding shadow before color is another way for beginners
to avoid wasting time as this technique helps to determine
the source of light affecting your character, and gives
further volume to your drawing. It will also make the
coloring stage easier in the coming steps. Mastering this
technique will save you a lot of time testing different
palettes of colors and sources of light. This process is
similar to adding values, but in this step you need to use
an airbrush for your gradient to draw shadows following
the direction of your light sources.
Exploring colors
Exploring colors becomes easy when you have your
volumes, light, and clean line art. Apply a layer with Color
mode layer to your drawing (Layer > New Layer > Color
mode) and start exploring hues depending on the color
mood you want for your character.
For the Driver I am looking for something desaturated

and dramatic. I want a cooler mood because it suits the
type of universe described in the narrative more than a
warm color mood does. A cool mood creates a cold and
dark feeling which is perfect for my character. To achieve
this kind of mood I add a hint of blue to the desaturated
colors by using colors and hues.
Above: Determine
the direction of light
and add more values
to the drawing
Right: Explore
color options using
blue hues and
desaturated color
72 | The Driver
Texturing Using FX
Texturing defines the type of material your surfaces (in this case clothes, Adding visual effects, known in the film and TV industries as FX, to
hair, and skin) are made from. You can show texture by adding more your character is an advanced step in the refining of the design that
color details, using brushes with textures, or applying a texture image will create a more realistic rendering. Adding FX such as steam, smoke,
over your work. or dust to your design will also help to place your character within the
narrative universe. For this design, I add smoke to the cigarette in the
I make the jacket material appear shinier by adding reflections, and use Driver’s mouth and dust particles that are made visible under the neon
visual noise to give his pants a denim texture. I also add more values lights around him.
to the face to create a rougher skin texture. I then use brushes with
different textures to determine further texture and elements. This helps A simple way to add FX is to use different types of brushes which have
to create a better understanding of the materials used in the design, smoke and dust textures. You can get ready-made brushes with these
so the viewer will know instantly the kind of material that is used. As a types of texture from free resource libraries or by purchasing brush
result they will be able to make quick assumptions about the character packs from other artists on sites such as gumroad.com.
and his world.
Refining colors
I add more color details to the face and a few other sources of light. These Bottom left: Add more values and texture to the design to give the viewer a
details help to blend the character into the universe of the narrative. better understanding of the materials
For example, the blue and red light shows that there are many colored
Below: Refined color and light effects help to embed the character in his universe
lights flashing and surrounding him. The red dots of light reference the
narrative. I use different layers with color modes such as Color Balance Opposite page: Effects such as smoke and dust also make the
and gradient maps (Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map) to reduce the design more realistic and appropriate for the narrative
visual noise and contrast on the newly added details.
Hicham Habchi | 73
WORK FOR YOUR

DREAMS ►
The big challenge when working
freelance is to find a good client, and
to find one of those you need to work
hard on your portfolio. For fast results,
work on the fundamentals such as the
character pose and expression. These
are most important in helping the
viewer to understand the drawing.
Give your best in each drawing and

never feel content. Look for new
challenges, do daily updates to get
your work noticed, and get the job of
your dreams!
74 | The Driver
Adding a background steps, I blur the sharpness on the stock images

I want to add a background to increase the (Filter > Blur). If you are adding a background,
impression of the narrative the character is in, it is important to try to match the same value
and to give a better explanation to the viewer treatment you have given to the character, so
of what is happening around the character. it blends well and doesn’t look odd.
To make this simple I make a montage of
different images, which is commonly known as The final retouch
photobashing. Photobashing can help you to To finish the rendering I retouch the image with
create quick elements and backgrounds when more details, applying Color Balance (Layers >
you have a short deadline and lot of work to Color Balance), and tweaking the mood of the
deliver. It is a good technique to minimize time whole design. By refining all the elements, and
without compromising on quality. reviewing the image, you can make sure that
your design hits the specifications of your
To match the FX and back lighting I have brief, and that it is accurate to the narrative in
already added to the character in the previous terms of mood, pose, and expression.
Left: Photobashing can be used

to quickly create a background
Right: The final frame including

narrative details and materials that
add to the believability of the design
Hicham Habchi | 75
© Hicham Habchi
Elite
i o r s
a rr Me u nier
w
le
Luci
All images © Lucile Meunier

