How to create a character. How to invent and develop interesting characters

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For real good book includes not only carefully thought out and interesting story, but also characters that we cannot help but love, who cling to us to the core and make us experience the events of the book with them. So why are they captivating us?

In this article, I will tell you some simple secrets that you will use to come up with a character for a book.

First of all, we must decide for ourselves what should be our main character and what might interest the reader. Reading a lot of books, you might think that some writers have a real talent for creating unusual protagonists for books that attract attention, that they just once appeared in the head of the author and declared themselves. But, of course, this is not entirely true. Each hero is a personality thought out to the smallest detail, who has his own worldview, some kind of past, carries a certain experience in life. Have you thought about how much work we have to do?

1. Name and surname Acquaintance with your character for the reader begins with his name. Therefore, the name, of course, is better to choose the original. It's great if you're in the habit of writing down ideas that pop up out of the blue on the street or anywhere else, because then you probably already have a couple of pretty names in your pocket. If not, be sure to try it! In the meantime, the all-encompassing Internet is quite capable of helping you. There may even be a story associated with the name. If there is one in your imagination, write it down in the same paragraph. Your character may not need a last name. If, nevertheless, you decide that it is necessary, then do not forget about the relationship between surname and origin. For example, if you write in the fantasy genre, then the names of the representatives different peoples should emphasize their belonging to it. Also especially beautiful surnames found in the descendants of an aristocratic family.

2. Age In this paragraph, indicate the approximate date of birth of the character or how old he is on this moment. You can try to use the astrological signs of the Zodiac and choose a date that matches his desired character.

3. Origin Here write where your hero was born, is there any story connected with this? If he now lives elsewhere, why did he leave? Don't forget nationality. If it matters, then go back two points and see if the character's first and last name match it.

4. Appearance Now that we know where our character comes from and what his name is, let's try to imagine what he might look like. Do not rush to immediately proceed to the description, for starters, just create an image in your head and carefully study it. It should have some special details that will help you and the reader along with you to perceive your character more realistically.

5. Family Here you need to decide who your character's parents were, what kind of relationship he had or has with them. Your character may have learned something from parenting, or maybe he was closer to his mother than to his father, or vice versa. There must be reasons for all this, indicate them too. Family status. If your character is divorced, then talk about his feelings for ex-wife and what is the story behind it.

6. Character This is perhaps one of the most difficult points, and one of those that you will definitely supplement from time to time. Describe here the demeanor, temperament of your character. At first, you may not be able to write anything specific, but the disclosure of the following points will gradually tell you more about this person.

7. Aspirations Your hero may have some kind of dream. Even if there is no dream, he definitely must have some goals in life.

8. Fears There are no people who are not afraid of anything at all. At this point, there may be superstitions that your hero believes, or maybe something in the past is connected with his fears, then this should also be mentioned.

9. Relationships with people First, point out what your character truly appreciates in people. Take this seriously, because this trait sometimes determines the initial relationship with strangers. Here is the hero's views on love and sex. What role do relationships and feelings play in his life? What are his moral qualities?

10. Work and education Where the hero studied and how well, where he worked (works), what kind of relationship he has with his colleagues. Does he like his job? Write.

11. Place of residence Where does your hero live and who lives with him. Why did he settle here, maybe a whole story is also connected with this?

12. Pastime Everyone has a couple of personal hobbies, and your character is no exception, most likely. At this point, you should also talk about how the character prefers to spend free time: walks around the city, friends, bar, books?

13. Friends Friends can tell us something about a person, so this point is also important. We should think about whether our character has many friends, if they have any at all. It may turn out that he really doesn’t have close friends, but he does have a few friends.

14. Bad habits What kind of person has no vices? Describing this item can go a long way in helping you add some personality to your character. Or maybe he repents, and decided to quit everything? However, some little things must be present, he is not an angel.

15. Attitude towards society and the situation in the world Of course, it may be that your character does not care deeply about everything that happens outside of him. own life, but if not, then you should write here how he relates to talking about politics, and which side he usually takes. Does he follow the news?

16. Faith Your character's attitude towards religion can change a lot in his perception of the world. Write what religion he considers himself to be, what he believes in. Is the hero fanatic or is he a convinced atheist? If yes, why?

