swfchan: How to make Characters.swf (info)

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Oh hey, the title is crossed out!
...yeah, I did that on purpose.

Oh crap it's a foreword...

So why did I cross the title out? As I learn more and more about tricks and ways
to animate, I've learned that I don't know much at all, in the grand scheme of things.
BUT I do know SOMETHING, and I hope to impart a little wisdom upon all you aspiring
artists out there. What I have made here is a beginner's guide to making memmorable
characters, and by no means should be taken as the final word. Let this be your kick-
start to making good characters, but go out and pick up a book on how to draw.
...also bear in mind that this guide is made for the "American Style" of cartoons, i.e.
NOT Anime. Anime is a completely different style than what I've ever drawn before. If
you're looking to do the classical Disney and Luney Tunes style, then this is the guide for
you.

Step one of character creation:

Suprisingly enough, the first step to making a character from scratch is not to
draw anything at all (there is an exception from this, but I'll explain later).
The first thing you want to do is think of the character's purpose and
personality. Ask yourself:

[] What is the character's purpose? Why does he exist?
[] How does the character act?
[] How does the character interact with other characters?
[] What makes the character different from everyone else?

Just keep those in mind for the next step.

Step 2: Circles and lines and boxes (easy to draw shapes)

One of the things I picked up from watching a professional animator drawing a character
is how to plan out what you're going to draw before you actually draw it.

A character's body posture REALLY. REALLY conveys their personality (as stated in the
movie Hitch, which is playing behind me right now, 90% of communication comes
thorugh body language. I don't know if that number is real or not, but you can tell a
lot about just how a character stands and walks).

As Ursula says... BAWDY LANGWAEG! (body language)

(Please don't sue me, Disney)

You should be able to tell at least one thing about a character
just by the way they appear.

As I said before, a lot about the character can be told just by the way looks. And the look
starts out first with the "skelleton"- circles, boxes, and lines.

Brave, dashing

Weak, old, or spineless

Cool, casual, smooooooth.

Tools of the Trade...

Circles: Circles are the most versatle of the skeleton; they can turned into heads,
bodies, hands, feet, eyes, and most other body parts. (When I say "circles," I really
mean anything that looks round.) Circles are also the easiest to turn into 3D, which
helps translate into which direction the character is looking at. (Also, pick up a book on
how to draw faces. You'd be better off learning where to place stuff on the face from a
professional than a doodlist)

Like I said before, circles can be transformed into just about anything

Boxes: Same use as circles; using a rectangle instead of a circle in a skeleton will give
the character a different appearence when skinned out (whoa! Whodathunkit?!).

You can supposedly combine shapes to make things like a human head with correct
proportions. As I've said before, you can see this done a lot better in an art book.

Lines: I use 'em mostly to connect the basic shapes together. They can
represent limbs or other appendages

So why use these basic shapes?

When it comes down to animating a scene, frame by frame, it's easier to draft it out first
using the shapes instead of wasting time drawing out the character each time. This gets
especially important when you're doing an action scene.
...not to mention that it also helps keep the proportions of the character the same.
I made the one below a while back, before trying to plan out each frame with the simple
shapes.

I stopped by the third frame because I realized that I scewed up somewhere.
It just doesn't look right. If you watch any professional animators (especially
those who work with paper), they always draw their characters using simple
shapes to plan them out first.

Step 3: Adding Flavor

Now that you've got a character drawn out, let's make it so that he stands away from
everyone else. Add a few quirks which make this character act like no one else. The more
outrageous, the better (unless you're going for a more realistic style, then I'd try to keep it
a little more toned down). If you're trying to ballance quirks out, for every good trait that
they have, add a downside, and vice versa.

Thor's Example: Meet Cun'Fuzd, a mockery of an elderly
Eastern Wisdom. The age is indicated through his beard and
mustache, and his insanity is portrayed in his odd dress (do
you know anyone that runs around wearing ancient Chinese
clothing on a daily basis? Didn't think so.)

Cun'Fuzd is very wise in the ways of the world and
nature, but has gone senile and only sputters out
incoherent aphorisms which make no sense.

The sparrow never swallows
the hummingbird.

uhh..moving on

Adding both positive and negative aspects in characters gives them a nice balance.
They're more memorable. They will get more laughs.

An example which is perfect for this are the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote.
Would you laugh more at the Roadrunner tearing up the roads, or the fact that
all of Wily's schemes were either bound for failure or would screw badly,
resulting in him falling off a cliff or blowing himself up, or getting hit by a train?

Obviously, Wile is going to get more laughs.

There are some
exceptions to the
"ballance" case though.
For example, Bugs
Bunny always got
laughs, but only
because he was so
suave and he made
other characters screw
up. If there's an
awesome character, you
have to still ballance
him out with a goofy
character, otherwsie it'll
be too bland.

This brings us to the end of my short guide.

Characters are essential to any animation. And I would've included how to animate if it
wasn't for the fact that I'm still learning myself, which leaves me at a loss for words at
tips on animating your new character.
I recommend that you experiment with characters and their looks; try taking some of
the personalities of your family/friends/enemies into cartoon characters. There's no
such thing as too much practice, as I say.

...oh, and I can't stress enough that if you want to push out great animations, go out
and pick up a books on drawing first, and then onto animation. Drawing and art skills
are the foundations upon which animation are established, so read some books, take
classes, etc. You'll notice that you'll improve lots, and you'll be able to make better,
more high quality animations than before.
Last thing: These things take time and practice, so don't
expect to be able to jump right into it and impress the
spirit of the animators of the early days. Practice, practice, practice.

a.k.a. Jerry Chan

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