Creating a character (the story behind it)

Over the last two weeks as well as doing my 3D and other 2D work I have been assigned the task of creating a character, but not any character it had to be an interesting one. Now this is something I've never properly done before and to create a character like this is quite a daunting task. This was a fantastic exercise and opportunity to do something that intrigues me, I did have a problem though and that was the process behind it. I knew where to start my project off which was good but I didn't know what kind of process there was behind making a character so I decided rather then ponder to take a leap into the dark and see where I got.

The first step was to just go out and draw as well as photo lots of people and different expressions. I did thumbnails and quick sketches during lectures and from some photos. I also did self portraits of me using 30 different expressions because it helped me understand the way the face changes when these faces are changed (nose moves up, ears down, etc.). When this was going on I did start thinking about the different characters that might use that face and what they might look like. This was staring to get my imagination flowing which would prove useful throughout the entire project.

I then went back out and drew more images of people in the street. I tried to find people which interested me. Some had interesting walks (or gaits), some had odd clothes or expressions on their faces. During this process I found I was thinking more of more about why a certain feature makes the character interesting and what the story was behind them. What kind of character it would make was another interesting thing. Eventually I found a man selling Big Issues who had a massive bag, a broken/scared nose and some ear piercings. Like all people selling the Big Issue he was a bit rough around the edges and after a conversation with him I really got a sense that this would be the guy I would base my character off.

I started exploring with more of the different faces, clothes and accessories and gradually started picking out the part which I thought visually were interesting and creating this character. I was staring the form this character and build him up.

 Now that I was finding this character I was thinking more and more about who he is and how he fits into the world. Who he is, Where did he come from? How did he walk? these questions were appearing and through my work I was answering them. I realised that this is how you make a character. You find his story and do this by thinking about all the details not just how he looks but why he might look that way and how he might move.

By the end I had found my character. A wandering aged man who even though looked scruffy was hopeful and quietly optimistic. He seems like he once might have been better off but in his old age he had learned to like his new life and collects memento's of his past and things he finds interesting in that massive beaten up old bag. One of the second years in a workshop suggested that he could have been an old gambler who had lost a lot and I thought that was a nice little back story. Maybe that's why he collects things so that if its worth something he can gamble it. He might be hopeful and optimistic because he always wants to win.

I had loads of fun this project and learned that when making a character you go through all the senses of the character and making a character is almost like uncovering one. You kind of exhume it, it starts off vague but as you dig deeper more details and possibilities are unveiled but it also becomes more defined and strong.