This is what your character profile will look like. For convenience and clarity, you can use, many of which were discussed by me in a previous article. Be prepared for the fact that the dossier will change and be supplemented. This does not mean that you have to change it completely, just do not be afraid to make changes, they definitely contribute to the development. Of course, the reader will not immediately recognize your character as a whole, and not all the details will be revealed by you in the book. But all these items will create a live, holistic image, with which you yourself will then be much easier and more interesting to work with. In the end, who is the reader more likely to love - a superficially described hero, or a real, living person, with his thoughts, emotions, understanding?

Somewhere I read this phrase: if only the hero you invented starts doing things unexpected for you, rejoice, he was a success. This is already a full-fledged personality, about the actions of which you do not have to think deeply. The character takes on a life of his own.

Well, one last piece of advice. If you have taken on great work, pay close attention to your character's background. Skeletons in the closet are just wonderful, but it’s better if there are more than one of them, and they will appear gradually, step by step. It is very interesting to intertwine two storylines: past and present. By the end of the novel, your character must reconsider some things. Perhaps, for the sake of this, a difficult dilemma will be put before him, which the hero will not be able to solve, adhering to his initial beliefs. As a result, he will change his inner world which is exactly what we are trying to achieve.

Now you know how to come up with a character for a book. On our site you can also read tips on how to avoid and. Good luck!

Every book, play, film, novel, and game has one common feature is the presence of at least one character. Some have two or more, while others have thousands of actors! Sometimes the "character" is you.

No matter what the characters are like, books and movies would be lifeless and boring without them. This tutorial will give you the basics and help you learn how to create your own characters!

Steps

Creating your own character

Determine the setting or opening scene. Whether you "raise the curtain" on paper or on a computer screen, your character must exist somewhere, even if it is a virtual non-existence. Maybe it will be an apartment in Paris or a parking lot in New York. Not only will this set the stage for your character, but it will help define his or her personality.

Following the rule of journalists, start with the following data:

Where, who, what, when and how...

Education, school, profession, place of work, purpose

Conflict, dilemma, opportunity, choice/action (benefits and consequences),

Health, sexuality, mindset, life stages, danger, triumph/failure, ups/downs, death,... If you're going to create a character, chances are you already have an idea for a plot/story in your head.

• If you're working on a grand, sprawling saga like The Lord of the Rings, you'll need the whole world characters - good, evil, men and women ... even those who cannot be called servants of good or minions of evil.
• If you are writing an introspective story, you may need no more than one character.

1. Get creative. Although this is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "character" - not every one of them has to be a person. For example, in Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" Mount Caradras appears as a character full of cold threats, while in Hemingway's parable story "The Old Man and the Sea" marlin becomes one of the main characters.

   Start with an archetype/pattern. It just depends on your story who you want, but starting with broad criteria, you can make decisions that gradually define your character through elimination. So you will be like a sculptor who cuts off parts of excess marble and reveals the statue hidden in it. The character outline includes culture and personality traits ( a common person or a hero, tyrant, superman or orc).

   • Most likely, to indicate conflict, your plot should have a protagonist (hero) and an antagonist (villain) at the core. It may be appropriate to introduce a minor character, such as a henchman, best friend, romantic attachment, boyfriend or loved one. Note that sometimes the one you think of as the protagonist - the good guy - is portrayed as the antagonist. For example, Kong King Kong.
   • Maybe you need antiheroes like Clint Eastwood in Pale rider; good villains like Lenny Small in About mice and people; dark horses like Jack Sparrow in Pirates caribbean ; femme fatale(who is unstoppable and leads her man to greatness, hardship, danger and disaster), like Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit; treacherous friends like Iago in Othello or Peter Bailish in game of thrones; or perhaps a clever guide, like Sméagol in Lord of the Rings. Each of these heroes began as an archetype and then took on new shapes as the story unfolded.

2. Add special features. Once you've determined your character's archetype, you can add traits and qualities, strip out what's out of character for your character, and begin to reveal the sculpture honed in marble. Ask yourself how you want the audience to feel towards your character: love, pity, disgust, sympathy, or nothing at all. Start drawing the character based on the desired outcome.

