Tag: character design

yamino:

Here’s the Character Creation sheet I mentioned in my Webcomic Beacon interview! <3

It’s part of my collection of awesome resources I got during my SCAD years. I had to fill this out for Claire when I was first starting out with the comic. 

You can copy and paste it, or you can just download the word doc: www.yamiloo.com/CreatingYourCharacter.doc

Creating Your Character

The Character Physically

1. What is the character’s stature and build?  Are they overweight or lean?  What is their height and weight?

2. How old are they?

3. Describe their posture; is it good? Do they carry themselves well? Are they crooked, straight, or handicapped?

4. Are they in good shape or out of condition? Are they muscular, weak, or strong? Any special abilities or super powers?

5. How is their health? Any illnesses or conditions?  

6. Are they physically active or sedentary? A fast or slow mover?

7. Are they clumsy, awkward, or graceful when they move, walk, or run?

8. Would you describe the character as good looking, pretty, beautiful, average, plain, ugly, disfigured?

9. How does the character regard their physicality? Are they proud, ashamed?

10. Describe their complexion and skin. Dark, light, clear, marked, tattooed, branded?

11. Describe their hair, coloring, styling. Is great care taken in upkeep, or disregarded as a nuisance?

12. How is their dexterity? Do they have good hands? Can they manipulate and create or repair?

13. Is he physically tense or relaxed, nervous, controlled?

14. What part of their body would you notice first? 

15. How is their eyesight? Wear glasses, blind, going blind? Color?

The Character’s Clothes

1. How many clothes does this character have?

2. What kinds of items are in their wardrobe?

3. Do they have favorite articles of clothing?

4. What colors are their clothes, is there a wide range?  Bright or dull? What are their favorite colors to wear?

5. Are their clothes old or new?

6. Were they bought or homemade, hand-me-downs, expensive tailored-made?

7. Is your character at home in their clothes or uncomfortable?

8. Does your character care for their clothes, kept up and neat, do they worry about how they look?

9. Does your character have to dress a certain way because of his job or position? Is it a uniform?  If so, do the clothes fit their real, basic character, or are the clothes worn as a symbol or mask?

10. Do they dress according to a self-image of themselves? Is this self-image conscious or unconscious?  At what age was this self-image set, and what circumstances dictated the image?

11. Discuss adornments, jewelry, or trophies that your character might wear. Are there tattoos, piercing, brandings, or ritualistic scarring, and what were the events, rituals, or circumstances that lead your character to having them.

12. What kind of underwear does your character wear?

The Character’s Voice 

1. Does your character speak in a high or low pitch?

2. Are they a loud or soft talker?

3. Is there a wide range in the voice in volume, pitch, quality, or is the voice consistent and even?

4. Is there good resonance to the voice?  Is the voice throaty, chesty, heady, or nasal?

5. Is there tension in the voice? Anxiety? Emotion?

6. Is there an accent? Anything unusual in pronunciation? Emphasis? Phrasing?

7. Is it a trained voice or just natural? Does the character try to speak well or just however it comes out?

8. Is the speech clear or muddy? Do they mumble? Are they distinct?

9. Is the voice comforting or irritating? Reassuring or disturbing? Are they self-conscious when they speak to others? How large a group could they speak to before they become self-conscious?

10. What is the first thought one might have after hearing your character speak? 

The Character’s Mind

1. Would you describe the character as smart, dumb, or na&iuml;ve?

2. Do they think quickly? Slowly? Are they quick-witted? Dull?

3. What kind of education do they have?

4. Does the character possess a knowledge or expertise in a particular field?

5. Is the character impulsive or deliberate in reaching conclusions? Would you describe them as being logical, rational, or emotional?

6. Do they think things out before they speak or blurt out the first thought?

7. Do they contemplative times? What occupies their mind when alone?

8. Would they be considered an idealist? A pragmatist? A dreamer? An idea person? An action person?

9. Are they motivated chiefly by abstract ideals or practical rewards?

10. Can your character tell a joke?

The Character’s Emotions and Personality

1. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert?

