Character Design
Shape language
Audiences read shape before detail: circle means soft, friendly, childlike; square means solid, dependable, stubborn; triangle means sharp, dangerous, clever. Build a body from two or three combined shapes so the character reads at silhouette size.
The model sheet
A design is finished only when it can be repeated. A model sheet carries:
- Turnaround - front, three-quarter, side and back at the same height.
- Expression sheet - six to nine key emotions.
- Proportion chart - head units, plus hand and foot detail.
- Colour palette with hex or RGB values.
- Line-up - every character at the same scale to check relative height.
Appeal and consistency
Give each character one memorable identifying feature: a bent ear, a striped scarf. Keep costume, hairstyle and props identical in every panel unless the story changes them; a missing scarf is a continuity error, not a style choice.
Worked example
Design a 12-year-old village boy, poor but brave. Shapes: a square torso plus a round head for likability. Silhouette: an oversized hand-me-down kurta, bare feet, a taped cricket bat. Palette: dusty ochre and faded blue so he sits naturally against the maidan. Reasoning: the shapes signal temperament, the bat gives the silhouette a hook, and the muted palette keeps him from fighting the background.
Traps that cost marks
- Giving the hero and the villain identical body shapes.
- No turnaround, so the back view changes in every panel.
- Changing costume colours between panels of one scene.
- Detail so fine that it disappears at thumbnail size.
- A design that works alone but breaks in a crowd scene.