   • Decide on the gender of the character. This will start a general point of view of the hero, suggest traits dependent on the archetype, and may even become Starting point conflict situation your character and story as seen through the lens of social prejudice, fair or not. For example, an arrogant man is perceived differently than an arrogant woman. (Which in both cases further defines your character!)
   • Age is also considered an important factor. Older people are perceived as wiser, but this plays a role in other cases as well. The young villain is often depicted as being of bad blood or simply insane. The old scoundrel can also be considered as such, but also be excused at the expense of life's hardships, which gives him much more depth. A young idealistic hero evokes different feelings than a warrior who has lost his taste for life and simply does the right thing. And when their life in history comes to an end, the reaction to this is also completely different.
   • Sometimes characters can be contradictory. Don Quixote was a wayward old man who spent his entire life locked up reading chivalric romances and was depressingly naive. But it was precisely this naivete that prompted him to seek adventure and love, to create fantastic ideas about the world around him when reality did not live up to his expectations.

3. Define your character's goal or goal. In a scary story, the protagonist will probably strive to survive in every possible way - for example, Ripley in alien; V romantic story the antagonist will try to prevent the hero from finding his "true love" like Prince Humperdinck in To the princess bride.

   • The way your characters confront the inevitable obstacles that stand between them and their goals characterizes them most clearly. In complex stories, this can constantly intersect, where the goals and achievements of some characters interfere with others, which creates further action and weaving events and gradually raises the stakes.

4. Let them open up. To really bring a character to life, give it a personality that goes beyond the story. Some of your character's personality traits will never show up directly in your story, but will help reinforce the decisions the character will have to make.

   • Make a list of your character's likes and dislikes and make sure it's balanced. In other words, one hobby should not have 10 annoying factors and vice versa. Even the most capricious actors love something, even if it's just their reflection in the mirror.
   • Your character's attitude is made up of complementary qualities, which can lead to unexpected actions and can change how viewers feel about him. For example, a character who loves freedom is more likely to disobey authority; if they can't live without fruitcakes and flashy cars, they're unlikely to respect economy and limits. If your character is ruthless but unexpectedly saves a helpless child from a burning building, the audience will completely rethink the idea of ​​him.

5. Spice up your character. good habits, bad habits, or just something the character can't stop doing without some serious discipline or guidance. It can be something as small as biting your nails (which will show his anxiety), or compulsively combing your hair (vanity or insecurity); or something serious like a drug addiction (someone who is afraid of responsibility and looking for an escape) or a death wish (hopelessness and despair).

   • The more of these qualities and little things you give your character, the faster they will "come to life" in the imagination of the audience.

6. Give your character a house-with a mirror. Work through external characteristics e.g. place of residence, appearance, presence of pets, etc.

   • Does your character live in a well-maintained house in an elite neighborhood (monetary aristocracy) or in a shabby hut (hard life)? Most of the details you choose will suggest something about the character or their history.

7. Work through their fears, weaknesses, incentives, and most important secrets. This helps to create a more realistic character and allows the archetype to develop. A popular strength and weakness of a hero is loyalty or infidelity.

8. You can borrow the mannerisms and traits of the people around you. People-watch in a store or on the subway. Everywhere you can find prerequisites for your character.

   • Pay attention to the appearance - the shape of the nose, jaws, ears, body, how clothes sit on them or how they present themselves.
   • If you like their appearance, describe to yourself those moments that seem attractive to you and transfer them to your characters. If you spot someone who looks intimidating, be honest with yourself why that person is intimidating, even if that reason is completely unfounded or politically incorrect. Use this information to define your characters.
   • Create characters that unite in themselves these traits - you should not completely copy the hero from one or two people, because if they find out about it, you will be in trouble.

9. Create associations with symbolic archetypes. When you match character traits with our idea of ​​things, it will help you identify your character and anticipate their moods and actions. For example,

   • Roses don't last long, but people love them.
   • Snakes are unpredictable and may bite without warning.
   • Stone buildings are stable and difficult to change.
   • Storms bring destruction, but portend an upsurge.
   • A sharp sword also poses a threat to the one who carries it.

10. Take on the appearance of your character. First, draw an mind map of everything you talked about and everything you want to decide for your character. Get a tape recorder ready - you can also record yourself on most phones or computers - and interview yourself or, even better, ask a friend to interview you while you're in character. Then write it down, fill in your mind map to reveal what you didn't know about your character, and work on his personality. If you make a mistake while recording, you can always use it to branch out the image, deepen the idea even further.