Lucile Meunier | 77
Characters have always been my favorite

subject to draw. It is a real challenge to create
a character and, more than the technical
difficulties of perspective, anatomy, and so on,
the real challenge is to create an understandable
character. They need to look alive and the people
who look at your character need to understand
the character’s story. The character’s attitude,
the outfit they wear, their body shape: all these
attributes spark the imagination.
In this tutorial I will use Photoshop and a Wacom

Intuos Pro to work on six characters that belong
to the same elite warrior squad, using different
body shapes and costume choices to show how
easy it is to create variety.
POSING
I begin with the posing, imagining each
character’s attitude and body shape (such as
round, square, triangle, and so on). My reflections
on a character’s story always start with the
posing. I use three-dimensional shapes such as
cylinders, that are easy to imagine in space.
SILHOUETTE OR LINE? ►
There are two kinds of people: painters and illustrators. The painters start with
silhouettes, the drawers with lines. Their techniques are equal in term of results, so you
just need to discover which technique suits you best. I’m an illustrator; I always start with
lines even if I want to have a fully rendered final image. You can mix the two techniques
by using a big brush when you are working on a sketch, then clean the work with a little
brush (I use a 4-pixel round brush).
Whatever the technique, you need to understand proportions and anatomy to draw
characters well. Life model classes are a really good exercise as they help you hone all
the key skills: anatomy, perspective, posing, and line quality.
78 | Elite warriors
ANATOMY
From the pose, I develop the anatomy
of the characters before moving on
to one of my favorite elements: the
face. At this stage, characters start to
look real and I can imagine a life for
each one. This step is an opportunity
to adjust the pose if necessary and
change proportions if they are not
quite correct.
Lucile Meunier | 79
INITIAL COSTUME DESIGNS

This is the messiest part of my process. I lower the opacity of
SHAPE AND PERCEPTION ► the previous layer and begin sketching over it. The idea is to
To communicate a clear idea for a character use design a squad of Oriental warriors, so their costumes need to
simple shapes. Round shapes are perceived as have drapery, leather, and jewelry. I adjust the shape and style
friendly, triangular shapes are dangerous, and of dress for each character to communicate the feeling I want
rectangular shapes are stable. You can observe for each personality.
this in comic books and animations as character
designers use clichés to help people understand
the story quickly. You can also play with the
technique and try to make a super cute and
kind character full of triangles, or make a round
character look evil. It is an interesting experiment
to help you understand the power of shapes.
I think of shapes from the very beginning of the

process when I choose the body shape, then I
reinforce it with the face and finally with the
costume. With these characters for example,
I want the younger male character to look the
meanest so I make him skinny with sharp shapes. I
use a lot of triangles in the hair, nose, and costume
of this design.
80 | Elite warriors
CLEANING AND REFINING

I clean my sketches and go further into the
refinement of the designs by adding small
details, patterns, and embellishments. I don’t
like the rigid pose of the bearded male character
so I change it. It is easy to adjust the pose at this
stage because I now know what kind of outfit he
will wear.
Lucile Meunier | 81
CHECKING SILHOUETTES
This is the moment to check your
silhouettes. Are the characters readable? Is
it clear what kind of warrior the character
is? These are the kind of questions I ask
myself towards the end of the design
process. If the silhouette doesn’t work, go
back a couple of steps and adjust it.
82 | Elite warriors
USING COLOR AND PATTERN

If everything has turned out well with the silhouettes, you can finalize your
design in this step. With colors you can add more detail and patterns that
wouldn’t be understandable with only lines. For example, on these designs I
add scars on the characters’ skin. I want it to be clear that these characters
are a group so I use colors that fit together across the designs and repeat
the same kind of patterns.
Lucile Meunier | 83
MEET THE ARTIST:
Meg Park
With clients such as Disney, Sony Pictures Animation, and
Paramount Pictures, Meg Park has an understandably hectic
schedule, yet she still finds time for her playful personal projects.
We catch up with Meg to find out more about her work, side
projects, and what life as a freelance character designer is like.
Meg Park | 85
Hi Meg, thanks very much for taking the time How long have you been working freelance?
to chat to us! Please can you tell us a little what is it like and what opportunities have
about yourself and where you’re from? you had?
I grew up in a small town in Fife, Scotland. I’ve I’ve been working freelance full-time for four and
been drawing for as long as I can remember a half years. Some of the opportunities have been
and never really considered pursuing anything amazing. I’ve worked on feature films, short films,
else as a career. I tried a bit of everything in TV series, commercials, and children’s books.
college, from painting to sculpture, graphic Freelance work is pretty unpredictable, but I kind
design, and photography, but my heart was of enjoy not knowing what’s around the corner.
always set on being an animator. I went on
Opposite page: An illustration
to specialize and earn my degree in animation, Any down-time I have between client work I
from Meg’s book Alver
but as I learned more about the process spend on personal projects. It’s refreshing to
Below: Baddies from Fluff of animated filmmaking, I found myself be able to shake off the limitations of client
& Fangs volume 2 enjoying the pre-production side more than briefs and take complete creative control over
anything else. something on the side.
Right: A cool cat character for
one of Meg’s new side projects
All images © Meg Park

