For this semester, I have been granted the role of main character designer. A character designer is someone who visualises and creates the look of individual characters.
A character designer is someone who visualises and conceptualises the look of individual characters displaying action, anatomy and varying perspectives. They are usually given a description by the director and turn their personality into physical qualities through facial expression, poses and posture.
A good character designer will:
- Have a keen eye for detail in human expression
- Has the ability to understand the story of a character
- Creates memorable and iconic characters
- Has a very high level of technical skill, able to work in a variety of styles
- Collaboration with other team mates (Spectrum, 2024)
Character designers are also responsible for creating multiple variations of a design for one character. They then show these to a director and implement any feedback they receive to achieve a result that they are happy with. They also carry out research into the anatomy of characters and relevant fashion styles. A character designer’s role heavily relies on the ability to draw well. Once a design has been approved of, the character designer will then create a model sheet which will show the character from multiple angles. In 3D animation, the modeller will use this sheet to create the character. Where as in 2D animation, the animator will use the sheet to ensure that the character is “on model”. Character designers are employed by an animation studio rather than freelancing. (ScreenSkills, 2024)
How do they work with?
Character designers work with writers, directors, modellers, and animators
Tools of the trade:
Image editing: Adobe Photoshop
3D modelling: Blender, 3DS Max, Maya, Mudbox, Zbrush, Substance Designer, Quixel
2D animation: TVPaint, ToonBoom Harmony, CelAction
Physical: Pen, pencil, paper, chalk, ink etc (ScreenSkills, 2024).
Did I fulfil my roles? REFLECTION
| Responsibility | Example | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Have a keen eye for detail in human expression | Created varying expressions of Yami | Link |
| Has the ability to understand the story of a character | Understood that he is an egotistical model from the start. Tried to convey that through his clothing and hair. | Link Link (Has a link to a google slides) |
| Creates memorable and iconic characters | Playtests and peer feed back | Link Link Link (There are also several slides in which I designed) |
| Has a very high level of technical skill, able to work in a variety of styles | Tested different styles at the beginning before committing to a specific style. | Link |
| Collaboration with other team mates | A few posts about working with Izzy. Here we would go back and forth sending each other feedback. | Link |
Sources
ScreenSkills (2024). Character designer (also known as 2D character designer) in the animation industry. [online] ScreenSkills. Available at: https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/animation/pre-production/character-designer/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2025].
Spectrum, C.G. (2024). Character Designer Job Description, Salary, Skills & Software. [online] www.cgspectrum.com. Available at: https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/character-designer [Accessed 20 Feb. 2025].