    • Feel your character and put yourself in his/her place. Sometimes best characters are derived from your own ideals, character, strengths and weaknesses, as well as such qualities of your family members, friends and enemies.
    • Remember: Don't give away your character All and immediately! Unless your characters are positioning themselves as very open people make them a little more mysterious. Let readers read between the lines. But do not overdo it and do not turn them into too obscure and mysterious.
    • If it's hard for you to think secondary characters, take a few stereotypes and develop them.
      • For example: An old librarian offended by her husband. She constantly lives in fear that one day he will find her.
    • One way to decide where to take the plot is to experiment, write alternative ideas, and see where that takes the character. So you can choose the plot development option that you like.
    • If you are creating an animal character, say a cat, do the same as you would for a human character. Describe the appearance, likes and dislikes of the cat. Here is one example: "A little black cat, Shadow, travels merrily with a girl named Christina. Shadow the cat has bright yellow-green eyes and a long silky black coat with white socks and a light tail tassel."
    • The type of character you choose will determine how the story unfolds. If the main characters harmoniously fit into the environment and setting, the development of the plot line will be smooth, and the characters will merge with others, not stand out from their background. If they are diametrically opposed, a sharp conflict will be indicated from the very beginning and you will begin to work it out from the first lines too.
    • Or take stereotypes and play this card differently.
      • For example: The old librarian is behaving strangely because she thinks it is necessary. In fact, she's the kind of person who likes puppies and ice cream and is called "grandma" even if she's not related to them.
    • You can try to start with a simple character and go into more complex details. You don't have to create a terribly complex character right from the start. Actually, gradually revealing information about the hero, you will only warm up the interest of readers.
    • While it's not necessary to work through the items in a strict order, it can be much easier for you to think of a character's personality before you decide on their appearance.
    • Look around, maybe Uncle Vanya or Aunt Masha might be in your next story. Or mix their traits in one character.
    • Remember: This process will help you create more or less real character. If necessary, consider what steps you need to add or remove to create actor of such a type.
    • When they tell you interesting stories, listen! Fiction or non-fiction. Who knows? You can make an excellent daughter character ex girlfriend your father who killed her abusive husband!
    • For a believable character, physical attractiveness is not that important (just pay attention to the main details that indicate his personality).

Question:

« Tell me, please, do you have somewhere the most rough sketch, which would show where you start? In a sense, which would show how you create your character based on circles and triangles?

I really want to develop my own own style, but I can not do without a couple of tips from a person who knows how to draw such pretty people».

Question: « I have this question: When I draw the same character several times, it just pisses me off that they look different every time.
For the love of all that's holy, how do you get all the characters to look the same in every section of the comic?»

Answer: These questions are somewhat related, so I will try to give a general answer to them.

1. The structure of the picture.

Very short description where I start (and where I end) to draw.

The essence of the whole process is to start with simple shapes and finish with a detailed drawing. In the first drawing, a sketch is made in the form of basic figures and reference lines.
I'll bring clarity. The picture shows a couple of idiots running through a cornfield.
I start with a sloppy, simple sketch of shapes and reference lines. At this stage, I'm only concerned about the external similarity of the characters and the successful transfer of dynamics in their poses.

First, I get rid of incomprehensible gestures, unnatural poses, ridiculous proportions and gradually “clutter up” the composition, filling the drawing.

Once I'm happy with the rough drawing, I start painting over it, drawing on some of the early lines.
By this point, your drawing will probably turn into something terrible. And all because you are a dirty, sloppy artist.
But don't worry. That's the way it should be.

When the main draft drawing is ready, I proceed to the detailed drawing. I'm not erasing the initial sketch yet, because the reference strokes, representing the outlines of the characters and their movements, will help with the detailed rendering. They will help you figure out where to draw seams on clothes, where to add folds, how hair and fur should lie on one or another part of the character, etc.

In this picture, I have already got rid of all the reference lines, blurred them in some places, and made them clearer in some places. At this stage, I prefer to work in pencil, but it is also common practice to first ink the drawing and then erase all the pencil work.

2. The uniformity of the character.

How do I draw the same character from different angles.

Regardless of the position of the head, the established rules remain the same.

These blue lines in the upper drawing, which suggest the shape of the head and indicate the middle lines, is enough for me to know how other figures, like those circled in red in the figure below, are located.

And in the end, we get a character that looks the same from different angles. And all because it is created on the basis of figures according to the same principle.

Lastly, always remember that while these initial techniques may help you make quick progress, there is no substitute for practice. Don't give up if this technique doesn't work the first time...or 98 subsequent attempts. Keep drawing.