Your side projects have resulted in three difference into consideration. It helps if I work
books Fluff & Fangs volumes 1 and 2 and later in the day so I can be around to answer
Alver. What are the ideas behind them? emails and Skype calls.
I try to put out an art book once a year. It’s nice
to have a printed collection of my work to look Strict daily schedules are not really my thing,
back on, and other people seem to enjoy them no matter how hard I try to structure one
too. The Fluff & Fangs books typically contain to suit me. Sometimes I feel like getting
a selection of my favorite works and sketches. everything done by 5 pm, and sometimes I feel
Alver is an illustrated story book I made in 2015; like working past midnight.
I felt like trying something different that year.
What does your day-to-day working life

look like?
It depends on what I’m working on, but
generally I prefer to work from noon into
the evening. I often work with studios based
in California, which puts an eight-hour time
This page: Who’s Frankie?

is an 80s-inspired piece
Opposite page: A design for the

MerMay challenge earlier this year
Meg Park | 87
What do you enjoy most about your job?
As a super obvious but honest answer, I think the thing I enjoy most
about my job is simply that I get to draw all day. It feels like I cheated the
system somehow. I’m getting paid to do the thing I would spend my free
time doing anyway (don’t tell my clients).
We love how lively and spirited your characters are, what influences
your style?
I always try to draw from life or from my own experiences wherever I
can. For me, thinking about the character’s outward appearance is
only half the job. I try to think about what’s happening beneath the
surface as much as possible, and this helps to inform my decisions on
everything from attitude to pose, and even the choice of clothing.
Nothing compares to real-world observation when it comes to looking
for inspiration and new ideas.
This spread: The main character in

Meg’s illustration story Alver
“ Nothing compares to
real-world observation ”
This spread: Greedy foxes from Fluff & Fangs volume 2

“Building relationships
with clients and marketing
yourself is a slow
process that takes time”
What advice would you give to someone thinking about becoming a

freelance character designer?
As a full-time job that will sustain you, be prepared for things to be slow
in the beginning. There is no shame in taking a day job and freelancing on
the side if you have to. Building relationships with clients and marketing
yourself is a slow process that takes time.
In the field of character design, it’s more important than ever right now
to find your own voice and stand out from the crowd. Pay attention to
current trends but don’t draw too much inspiration from other artists
already working in the industry. Show that you can bring something new
to the table.
What would you like to work on in the future? Do you have any
freelance or side projects in the works you can tell us about?
I have several books in mind and would love to make a short film one day.
I try not to reveal too many details of my side projects as I’m prone to
changing my mind and leaving things unfinished!
Right now, I’m just about to make the big move to Los Angeles to work
in-house at a studio. Working freelance has been amazing but the time
feels right for a change of scenery. I feel incredibly lucky to have landed
such an amazing opportunity. ♦
Kids with
attitude
ENRIQUE FERNÁNDEZ
In this tutorial I will take inspiration from my five-year-old daughter
and create a fresh and charming character. I will reduce the
graphical elements of the design as much as possible to offer
an example of my usual freelance workflow reduced to the very
basic concepts. The techniques covered will range from traditional
sketching and illustrating, to working digitally, and will focus on the
ideas which are formed before starting the very first stroke.
Enrique Fernández | 93
First ideas
From the very beginning of the process, try
to form simple ideas that you can easily keep
in mind throughout the creation process. It is
always easier to return to a strong foundation
when you get stuck on a design, than it is to
return to a complex idea which conflicts with
new ones.
In this case let’s try to find a character, a little

lady, who is fun and agile. To make the design
youthful focus on the head from the start.
Make it bigger in proportion to the body, so all
the visual weight (the focus of your eye when
reading the picture) goes there. Also make
the feet really tiny with only a few details. This
gives the sense that the character has little
physical relationship with the floor.
Visual references
Get some good visual references. Photos that
you take yourself will help even more, as you
have been in contact with the subject and
all the elements surrounding them. Lights,
textures, the movement of the elements;
everything goes in your favor if you have been
in contact with the subject of your reference.
Above: Before starting,
In this case, I take some photos of my eldest think about the basic idea
daughter Amelia. As you can see, she likes to behind the design
make many faces and we had fun during the

