LESSON NOTES
I'll be exploring ideas for a Harvestman themed video game! I'll be engaging in the same process which is featured in his course, Character Design Monster Lab. I'll be drawing in pencil on my trusty 11x17 paper, writing down notes, and taking suggestions from the community as I explore and develop ideas in real time, exactly the way I would do it on the job.
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Ask Questions Before the Stream Starts!
I'll be exploring ideas for a Harvestman themed video game and will be using the same process that's featured in my course. During the livestream, I'll take suggestions from the community in real time and apply them while also answering any questions about my process or about Monster Lab. Should be a good time :)
Get my Character Design Course - Character Design Monster Lab
Hello! The stream was cool, thank you. I hope it's still ok to ask questions. If I understood correctly, you make around 4 versions of a character, and then one is picked. How far developed are these versions? Are they more sketches or more final works? Are they colored? Do you develop them further?
Here are cleaned-up sketches from the stream.
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4yr
Those are really fun, I love that detail of the eye popping out!
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4yr
Thanks a lot. I Had fun too. I'd like to do more :)
Oh boi I sure do love drawing weird tech aliens and farmer druid with flowers coming out of their butt ❤
I'm really starting to appreciate asymmetry in designs
Thanks for the stream man.
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4yr
asymmetry is a really fun design tool!
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4yr
cool!
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4yr
Thasswutimtalkinbout :)
What do you do if the character design brief uses words you haven't heard before? Do you ask for clarification immediately?
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4yr
Absolutely. Or Google that mess :D
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4yr
cool!
Is there a non-presencial way to present a comic book portfolio to an editor/comics publisher?
Random question: Do you like the walking dead tv series? If is affirmative, ¿What do you like of the walking dead?
What sort of qualifications would companies be looking for if you wanted to be a concept artist?
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4yr
You'll hear many concept artists refer to themselves as 'problem solvers'. I think it's a key thing to keep in mind when you're thinking about doing this kind of job: can you use visual communication skills to solve design problems? Every studio and every gig has it's own list of demands and different artists are suited better for certain jobs over others, but at the core of it whether you're an environment artist, a character artist, a prop artist, etc., you're job is to come up with design solutions for those things. If you're working on a portfolio, many artists recommend you gear your work towards what you actually want to do. For example, If you want to design spaceships for a living, make sure your portfolio includes cool designs of whole lot of spaceships! Different kinds, different shape languages, different use-cases. Make design problems for yourself, and show that you can solve them. Your portfolio is there to show potential employers what your skillset is!
Qualifications don't matter as much as a solid portfolio. You should be able to present a solution to a design problem.
That is what trent kaniuga talks about in the latest proko video.
Also watch fzd school YouTube videos and the student work on their blog to get a better understanding of what studios require of concept artists.
Random Question: Do you like the walking dead? If is affirmative, ¿What do you like of the walking dead?
Question: how much time do you have to create a character design? and what info they gave you before you even start?
I feel like my biggest struggle when trying to come up with character design concepts is that my thought pattern is very linear and basic. Any tips to help loosen up the mind so that these kinds of ideas come more easily? Thank you for your time!
Weird question: what makes a shape good?
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4yr
Context! Contrasting relationships.
This is not a weird question, but I do think it is in some ways an impossible question to answer. There is too much to unpack. Maybe in the critique video though :)
How much of an animal/human anatomy does one need to know to become a creature designer? I like drawing animals/figures from photos, but I am not much into studying muscles, their names and so on...
Also, how would you go about learning to draw animal-based creatures from imagination? The animal world is so vast that it is a bit overwhelming. Would you start with one group like birds, and focus on it for a longer period? Thanks!
Go watch Terryl Witlatch's talks from THU festival on artstation learning.
Muscle names shouldn't be important when your beginning but muscle studies, their function, their grouping is all important. You are going to base off the imaginary creature on what you know. And what you know or can study is the human and animal anatomy.
How much time do you spend exploring and just sketching loosely without designing, VS how much time you spend deliberately designing a character?
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4yr
If I'm designing for client work, I always do some writing/listmaking first. Almost verbatim to the way it is outlined here in the livestream and more accurately in the Monster Lab course.
Question: How do you design a certain character that is different from your state of mind? When I draw characters they inherit my emotions almost everytime and I know that’s not very professional. Thank you
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4yr
I know what you're talking about. I used to think about this. I think to a certain extent, being more strongly governed/influenced by your emotions is actually just part of being a young person. It's normal. And becoming increasingly aware of that fact and learning (over time and as a result of error and consequence) is part of growing up. This goes beyond art Alex, but it does encompass and will effect your art and creativity.
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About instructor
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