3. How to draw "Pretty Boys."

The very essence of a character's attractiveness (which usually includes the concept of "pretty") is a whole separate topic - vast and, moreover, hardly amenable to crushing. I can't really cover it here, if I can at all, but at least I'll give you a couple of tips to keep in mind if you want to create an attractive character:

- Attractiveness. It's no secret that certain proportions are naturally visually appealing. Keep them in mind when creating your character. Often, characters are likable if they are depicted in accordance with the proportions. baby face: high forehead, chubby cheeks, large eyes and other facial features located close to each other.

(Disney has adopted this practice as a rule. Thus, drawing classic famous characters, helps you understand how to make your own characters attractive, and generally introduces you to drawing structure. Try drawing a hunter from Looney Tunes and Tex Avory cartoons to learn how to create cute and funny characters, not cute and sugary characters).

- Cleaning. Make sure that your character's face does not become gloomy or ugly due to an excessive amount of unnecessary lines. Understand the importance of saving lines. Simplify the sketch so that the emphasis falls on its most important, attractive features; those that reflect the essence of the character and allow you to convey his mood. This not only makes it easier to draw a character from different angles over and over again, but it also makes it easier to read.

- Expressiveness. The key to making a character look compelling or simply likable is to achieve simplicity in the drawing by brushing off unnecessary lines, as well as a frank and understandable expression on the face that fully conveys the thoughts or feelings of the character. Ambiguous, empty, or indistinguishable expressions on the face do not have such an appeal. Give the character the opportunity to act, react and be genuinely alive.

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Everyone has a favorite cartoon character, but how did they first come into being? A lot of research and love goes into creating universally recognized symbols.

So today we're going to give you ten great tips on everything you need to know about character design using amazing examples from Envato Market.

1. Choosing a Theme

Starting a new character design is like staring at a blank canvas. It's exciting but scary and can even make your knees tremble. The key to staying calm in this moment is first and foremost choosing a topic.

Look, this character is definitely on a marine theme?

What do you want someone to immediately see, feel or understand when they look at your characters? Let this feeling fuel general form your topic.

Start by simplifying your topic into one-word answers that describe the character. Words such as western, retro, and futuristic all represent different time periods. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the words nerdy, cold, or villainous show more style and character.

Once a theme is chosen, make a list of details that will help reinforce it. Check off everything that suits your character perfectly.

2. Development of the Background

Close your eyes. Imagine your character going through every stage of their life. From the moment they were born in your world to the very last date What kind of life do you expect your character to live?

The background includes all the basic information you need to know. To create it, immerse yourself in the exploration of different places, cultures, professions, etc. Getting to know your character is like making a new best friend. You have to know absolutely everything about them so that you can transfer the backstory into their design.

Below is a basic list of questions that can help you with this.

• Where do they live?
• Who are their parents?
• What is their job?
• Who is their best friend?
• What food do they like?
• What is their favorite color?

Everyone knows that SpongeBob Square Pants lives in a pineapple and works as a chef at the Krusty Krab. So, do you see what clues you can get from these answers?

How would this affect your characters if they were from the US as opposed to Spain? Or lived in different climates? No matter how stupid you feel, answer all of these questions the best you can, and even add additional questions to the list. If you need extra help, start from where you know.

3. Give your character a name and personality.

Hello my Name Is ___.

Your character is your child. You literally birthed him out of your creative mind just a few minutes ago, so it's only natural that you bestow a suitable name on him.

Does your character look like Sally, Joe, or Spot? Baby names are wildly creative these days, so why not be just as creative with your character names? Research the origin, meaning, and correct pronunciation to find the one that really fits.

And when you finally start drawing them, keep checking to see if he is still associated with that name. Maybe your character has changed from "Steve" to "Stefan", so if necessary, make sure there is enough space to change the name to an appropriate one.

People are attracted to individuals. Do you see yourself or someone you know in your characters? Just like with the backstory, make sure you understand your character's personality, from what he likes to the type of jokes he might make. After all, the more you know, the better it will eventually grow into a really great design.

4. Select a view. Man, Animal or Something else?

Deciding whether your design includes a human or an animal is quite a challenge. Maybe they're neither, but instead a pink hippie flower, or

Not every character has to be human or someone from planet Earth. And depending on your history, the person may not even be in good shape. After all, humans are pretty one-dimensional, so consider the changes that come to mind when you choose a new look.

