What is the best way to learn character designing?
I would suggest few steps. Practice sketching people around you, and not in the perfect sense, but anything that you eye capture. Quick sketches of movements, gestures, body parts, clothes folding, etc…Research and enjoy other artists’ characters. I do that on a daily basis (you can find lots of these on pinterest and behance). This will inspire you and teach you other styles and techniques.Practice techniques until you find your own voice or something you’re comfortable with.Watch lots of tutorials on the subjects that you want to strengthen yourself. Anatomy for example, clothes design, etc.Know how to think and structure any design. Characters consist of several factors. Putting the style aside, a character first has to have an appeal (a charisma so the audience would care about or relate to, even if the character is evil), but note that cuteness and appeal are two different things. A character has a shape, weight, volume etc… A character has a personality, means he acts in a unique way, walks and talks in his/her own way (so even if it is a character drawn and not animated, you have to imagine how it act and it helps you to know how it would stand in a pose or so). Since the character has its personality or whatever, and live in a certain area and era, it has to have a consistent clothing that fits the story or the time or the place (sci-fi or fantasy or historic etc). But his outfit is also a reflection of the character, is it punk, hero, knight, detective, teenager, etc…?I would suggest also that you start copying other artists. This is important and no it’s not cheating. It will help you develop a sense of understanding. Some people love manga, some love noir comics, some love disney style, and it’s not something wrong to try different styles not just the ones you like. But of course, the style that you feel comfortable with, you can practice more on it. After copying, try to invent or draw from imagination what you learned. Or draw a different pose or perspective to an already existing character.Here’s another trick, all artists steal. Richard Williams admitted that he made Roger bunny like a collage of other characters (bugs bunny, goofy, mickey mouse, etc…). It is a great way too if you want to start creating a character. Just look at the other artists’ creations, and you can see that every character has something from another character.Those are the things that I thought about for now :)Let me know what happens.
I want to get rid of some characters in my story. How?
Start with characters who have little or nothing to do with the plot and just get rid of them. If a character can be removed without altering the major points of a book, then the character isn't needed. Readers don't like having to learn about several different people and names when its only necessary to know about the main character/s and their supporting friends and family. Next, cycle through the characters who may have a bit of a larger part in the book, and see if their actions and dialog can fit in with another character. This way you can cut back on more characters while keeping your details. But overall, as you write, you will realize that you do need several characters. This is because you will want to express many different types of scenes and details that may not fit in with the personalities of your main cast. For example, in the Hunger Games, Cinna wasn't at all a major character, but he was very needed. His one and only role in the series was to be the creator of Katniss's costumes, and it was those costumes that symbolized the mocking jay. No other character in the book was an artsy fashion designer, so Cinna's role was needed, although he himself didn't appear much. Best of luck!
What career should I do? I want to design characters for Anime,but...?
Ok, so here is my story. I am A straight a high school student with almost enough college to get an AA. All my life i have drawn people, and had the dream to become a character designer for japanese animations( anime). It has and always will be my passion. I get this... feeling when i draw that fills me with pure joy. I can draw characters for days without even noticing time has passed by. I have done so much research ( and every time i ask this question, people say" just research it. take personality tests ect." but thats not enough anymore! i need real help from real people ( and telling me " just ask disney is NOT helping. trust me, i have tried a lot of things) My lead for this is to graduate with an as degree in graphic design and transfer to SCAD for their character design program. But.. Recently i got that same joy when i visited a mechanic, and now i think i want to be a mechanic. I'm smart enough, and i have a rare learning style that i have to touch and physically do what i am trying to learn before i learn it. Both art and Mechanics learn by doing. People around me think that i could never become an animator because it is a "dream" and i need to be more realistic and go into the medical feild ( i have the personality for it, but i hate all things medical) I dont believe them. I think i can do it- become an anime character designer. Recently, a teacher of mine said that my personality ( bubley, high energy, artistic, creative ect.) matches that of an early education teacher, but i am afraid of being a teacher because i personally think it will get boring, and i dont like teaching, but i do like childeren and being fun and random. So, i made a pro/con chart and i still cant decide. I want to do it all! i want to draw characters and help animate them. I want to voice characters ( i am also an official actress, and that is fun too). I want to build and fix cars ( but not abandon my dreams that i have had since forever. plus i JUST got into cars) Theres just so much i want to do, but nobody can help me. I feel like i have no time. that i have to decide now, but i cant! i want to do it all, but i dont know how! Please, sombody help me. ( another problem i have is i cant find an anime artist in a career in america. i am willing to travel to japan to do this.)
