Character Design Process Examples

Guide

Design Process Example 1: Baby Leapfrog

Define

Premise

Character designs for Baby Leapfrog to be used for plush and hardline toys, books, and educational materials. Animals were to include safari, ocean and jungle animals that followed the Leapfrog Style Guide for a younger audience which would create Baby Leapfrog. I was contracted by Sassy who contracted the Leapfrog Brand.

Below is an image from the Leapfrog Style Guide. We looked at Tad as an inspiration for an even younger baby leapfrog.

Plan

Benchmarks

In addition to Tad from Leapfrog, we looked at the Baby Leapfrog best-seller, the Counting Pals Caterpillar.

Ideation

Below is the concept art that was used for the initial review with the client.

Below is the concept art for the octopus in the black line stage. This was after the initial character designs were approved. Done in Flash.

Propose

Below is a colored image I used for a client proposal. Done in Flash.

Execute

These are the final renders of each of the character designs. This is production art.

Here is the final executions of one of the toys. This is the Octopus Tunes toy. This toy teaches colors, and rhymes in English and Spanish.

Design Process Example 2: "Wheels" Cartoon by Visualpump

Define

Premise

"Wheels" is an animated kids show for preschoolers ages 2-5. It is Bob the Builder meets Sponge Bob while teaching children about dealing with emotions.

Synopsis

A group of silly road crew trucks find that being angry is not all that fun and decide to do something constructive instead.

Format

11 minute episodes

Plan

Wheels Character Defining Sheet

Benchmarks: World

Grant Wood's Young Corn is a big inspiration for the Wheels world. We like the space. We will make the world cyans and blue-greens to contrast the warmth of the characters' pink, yellow and orange.

Benchmarks: Characters

Bob the Builder's road crew in vector, but with lots of gradation, and shiny like candy.

Wow Wow Wubbzy is closer to how the color scheme will be for the Wheels characters. We also like the stylization of all of the props.

Ideation

Below is an initial sketch of the main character, Dizzy Lizzy. First done in pencil, then brought in to Photoshop, colorized for cyan, then vector lines drawn over in Illustrator. This is when Lizzy was in perspective; we later moved her to an isometric perspective.

Below is a version of Dizzy Lizzy when I started added flat colors where we wanted them. Rendering with gradients would be done later.

Color Study

Below is a color study of the characters int he world. The Wheels world will be cyans and blue-greens to contrast the warmth of the characters' pink, yellow and orange. The construction zone around them will be purple.

Propose

Click here to see the pitch in progress.

Execute

For the puproses of the Wheels animation pitch, we are creating the production art before we pitch it to a children's network. This includes the lighting, the final colors and all of the symbols that would be needed for our animation pitch. For example, all of Lizzy's windshield wipers are drawn at this stage.

Below is a screenshot from Flash where all the characters are rendered and rigged for animation. I work with them all in one file so that the colors and lighting feel like they are in the same space. From left to right: Dizzy Lizzy the Cement Truck, Biff the Bulldozer and Rupert the Roller.