The great thing about animals is that they can be both cuddly and ferocious.

If you're still not sure what traits your character should have, just create your own! In order to get the anatomy correct, you may want to give it animal or human-like features just for convenience. In the end, however, the rest of the details are up to you, so have fun exploring what you can come up with.

5. Tall, Short, Thin or Tall?

Have you ever noticed that assistants are usually smaller than the hero?

As unfair as it may seem, this purposeful juxtaposition allows the viewer to see the protagonist as a more confident leader than his smaller counterpart.

An amazing way to add a distinctive personality to your character is to explore different body types. Because society has already tied certain stereotypical personality traits to certain shapes and sizes, we automatically perceive a character's personality by the way they look.

Here's a hint:

Draw the head separately from the body of the character. Then draw three different types bodies and substitute them to the drawn head. Which one looks the best and why?

This example should immediately show you the power of choice. different options tel. But feel free to go against established images so as not to fall prey to stereotypes.

6. All About Mood: Colors

All colors have meaning. So choose wisely to set the mood for your designs.

We usually interpret bright colors as happy and energetic, while more dark colors keep their secret. Red is the right choice for anger and passion. And green has huge ties to nature and money.

If you don't know what color to choose for your character, try them all until you settle on one that works. Experiment with colors, also choosing ones you wouldn't normally consider. Do tough guy really pink or give the businessman blue hair.

Going beyond the norm will not only help enhance their appearance, but also make them more memorable to your audience.

7. Create dynamic poses

I know you want things to be easy, but be patient. In addition to the standard front and back views, try creating dynamic ones with a wide range of motion.

You can learn all about how a character feels or what they can do by paying attention to their body language. Take what you've learned from your backstory to create dynamic poses.

A good option for starters, explore poses through photography. General search photos say a lot about what automatically comes to mind when you use a certain word. For example, the word "relaxation" might show a person sitting cross-legged, like the upper left mouse in the example above.

Creating dynamic poses is especially important when presenting your work professionally. Have your characters jump off the screen and into your client's lap with the same energy they radiate. These poses also show that you have incredible range and adaptability as an artist, so use dynamic poses to show off your wonderful talent!

8. A bit of style? Clothes and accessories

Love to go shopping? Save your money and try on your unique sense of style with the fashion of the characters!

You can tell a lot about the characters by the way they dress. Every character ever created is known for their "uniform". Not to be confused with regular work clothes, your character's uniform is the general attire you'll see when he puts it on.

Create every uniform with precision. Pay attention to small details like buttons, seams, and the overall cut. Maybe your character is quite at ease in comfortable clothes, or vice versa prefers a nice suit and tie.

This cute little gingerbread man, for example, uses simple lines of colorful icing for the outfit.

When things don't work out, try to simplify things. In the end, you will have to recolor and draw this character many more times, so you can choose clothes that are easy to recreate, no matter the angle.

9. Character express emotions

Make a stupid face. Now draw it. What would your character look like with the same expression?

Expression is the ultimate communication tool in character design. If you catch your character at any point in the day, what expression will be on their face?

To learn more about characteristic emotions, take the old school, try traditional technique, which artists have used since the beginning of time. Sit in front of a mirror and make a dozen different faces expressing a wide range of emotions. The eyes, eyebrows, and mouth tend to show emotion quite easily, so study these areas to determine the difference between each expression.

Mastering emotions puts you one step closer to perfecting your character design. Before you know it, you'll be able to create tons of expressions in the blink of an eye!

10. Test Alternative Versions

Design is an experiment. Perhaps your character would look better with a hat or a completely different outfit. Use your original design as a template so you can test out alternative versions.

Ask someone to give their opinion on your design at this stage. Sometimes we get so caught up in looking at our own work that we can't see what's missing. Are all colors ok? Do you need a haircut? The second set of eyes may notice what you missed.

We have already come up with, today I want to tell you how to create your own original and unique character and give a few useful advice which you will use to describe the hero of your story.

I must say, I was collecting my thoughts for a VERY long time and when I “gave birth” to this article, I thought: “Damn! There would be such a guide when I first started drawing, damn, how cool would it be and not have to go through all these mistakes! ” I hope you will forgive me for such a proud impulse ...

