Principles 14/2

Character Design

How would my favourite character react to being trapped in an elevator?

Dean Winchester would begin by exclaiming Sonofabitch! when he realises he is trapped. This would progress into pushing random buttons in the hopes that one of them would fix the problem/call the helpline. After some time, he would start bashing the door in frustration, and yelling insults/curses at the top of his lungs. When this fails, he would pull out a gun and proceed to shoot the doors. Eventually, despair would set in and he will slump to the ground in defeat maybe commenting about how hungry he is. When the elevator is finally fixed, he will run out and immediately go to a bar to drink a shot of whiskey.

How would my own character react to the same situation?
She would sigh, and sit down to wait. Work on some muscle training.


Character development, how a character is internally is almost more important than the external features. Use real life examples for emotions, behaviors and reactions. The more you know about your character, the more real it will feel.

3 favourite films main characters
1- Simba
2- Dean Winchester
3- Rapunzel

external features
1- spiky fur, almost a mohawk. confident expression, lion cub
2- Adult male, jackets and jeans, boots. rugged styling, "male model"
3- Young female, ridiculously long blonde hair, pink dress with no shoes, big innocent blue eyes

internal features
1-showoff, overly confident, curious. Would panic in an elevator
2-cocky, ladies man, afraid of losing his only family, loyal to death, would react as posted above
3- naive, innocent, optimistic view of the world. Would try and find a solution to being trapped after a brief moment of panic.

3 internal and external features of someone i know
external
-broad, tattoos, big beard
internal
-big softie, loving, easy going

3 internal and external features of my character
external
- big black wings, blue to black ombre hair, silver irises
internal
-stubborn, dedicated, serious.


Wants vs Needs

Conflict between the two creates a more well rounded character.

Simba
want-independence
need-a father figure

Dean
want-his family back together
need-his brother alive and well hunting with him

Rapunzel
want-freedom to explore the world
need-to stand up for herself

my own wants and needs
want-to get a good paying job that i enjoy
need-to spend more time studying/drawing

my character
What does she want most-success as a warrior
who does she want to become-the ultimate lieutenant
What might she need to do to succeed-sacrifice social life, and normal rhythms


Character Obstacles

One obstacle the main character faces
1- returning home to pride rock
2- fear of losing his brother
3- finding her way to see the lights up close

obstacle I have faced
-not being able to pay bills stopping me from getting a better education

my characters obstacles
-fitting into an elevator of a building with no roof access
-being noticed in a large group of warriors
-falling in love
-physical limitations due to gender and age


Character arc is the reaction and changes a character makes to overcome obstacles

Main characters arcs

1-freedom to do what he wants, freedom isnt everything its cracked up to be
2-him and his brother to save to world, and defeat the supernatural bad guys, he needs a family environment with everyone together
3-she wants to go and see the lights up close and explore the world. she needs to be loved instead of used.

how have i changed as a result of overcoming an obstacle
due to my old job forcing me to interact with people, I now feel a lot more comfortable engaging in conversations with people i dont know.

how might my character change due to overcoming the previous obstacles
-become more open, more emotional, more human. become more proud of herself for getting closer to her goals, increasing confidence.

Stakes - internal, external, philosophical/

external - whats going on in the world
internal - mental/emotional consequences of a choice
philosophical - "what if" stakes, good vs evil, value of a choice.

What was an important choice they had to make
1- to stay with timon and pumbaa, or return to pride rock
2- to say yes to archangel michael, or to find another way to defeat lucifer
3-to leave with Flynn, or to stay in her old life

First time drawing a head out of my own imagination, I am definitely getting a wooden mannequin to help with human body proportions. I have very little experience with drawing humans so i will need to practice.