Creative Character Design For Games And Animation

This book takes you through all the basic steps of character design for games and animation, from brainstorming and references to the development phase and final render. It covers a range of styles such as cartoon, stylized and semi-realistic, and explains how to differentiate between them and use them effectively. Using a step-by-step approach for each stage of the process, this book guides you through the process of creating a new character from scratch. It contains a wealth of design tips and tricks as well as checklists and worksheets for you to use in your own projects. This book covers how to work with briefs, as well as providing advice and practical strategies for working with clients and creating art as a product that can be tailored and sold. This book will be a valuable resource for all junior artists, hobby artists, and art students looking to develop and improve their character development skills for games and animation.

Create compelling, original characters using archetypes and design elements such as shadows and line with the tips and techniques found in this image-packed book. Bryan Tillman bridges the gap between the technique of drawing characters and the theory of good character design by using case studies, examples of professional art, and literary and pop culture references to teach you how to develop a character, not just draw one. The book also features Character Model Sheets that will guide you through the creation of new and unique characters. Finally, Bryan will break down established character archetypes to show you why and how the different aspects of good character design work. The content on the book is based on Bryan's popular 2009 Comic-Con course on 'Character Design'. Learn what makes a character unique and powerful by using shapes, shadows, and form - this title includes 'character model sheets' so you can put it all together yourself, as well as case studies from established artists. It bridges the gap between the technique of drawing characters and the theory of good character design in a practical, hands-on way - learn how to use story and archetypes to develop compelling, new characters. Based on a standing-room only presentation at Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego, it features the artwork of a collection of professional artists as examples to the techniques shown in the book.

While the earliest character representations in video games were rudimentary in terms of their presentation and performance, the virtual characters that appear in games today can be extremely complex and lifelike. These are characters that have the potential to make a powerful and emotional connection with gamers. As virtual characters become more intricate and varied, there is a growing need to examine the theory and practice of virtual character design. This book seeks to develop a series of critical frameworks to support the analysis and design of virtual characters. Virtual Character Design for Games and Interactive Media covers a breadth of topics to establish a relationship between pertinent artistic and scientific theories and good character design practice. Targeted at students, researchers, and professionals, the book aims to show how both character presentation and character performance can be enhanced through careful consideration of underlying theory. The book begins with a focus on virtual character presentation, underpinned by a discussion of biological, artistic, and sociological principles. Next it looks at the performance of virtual characters, encompassing the psychology of emotion and personality, narrative and game design theories, animation, and acting. The book concludes with a series of applied virtual character design examples. These examples examine the aesthetics of player characters, the design and performance of the wider cast of game characters, and the performance of characters within complex, hyperreal worlds.

What makes the difference between great video game animation and the purely functional, and how does this relatively new medium of non-linear animation creation differ from the more traditional fields of film and television? This book demystifies the animation side of game development, explaining every step of the process while providing valuable insights and work philosophies for creating the best possible game animation for beginners and professionals alike. Taking readers through a complete game production, this book provides a clear understanding of expectations of the game animator at every stage, featuring game animation fundamentals and how they fit within an overall project to offer a holistic approach to the field of game animation. Key Features Accumulated knowledge based on nearly two decades of insightful experience in all areas of video game animation. Reinterprets the classic 12 animation principles for video games, and establishes the fundamentals of creating great video game animation, and how to achieve them. \ A step-by-step explanation of every stage of a game production from the animator’s perspective, offering readers a complete understanding of the expectations of a video game animator. Interviews with notable game animators featuring behind-the-scenes insight and advice. Accompanying animation rig, tutorials and other resources at www.gameanim.com/book.

An eye-opening, visual-led exploration of the fundamental aspects of character design, including narrative, shape language, proportion, and expression.

A unique perspective on a fundamental skill - Character Design is necessary for animators, game designers, comic book artists and illustrators.

This work looks at the creative challenges of designing sprites and icons for mobile phones, portable games platforms and computers. It also explores how the limits of designing for small screens are the inspiration for vibrant and colourful art.

Character Design For Complete Beginners will help you develop skill and techniques needed to design and draw interesting and appealing looking characters, similar to the way it is done for comics, games and animation films. You will start off by learning the basics of human anatomy and realistic human proportions. You will then learn how to convert that boring realistic human into something more interesting and appealing that could be used in a movie pipeline.With 8 chapters and 150+ pages, this book wastes no time getting straight into teaching you the core concepts and skills needed to create awesome looking characters. You will find this book easy to read with minimal jargon as everything will be explained in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. You will get the most out of this book, if you follow the exercises throughout the book. Furthermore, this book is loaded with tips and tricks which I've personally discovered in my own journey and of which you would rarely find in other books.By the end of this book, you will have gained skills and techniques needed to draw awesome looking eye-catching characters. These skills will be useful and can help provide a headstart if you plan to become a character designer one day.Specifically, this book will cover:- Realistic human anatomy and proportions.- Designing different character styles.- The steps to designing realistic and appealing looking characters.- Exercises to help you gradually create your own character.- 4 follow-along projects where you see the author create 4 different characters.Subscribe to the email list at ThilakanathanStudios.com to receive regular tutorials, tip/tricks and even future eBooks for free.