2. Do they get along well with people? Do they have charm or charisma? Are people naturally attracted to them? 

3. Do they have many friends? Any close friends?

4. Would you describe your character as hot-blooded or cool headed?

5. Do they have a narrow or wide range of emotions? Do they show, or are the emotions concealed?  Why?

6. Do they indulge in emotional peaks, outbursts, or valleys? Often?

7. Would you describe them as sensitive or callused?

8. Is your character suspicious, cautions, trusting, or oblivious about people or situations?

9. Are they an aggressive or reactive person? Act or react?

10. Do they typically take positive or negative action?

11. In a dangerous or emergency situation, would they go toward the situation or run away?

12. Is the character basically nervous or calm?

13. Does the character have a sense of humor? Do they appreciate jokes? Can he see humor in any situation? Can they laugh at themselves?

14. Do others find them amusing? Are they a practical joker? What do they think about tricks or jokes played on other people?

15. Is their humor ever cruel?

16. Are there any conditions that would cause them to be harmful, mean, or cruel to another person?

17. Are they a loving person? Are they capable of relating to one specific person in a romantic way?

18. Is the character loved by any other person, in what way?

19. Is the character romantically in love now? With whom? Is this a happy, rewarding or frustrating situation for them?

The Character’s Wealth, Power, and Influence.

1. Does this person have much money? Does it provide position or respect from others for him?

2. Is your character generous or selfish with their money and possessions?

3. Is the character socially prominent? Are they prominent from wealth, position, office, family history, ability or accomplishment?

4. Does the character rate high in the &ldquo;pecking order&rdquo; within their own household? Town? Area? Nation? World?

5. Does this person wield much clout? Over whom and by what means?

6. Can they command others to do their bidding, by word or manipulation? 

7. How do they get their desires?

8. To whom are they subservient? Is this submission willing or unavoidable?

The Character’s Activities

1. How does the character spend their time?

2. What does their daily routine consist of?

3. What is their profession or work?

4. What things do they really like to do?

5. What things do they hate to do?

6. What are their leisure time activities? Pastimes? Recreation?

7. Do they play games? What kind?

8. Do they like to eat or drink? Does this figure largely in their lives? How important is it?

9. How important is sex to them? What sexual activities do they partake in? Anything unusual or what you would consider deviant? 

10. Is sex a rewarding, enriching area of this person’s life or is it frightening, anxious, or frustrating? Is sex a positive or negative factor in their life?

The Character’s Favorite Things:

1. Colors? 

2. Food? 

3. Drinks? 

4. Smells? 

5. Time of day? 

6. Season of the year? 

7. Books? 

8. inds of literature? 

9. Authors? 

10. Places to visit? 

11. Kinds of music? 

12. Musical instruments? 

13. Composers? 

14. Metals; gold, iron, copper, pewter, etc.? 

15. Building materials; stone, wood, clay, tile, etc.? 

16. Fabrics; silk, wool, linen, etc.? 

17. Pieces of furniture? 

18. Plants? 

19. Flowers? 

20. Trees? 

21. Birds? 

22. Animals? 

23. Fairy-tale? 

Character’s Fears

1. What things frighten your character?

2. Are they motivated by fear?

3. To what extent are they motivated by fear; never, occasionally, usually, constantly?

4. What would this character think were the three most terrible things that could happen to them?

5. What would they think were the three most wonderful things that could happen to them?

6. What is the one thing that your character would never want anyone else to find about him or herself? What are they hiding?

The Character’s Religion

1. What are their specific religious beliefs? Do they belong to a specific sect or creed? Do they advocate that group’s beliefs?

2. How important is religion to your character?

3. Are they pious, devout?

4. In what religious activities or rituals do they engage? What percentage of their time is devoted to it?

5. How does religion motivate their actions or affect them?