Below: Use photo references.
process! Unfortunately she moves really fast Personal photos can be
so many of the images are blurred. They are particularly useful
good enough for reference purposes however. Model: Amelia Fernández
94 | Kids with attitude
Learn from your references are more subtle. Avoid confusing details and make
At this point focus on learning the geometry of the general shapes recognizable. Play with the
the character’s features using the reference; learn different elements and try all possible variations,
all the shapes, and how the muscles work. Don’t even if it seems that you are going too far from
worry about being realistic here, or even close to the features of the original model. Find where the
the exact dimensions of the reference image. limit of readability is and enjoy playing around with
the proportions.
You just want to learn information from the
model, read their features, and understand them Again keep your focus on the idea, not on making a
while drawing. At the end of this step I am going to brilliant drawing. At this point the more variations
move to a more cartoon style, so you do not need you can do, the better, as your understanding of
to do great academic drawings now. where the design is going will improve. And yes,
drawing more on a schedule means drawing as fast
Sometimes when working as a freelance character as you can!
Above: Explore the reference’s
designer, you will be asked to do a similar task to
geometry, shapes, and behavior
this; create a character based on a movie actor Set basic ideas
for instance. But you need to capture the essence Now that you have played a bit with the shapes Right (top): Start to stylize
of the person, and not make the character just a and volumes, and tried out different thoughts, the character using a
recognizable likeness or a caricature. you should have an idea of which elements you personal technique
want to keep from the original reference. Some

Right (bottom): Think about the
Start to stylize elements will seem to be in concordance with the
elements that will be used, and
Based on what you have learned from the model, character’s essence, even if they are not really how to make them different
start simplifying the volumes and shapes so they described in the pictures.
At this point I know for certain that

the hair is really important to the
character design. It is going to be
reduced to a basic recognizable
shape, but I want to keep some
elements that describe the
character’s behavior. In particular
I like the two triangular shapes on
the top of her head which break
the line of the whole head, and
the “W” shapes at her neck add
movement and vibration.
Talking of shapes, consider some

graphical elements that could be
used later in the design process.
In this case, a bell shape is a good
basic shape and a triangle shape will
make the design visually sharper
and add movement. There is a lot
of information in basic shapes, and
you can use them to your favor to
maintain your concept ideas. Play
with the contrast of the angles and
curves, and try to find a new way
to explain key elements such as the
eyes, lips, nose, and ears.
Visual balance
Choose a configuration of elements that is balanced.
Note how in this design each one of the elements can be
contained inside a single shape, making it feel coherent.
There is also a good combination of angles and round
shapes that harmonize the whole design by their contrast.
We have a winner! Try dispersing your elements, starting
with a single shape to see how different the design
can be, and how well everything works together if the
elements are balanced.
Turn around
Probably the part that I dislike the most when doing a
design is doing a turn-around of a character as it requires
more technique and patience than artistry. You dislike it
as much as I do I’m sure, but we need to do it anyway to
better understand the design. It’s absolutely necessary,
and we can’t avoid this step.
Fortunately, if your design is for a personal project, you

can make turn-around sketches that are simpler and
explore more interesting angles than poses that describe
volumes and how elements like hair are assembled on the
head. The frontal (or almost frontal) view is always the
easiest way to do a character design, but it is the worst
view for understanding volumes.
Arms and hands

It is time to practice some hands and arms before
implementing them on the body. Play with the same Above: Note the face shapes
shapes you used for the face so they form a résumé and their proportional
of all the items you would like to use throughout the spread through the design
design. Again, try to make the forms easy to read. Avoid
Below: Move and
unnecessary details and try to find your own personality
rotate the head to help
through the design.
understand the volumes
Ask yourself if you need to be strict with the Above: A handful of hands! Practice
key elements such as hands in
anatomical correctness, or if you can play with
the same way as the face
the shapes and lines to make the action of the
hands and arms understandable. Below: Find a balance between
straight and curved lines, especially
Take in to consideration that there’s a visual on the most stylized elements
connection between the hands and the face