My best friend is copying my career choice. advice?
So, we have been best friends since childhood and I have been dreaming of becoming an animator and character designer since freshman year of high school. I have taken several years of advanced courses in preparation for this career as well as countless hours building experience and a portfolio. Her dad works as a programmer for a big animation and game company. Last year I told her about how im moving to the city where her dad works and asked if her dad could help me get a job there. She was very supportive and thought it was a great idea. She has talked about being a social worker for the past year or so. Now my situation will finally allow me to move there and, only problem is that today she decided to tell me that she has decided to be an animator for her dads company. If it comes down to only one of us getting the job, im sure it will be her seeing as how its her dad not mine who would provide an opening. Is it wrong for me to be upset and a litte jealous? There are no other big oppertunity businesses like this in the state. What should I do? I dont want to lose her friendship but I also dont want to lose my dream job. Advice? Please and thank you!
I want to create my own brand of clothes to sell online. How do I start?
Spend some time creating your game plan first before you even create your online site. Most first time sellers end up quitting after a few months because they don’t see the online sales come in after they build their online site.First of all, find out who you’re going to be up against as in your competitors. This will give you an idea on the amount of work and effort you’ll need to put in to sell your own branded online of clothing.The bulk of it would be on marketing and getting your brand out there via organic search and social media without spending on any ads until you’re making profit.You may only want to hold a certain number of stock for your clothing to test the market as compared to having a lot manufactured and then facing the dilemma that they’re unable to sell. Offer limited quantity first and if response is good, you can notify buyers of incoming stock later for them to purchase.List down all the categories and products that you plan on selling and have good product images with models. Clothing sells best when customers are able to see it being worn in real life by models.Determine who would be your target customers. Wholesalers? End users? Both?Work out your costing in terms of monthly subscription fee for ecommerce service provider. If you’re looking for one that does not charge extra for features that you’ll need, consider InstanteStore.Get a domain name that is short and easy to remember. Bear in mind a lot of shoppers these days prefer to browse, shop and and buy online.Make sure your online purchasing process is easy and straight forward.Pick a good payment gateway and check their transaction fees.Offer free shipping for customers who purchase above a certain amount and pick a sensible courier service.Ask for feedback from family and friends to test out your site before you launch it.Reward customers for giving you positive reviews and feedback.Selling online is a learning journey. Give yourself a year to work on it as there’s plenty to learn and tweak along the way.Hope this helps.
As a gamer, I enjoy building/developing characters. How would that translate into a potential career I would enjoy?
First of all - I would suggest you to get your hands "dirty". What I mean is if you have time and unsure which profession to chose - why not try to make something?If you are interested in character building and development you can start from writing a short story. This story can focus on protagonist personal growth though various life situations and obstacles. Add couple of secondary characters to the story to make it more interesting. On paper create their profile diagrams and then describe their traits, short biography. For example read how popular authors or designers construct their characters - how George R.R. Martin does character development. Then present this work to your family and friends. Later if you fee like it show it to public. Ask for their opinion, be open to critique. Or if you are interested more in interactive stories - there are many free tools to use, be it Game Engine(unity or Unreal or Game Maker or some mobile), 3D Modeling and Animation Software or 2d Sketch Stories. This will be thing not only to make something but also to learn modern game development instruments. Andrea has great answer below about different roles in GD world. Again, if you have time and passion you can check them one by one. Practice will give you good understanding what you like and what you don't. You wrote that you enjoyed building legos. Why not to look at Product Designer or Architecture Planing profession? They require good understanding of people, psychology as well as drawing and artistic skills. Another possibility is to be UX/UI Designer building User Stories, Personas, Info-Graphics or some fun logos. If you take from use of computer instrument perspective all of these jobs require similar tools but different approach and provide distinct end-results. If you want to purely concentrate on game development and see the process from inside. You can join one of many new indie game development companies as Game Designer or Script Write or any other position of your choosing. This can help you better understand what your passions are, as there you will have to work on different tasks from design to development to testing and more. How Steve Jobs said - “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”. And practice is what helps you to understand yourself better.
