Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FiGuRe 3.9
These concept illustrations show possible variations for a character
including character types, clothing, and hair and facial styles.
Design
The look of characters can quite often be one of the most labor-intensive parts
of creating a game. The characters are, after all, the stars, and they need to look
amazing and perform with cool moves because in gaming, much of what a char-
acter does requires repetitive movements.
The concept artist needs to understand not only what types of things the char-
acter is required to do during gameplay (will it swim, fly, jump, run, fall down, or
sweep its arms about during fighting or when casting spells?) but also what sort
of personality it should exhibit. If designing characters attracts you, then studying
anatomy as well as how people and animals move is critical to your education.
Many characters designed for games are idealized or stylized humans and
animals that do extremely physical things. The artist who works on designs
for such characters needs to know how muscle groups work, especially if the
task involves making certain muscles look larger or specialized. In addition, if
the task involves creating a character that is alien, having an understanding of
anatomy allows the artist to build on that knowledge to distort or create some-
thing new that, although unreal or otherworldly, is logical. That logic allows the
player to buy into the abilities of the creation.
In addition, learn to observe carefully. Watch the interaction between people and
animals. Note how body language is displayed when there is anger, fear, or appre-
hension. Pay attention to what people do when they're lying or hiding something.
When designing characters for concept work or as they appear during differ-
ent actions or emotional displays, it's deadly to simply draw what you think they