when a character is speaking. The hand design
should not interfere with the importance of
the face, unless of course you want to do that
on purpose!
Legs
Now work on the design of the legs. As I
decided earlier in the process, the legs will end
with tiny feet, but that concept can be pushed
even more: you can use perspective to make
the lower part of the design work in your favor.
The feet are a rounded triangular shape with
a single sharp point. There is minimal contact
with the ground, and visually this will help to
make the whole character feel lifted in the air.
You can play with the shapes of the clothes and

how they deform depending on the pose of the
feet. Always use straight and simple lines which
better describe the movement and weight of
the pose. I want to keep the triangle shape,
even if the shape of the feet will look like the
burn pattern of an iron!
FEWER LINES ►
Want to keep the design clean without the saturation of too
Full body many lines? Try making the final render backwards. Trace all the
You are now ready to continue with the full body design, character lines on a separate layer and start erasing them until
starting with the head. All proportions will follow your you are left with only the lines that are really needed to explain
first ideas: for this character those are the big head or define the character. Think about it as a form of calligraphy;
and the thin lines on the rest of the body. Also follow reduce the lines and information to gestures, and simple but
your basic shapes from earlier, such as the bell shape, elegant strokes.
to build the shoulders and torso. Play with details that
will break the regularity of the composition, to make
the character appear more alive. Note that the details
of the shirt-neck on my character are a bit distorted
to add motion.
Bones
This is a good point to stop and think about how the
character is constructed inside. This step will help you
a lot once the character is defined, as you can use it
to make poses without going too far from the original
Right (near): The full body sketch

is the first look at the final design
Right (far): Imagine the design

is a puppet to understand its
construction and movement
Right (near): Block in the

basic colors and decide on
a look for the character
Right (far): Apply shadows

and lights to add more value
model. This will help you better understand the and paint the shapes as quickly as possible. You of realistic shadows that make the values
weight of every part of the body. Imagine you can always make changes on the color values confusing or overworked.
have been asked to do a puppet and you have later, once all the pieces are painted. Note that
to physically build it. To make this easier, take the legs and feet are reduced to a single mass Also add a new layer for light effects, like the
the design into Photoshop and add a Multiply of color. Less is more! reflection of light on the hair. Be careful when
layer. Use a strong color to roughly mark how doing this kind of light though, as it should
the bones would be distributed inside the body. Shadows, light, lines follow the geometry already defined by the
On a new Multiply layer, start painting shadow shape of the head. If you make an incoherent
Color base details. To make this step quick and graphical, I light effect, it will not add volume properly.
Let’s start blocking in the basic colors of the use a blue color and mark some little shadows.
character. Visualize you are cutting colored The blue color adds all the contrast needed to On another layer, use a brush with personality
paper that will be layered over each other, using create a shadow, and at the same time adds a in the strokes to define the contour lines, which
the larger base first. From this foundation you value of natural light. give the design a finished look. If possible,
can continue to add layers over one another. avoid using these lines over the whole design.
Use the design as a reference on a separate I want my character to appear very clean Leave some areas clean, such as those already
layer, reducing its opacity. Add a Multiply layer and bright, so there is no need to use a lot defined by colored shapes.
Poses
With a solid design it is time to play with your
new toy! More than the turn-around, drawing
poses will help you understand your character
better. How it moves, how it acts and reacts,
how some simple basic movements are done to
add personality. Try to focus on the poses that
will determine, without any doubt, the behavior
of your character.
Sometimes this is the moment the character

design makes full sense in a production. It can be
the moment it is either approved, reconsidered,
or changed. Maybe the design is great and the
ideas are perfectly balanced from the previous
steps, but here you will see your character alive,
and it will determine if you have achieved what
you want.
Attitude
I like to create background stories for the
characters while working on them, even if it’s just
to help me understand them. Whenever possible,
add some personal flavor to your character. In
this case I use a personal experience from my
everyday routine with Amelia. My daughter is
not allowed to take toys to school, but she will
do it anyway! And she will defend her decision
at all costs.
Boris the toy cat and the star jacket are two
elements from real life that add fun to the design
and tell a story. Props like these can help a lot
when showing the attitude of your character.
The background story doesn’t need to come
from your personal experience; you can use
friends’ stories or actors from films to feed your
stock of useful anecdotes. ♦
This page: Play with the character.

