Character design is one of my passions. I love creating a character in my art. I love adding little story elements to my art. And here I'm going to go through my character design process.
The first thing to consider is when. What time period is your character from, or rather what time period does it most closely resemble. Is it modern day? Is it medieval era? Is it the future? When the character lives impacts what technologies are available for their clothes, hair, and what personalities can be conveyed through their clothes.
Take for instance the character to the right. It's very obvious she's from modern day. Her bright socks, short skirt, and hairstyle all convey a period of time from the 90s to modern day. If she was in the past, then I would have changed the accessories, socks, and skirt length, while if I was creating this character in the future I would add more avaunt-garde or technological focused elements to her clothing.
Next up is weather. What's the weather like where this character lives or works? Is it dry or wet? Warm or cold? Is there a lot of harsh storms or climate conditions or is it more temperate? Are there seasons? All of these questions will effect how they dress, and sometimes how they look.
For an example, when I was designing the character to the left, I wanted to have a wet temperate environment. Her hair is cut short so it can dry out faster. She has tall boots so she can walk into deeper water. She's wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt showing it's a bit cold but not freezing. And finally she has a sort of see-through water proof poncho. These combined elements make a character who lives in a temperate wet environment. That gives us more information about what this character lives in and how that effects her day-to-day life.
Next is occupation. What does this character do for a living? How does their job affect their clothing choices and their appearance? For instance if someone's a soldier, they would likely have a lot of scars on their body and be overly prepared/adventurous. If they're an artist they probably are eccentric in fashion and might be covered in paints and chalk. If they're a student they might have a school uniform. Clothing is usually most impacted by this but appearance can be effected as well, particularly if the job is dangerous or messy.
The woman to the right, although the uniform isn't exact or based on a specific uniform, is obviously a nurse. The red connotates the red cross, and the white apron and bonnet take the time period back to an earlier era. The clothing doesn't have to be historically accurate to still display their occupation
Next up is one of my favorite parts of design. Personality. Who is this character? Are they aggressive? Are they boisterous? Are they reserved? These personality traits will affect how a character wants to be perceived by the outside world. Their personality dictates a lot about their appearance, from what colors they wear to what fashion movements they like to how much or how little clothing they'll wear.
The character to the left has a few obvious personality traits. She seems aggressive, just by the scars and black eye, but at the same time defensive, as she holds a staff in front of her body. Her boots, bag, and pants show that she's probably adventurous or likes to travel, and her short hair shows she's most likely a tomboy sort of personality.
Finally we have a character's backstory. What culture is this character from? Who raised them? Are they educated? Are they rich or poor? What religion do they practice? How old are they? What was their previous work? All of these questions contribute to the more subtle elements of design.
The character to the right is first off part of a religious organization, the sigil on her armor featured in the center of her chestplate over her heart. She has a frilly sort of lace collar on her shirt, showing she's come from some wealth. And the patterning on her clothing is a sort of plaid, showing she came from a culture paying homage to the celts.
All of these combined factors are how I build and design a character from start to finish, and the result ends up with more depth the further you go. Each addition to their appearance adds another piece to their story, and just by looking at a character you can tell where they came from and how they got to where they are now.