I've found when I've been creating characters that as soon as I have a sketch down of their face I can really start to picture them moving throughout the story. If I continue on to draw emotions and how they react to certain types of situations the books script becomes almost like a movie in my head. Does anyone else do this, or have any other techniques for making that realistic character?
Sadly I'm not a good drawer, and I certainly don't have the patients to draw a sketch either, I'd be a perfectionist and never get past the shape of their face, lol. To compensate I generally make a folder and put anything I think relates to that character in there. Mostly it's just clothes and bits of information. Although I try not to dwell too much on what they look like, especially when the character is still new. As I write I try and let them reveal themselves, it's just easier that way for me. Their personality kind of determins what my character/s will look like.
I like to draw my characters, too. Drawing them in action helps me find their body language patterns, and I'm very focused on them while I'm drawing so figure out other things about their personalities, too. I have seen some people on this site say they find an actor or a singer that looks like how they imagine their character, and watch footage of them. I've been thinking about trying that but I can never think of a person who fits my image of my characters.
I am not a talented artist but it is how I started writing, I drew a picture of a little dark-haired boy called Prince Jonathan. I just use my kids Draw Write Now books so nothing special. Somehow he mutated into the 6ft10 built like a beheamoth Prince Angus Lorenzo. From that came a YA fantasy novel. I do sometimes sill draw my characters - I did draw my four fairy boys however my seven year old has gone and hidden them on me. Apparently boy fairies wearing nothing but leather hot pants are disgusting lol Need to work on them again. I tend to do scrapbooks now using actors I have cast in the role and clothes etc.
Well here's at least one example of what I mean. A simple bust with some expression is enough to really get some ideas going.
I can't draw properly for my life, although occasionally I draw stick figures of my characters and array them on a height chart to compare their heights. Occasionally I have asked for my more talented friends to draw quick sketches of my characters, but for some reason I don't have much luck with that; it's still a good option, I think, for writers who can't draw at all (or even those that can) as it'll also help one better elaborate on the characters, since you'll have to actually describe them to someone and try to get them to have the 'right' (or, rather, similar enough) vision of your character. Still, I "draw" my characters inside my head, which sort of serves the same purpose, and yeah, I sort of get a movie-like thing going on if I imagine hard enough.
When I'm brainstorming it's totally like a movie, and it's usually while I'm listening to music. I tend to doodle story boards, I took a couple years of film class in high school and that's where I picked up that habit. They certainly aren't as detailed as Lemur's excellent drawing up there , they are more like quick 30-60 second sketches with basic figures. I am making a 3D model of one of the spaceships in my new story with Blender. I thought it might be nice to actually see it in space, with engines running. Really the only reason I write so much is because it's easier and takes less time than animating
Well like Midnight adventurer I'm not a good drawer. But I know what you mean that once you image them, where I do it inside my head or I'm hit by inspiration. Such how I use my friends to make characters or just simply how my world comes to life inside my head which is what I'm always complimented for. To note however I do have a friend that does draw and sketch some of my characters and creates comic panels of misadventures which does help for the comical scenes and atmosphere of my stories.
Show of hands: how many of you character-sketchers DON'T watch anime? Come on, no need to be bashful.
Except the Ghibli films I don't. I was watching Midsomer Murders at the time I sketched my first one.
I often think about doing this but I can't draw people. Not people who look like people, at least. I can draw hands but that's about it. I envy writers with multiple creative talents.
I draw most of my characters as while I'm the process of writing my novel. The story itself started with one drawing I made in 2006 and suddenly, a story was made from a girl with green hair, in a forest full of pixie dust xD
Considering a vast majority of my influence comes from either American cartoons or seinen, not entirely.
I like to draw. I figure sketching my characters for my stories is like killing two birds with one swift throw of a rock. I even go as far as sketching whole scenes from my stories. Practice art and writing. They go hand in hand for me. And irontrousers, I watch some amine but I don't draw amine. Its too... Overdone.
It depends - my seven year old draws very anime inspired pictures with her stories. She is still writing the Shakespearean Pokemon (Her anime Shakespeare was recognisable enough people coming the house recognise him) - Romeo is sort a a piccachu (sp??), Oberon is a nine tail, not sure what Marina is. She does a nice line in anime flower fairies as well.
I have never drawn a character. I don't bother to much at first what they look like - I am more interested in how they react, what they have to say, their personality. From this a picture of them gradually comes to mind.
It's weird how people go about things in total opposite ways. I like to have a physical picture of my characters, so I sketch them. As I sketch I think about the story and develop their personalities simultaneously. I usually don't do things in the typical fashion though. I think a lot about my story but besides the sketches, I never write anything down. I just jump right into the first draft and allow my thoughts to spew onto the page. I mentally regurgitate my story and develope it from the very first sentence. I usually only have one or two characters developed in my head before I start. The rest just come along as the story evolves. This way, I can focus more on my writing style and word choice.
I'm eight drafts into my novel and the only thing I know about my protagonist's looks is that he's a redhead.
I don't usually draw my character because of 'six faces' syndrome. I can only draw one face with hundreds of hair styles. And I've never been any good with a pencil, I'm better with a keyboard. But I don't have to draw them, I just lay down, stare at the clouds and let their looks come to me. Sometimes it takes several months, tons of descriptions and cross-outs, but in the end, they always look pretty good in my mind. ...They like to mock me with their stupid smirking ways when I get writer's block.
I do it for some of the characters. My sketches never end up the way I intended them to, and that is the beauty of it. I never know who is coming next. Fortunately I am skilled at drawing.
Im mainly an artist, but also a writer (obviously, haha) so i draw almost ALL of my characters first. But theres some where i have a vision of them in my head, but i can't seem to draw them right. And there's some i draw ENTIRELY too much
Well, I can't draw at all, so that option isn't open. And, I've tried asking someone else to draw once, but it didn't really work out. So, my characters come from a number of different sources. Rarely, I get them from very weird dreams, but that doesn't happen too often. Most of the time, they just sort of appear, and it's almost as if they say, "Okay, I'm here, so give me a plot already!" I don't know where they come from, although I can think sometimes what inspired them partially, but once they are there, they aren't going anywhere.