How much of your character do you show when you brand yourself online?
The other day when I posted a video about my mother - who is currently in the hospital dying - I got a lot of flak from my fans, friends and followers - so much so that many of them unsubscribed from my channel, many sent me emails stating they were disappointed with me and I even got my cousin - who lately has been very close to me - have a long drawn out conversation with me stating she was very shocked & disappointed with me for what I shared online.In fact, she even asked me - is it necessary for you to share so much of your personal life online?The fact is, each and every person has to decide how much of himself he wishes to show of himself online. It is totally dependent from person to person. In my case - I choose many years ago that I would not hide anything. And that I would share anything and everything about myself - including the controversial and shocking bits (like going to prostitutes on my website which I doubt many share)Top 10 Lessons I Learnt From Interacting With Prostitutes - Loy Machedo: The World #1 Personal Branding StrategistThe Spiritual Lesson I Learnt From Having Sex With A Young Beautiful ProstituteWhy I Respect Prostitutes & People Who Have Sex With Prostitutes – A Controversial Confession by Loy Machedo - Loy Machedo: The World #1 Personal Branding StrategistSo in answer to your question - how much of my character do I show online - I would say 100%.However, I would caution anyone who is going to do this because if it works - it will work amazingly well. But if it backfires - it will destroy you forever. And there is no turning back.Remember - everything has a price to pay. So please be careful how much you decide to show the world about you.Loy Machedo
What's the chances of becoming a successful videogame designer?
So, a group of my friends, including my boyfriend recently decided they want to be video game designers. They are a creative bunch, and want to go to TSTC in Abilene Texas, and then transfer to some other college in texas. I want to know, what they all need to do to make it "BIG" What all should they do? like how long should they work on their game, what would be the best story? (adventure, sci-fi, gun shooting stuff) what city should they go to? and other important facts, and precentages like that.
What should my friend and I do for our first ever cosplays? We are both 13 and really into anime. What are any ideas?
Here’s some advice I got when I cosplayed for the first time:Ease yourself into it! Find a character that you love and is also easy to find/make a costume for. You may not want to try anything too elaborate right away like armour or complicated props. Think simple costumes like Death Note characters (though a shinigami would be tough), some modern Disney films or Pokemon.Break down the characters look - their clothes, shoes, hair, make-up and any possible props - to find out what you need to buy. Find what you have already in the house before making any purchases. If your budget is small, charity shops and thrift stores are great places to get stuff on the cheap. *Quick note for make-up too: unless the character explicitly does not wear it, a little adds a whole lot more to the look, especially with anime. Eyeliner, foundation and heavy lashes always look great.*If the character’s hair is drastically different from yours, then you’ll need to buy a nice wig! Look on the internet for a good site that sells cheap but high-quality ones. A good wig should be at least ten pounds (or $14), and avoid buying from amazon or ebay (in my experience, they’re almost always poor quality). If you’re from the UK, Wiwigs is a great website that sells beautiful realistic wigs from £15.Compromise, compromise, compromise! Chances are you’re not going to find or make something that is completely perfect and that’s okay. If you spend a lot of time looking for the absolute perfect shirt or dress or wig, it’s just not gonna happen. Find something that looks similar, or that gives the impression of the character instead of being a completely flawless rendition. Don’t torture yourself over one element of an amazing outfit.Be confident and have fun!! Cosplay is meant to be for yours and others enjoyment, and if you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong. Don’t worry about what people think; people LOVE seeing cosplayers of their fav character, no matter what they look like. Everyone is familiar with the excitement of seeing someone they recognise at a convention. They’re going to love you guys!!Hope these were helpful. Good luck to both of you!