Explore their personality
through different poses
Opposite page: The finished

design has story details to support
the character’s attitude
“Try to focus on
the poses that
will determine,
without any doubt,
the behavior of
your character”
© Enrique Fernández
Contributors
TB CHOI MICHAŁ DZIEKAN ANDREA FEMERSTRAND ENRIQUE FERNÁNDEZ
Freelance Artist Illustrator & Character Designer Concept Artist & Illustrator Character Designer
facebook.com/sjinchoi1234 michaldziekan.com noukah.com enrique-fernandez.com
TB is a twenty-two-year-old Michał was a motion artist and Animals are Andrea’s favorite Enrique is a comic, animation
freelance artist and drawing art director before his passion subjects to draw. She has worked and video game artist. He has
teacher based in Korea. She loves for drawing satirical illustrations on a variety of films, children’s freelanced for Disney, Headless
to draw and play games. became a full-time career. books, and games since 2008. Productions, and Hasbro.
SCOTT GORDLEY HICHAM HABCHI BEV JOHNSON DONNA LEE

Head of Illustration at Ringling Concept Artist & Comic Artist Character Designer & Story Artist at Walt Disney
College of Art + Design hichamhabchi.com Storyboard Artist Animation Studios
scottgordleyart.com bevsi.weebly.com birdyhoodie.tumblr.com
Scott’s clients include TIME Based in Dubai, Hicham immerses Bev graduated from the Rhode Donna has so far worked for
magazine, Esquire, and Penguin himself in comics and video Island School of Design in June Disneytoon Studios, Paramount
Viking. He joined Ringling College games. His clients include Blizzard 2017. She loves drawing emotional Pictures, DreamWorks Animation,
as Head of Illustration in 2016. Entertainment and Riot Games. and expressive characters. and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
LUCILE MEUNIER MARTIN MURPHY MEG PARK GABRIEL PICOLO

Character Designer at Game Art Faculty at Ringling Character Designer Comic Artist & Illustrator
Fortiche Production College of Art + Design megpark.com patreon.com/picolo
lucilemeunier.com ringling.edu
Lucile is a self-taught concept Martin has contributed to feature Meg has recently relocated to Los Gabriel is a comic artist and
artist and character designer who films, commercials, and more Angeles. Her clients include Disney, illustrator from Brazil. He likes
has worked in the video game and than twenty games. He has taught Paramount Pictures, Illumination constellations, Greek mythology
animation industries for six years. professionally for twelve years. Entertainment, and Reel FX. and story-telling drawings.
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Image © Enrique Fernández

RINGLING COLLEGE MEG PARK

With initiatives such as Inktober (an annual sketch-a-day challenge

All images © Gabriel Picolo

Hi Gabriel, thanks very much for

Your 365 days of doodles project

Left: Warm-up ink studies to test new ink brushes

Right: The sun

As a self-taught artist how do you

“The sooner you

For instance, there are plenty of websites with to make mistakes,

art will improve”

You’ve just published CELESTIAL, a

If you could travel back in time five

This page: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constellations

Opposite page: Snap Out Of It

Before you begin working

From these loose doodles or quick

When you have selected your design, you can

It is important to make your character’s shapes clear. Try to

Try to empathize with

Ask a friend, or people online, “does this character

All images © TB Choi

Left: A treat can mentally

Below: Use a sketchbook

Who Is this character?

Start by jotting down some bullet

There are no bad ideas

Produce a catalogue of drawings to choose

Above: Draw sketches from references

Right: In this idea the character

Opposite page: Continue exploring

“You are still in the early stages and

Don’t lift your pen ►

Try experimenting by bringing contrast to your shapes, adding

Above: Use unexpected shapes to create characters with

IDEAS TRASH CAN

The right outfit

This page: Ideas for cactus-themed hair and outfits

Negative and positive space

Right: Look at the positive and negative

Opposite page: The character pulls out

If you are working digitally, try to force yourself

“Creating vignettes or small stories

Props and other characters

In the illustration on the previous page my

Posing and acting

You could draw a line of action (a line showing the

Above: A detailed action sketch of how the

Right: The character interacts with others,

Above: Draw a variety

Left: Use small

This spread: Using Photoshop, make final

Hi Michał, thanks for taking the time to

“I love to tell stories in art, and the idea that a character’s

liked bitter-sweet dark twist on everyday situations. What are

connections and It all started with illustrating a couple of

black humor, and annoying or stressful; just some simple stuff I

idea, this is what

defines the style of

It takes a lot of dedication to continue working on

It’s a bit harder now, when my work is illustration and