However, do not only read, but also use this knowledge in practice, it is always nice to draw a little in between writing, because in the next article of the cycle we will talk about writing a plot that your readers will like ... and this is again writing ...

Block A: character description

Want or need?

The first question I want to ask is is there already a character in your head? Two situations are possible:

• 1) You “need” to come up with a character to introduce him into the story ( for example, the main villain, or a love interest);
• 2) You “want” to write into the story a person who has been spinning in your head for a long time and who, for you personally, is “super-mega-cool”.

If you are the number one case, then it will be a little more difficult to come up with a character for the story, and right away I would like to give a little non-standard advice - stop and cheer yourself up. I mean watch a movie, play games, go for a walk, basically get your mood up, then get down to work and try to love the person you are creating at that moment.

From experience I can say that tired and dissatisfied, good character you can’t imagine, all thoughts will be directed to “well, fuck him” ... nothing will come of it.

Another recommendation if you “need” to create a character, but you don’t know how to make it ( no image in mind), then there is nothing wrong with borrowing the basis from other authors. But remember - it should be an idea, a "skeleton", and not a total copy. Take a character, subtract a couple of events from life, add a couple of your own, so to speak "tweak here, twist there ...".

If your case is option number two, then feel free to read the next paragraph.

Personality and character type.

I will not list all types of characters that exist ( like hero, villain, helper, girl hero heads, etc.) because I want the personalities that you create to be unique and inimitable, alive and real.

So, now in both cases we have a certain basis, an image in our head that we will develop further. The first thing to start with is to describe the nature of the character. How to do it? Easier than simple - we ( you and me, yes we are with you = real people ) we show our character in each life situation, whether it is a gray everyday life or an “out of the ordinary” case, the heroes we invent also have their own line of behavior in certain situations.

Describe how your character will behave when he feels good, when he feels bad, because of what he can feel good or bad, sad or cheerful, place him in circumstances of complete uncertainty ( for example, alone in a strange city / parallel universe / outer space), how will he behave?

Describe his thoughts, feelings, emotions, come up with good and bad habits. If the hero is positive, then think of him negative traits and habits that he will seek to correct, if the character is a villain, let him have a couple of positive traits, ( well, let's say he likes cats), to show that he, like all people, is contradictory. Describe the manner of speech, how he communicates with relatives, with strangers, with superiors, with inferiors, take into account his cultural environment ( farmer, worker, scientist, etc.).

Minor heroes usually have one hallmark and almost always adhere to such a line of behavior, you can not prescribe them a detailed character, but do not force them to do things that are not characteristic of them ( be sad for the merry fellow, and be stupid for the wise guy).

I don’t know if there is a dependence of appearance and character as such, but at this stage it is not necessary to describe what your hero looks like, only how he behaves and what he thinks about at this time.

Come up with situations until you have a perfect image in your head and then collect all your handwriting in one file.

Biometrics and biography

Now, after we have decided on the behavior of our hero, it's time to tell why he behaves this way, what is the reason for such behavior.

Note that for the character short story, it is not necessary to do all of the following, it is more related specifically to large and developing works.

Now the points that are quite standard for character creation guides will go, note that every the paragraph has its own special meaning and is not done at random:

So, for starters, let's decide who we are "giving birth", a boy or a girl? You probably already decided in the previous paragraph what gender your character will be, but I urge you to think again, perhaps some behavioral traits are not characteristic of one of the sexes.

Keep in mind that there is such a thing as social education and ... how should I say sexual reaction to this education. For example, if a girl was born and raised in cultural society, then she will behave in accordance with the rules of this society ( so as not to become famous "bad" and have every chance of a successful marriage ... natural selection, all things), at the same time, the guy may start behaving asocially ( because of the desire to dominate among guys or for the sake of a girl), but if we swap them, then we can say that the girl is “not normal”, and the guy is “nurse”.

Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the behavior of the character and the environment in which he grew up before choosing a gender, and if you get a bias of all the characters in the same direction ( all girls or boys), then all the heroes of the story are of the same type, a good “bell” to introduce a contrasting personality and dilute the story.

Some people believe, some don't I am one of the first) that the date of our birth affects our character. From a purely practical point of view, you should also believe in this, because this way you can create an even more thoughtful hero.

Already on hand Full description the nature of the character, his gender and cultural environment in which he grew up, now you open the Internet and look at all possible horoscopes and look for a similar description of a person.

Once you've calculated your zodiac sign, you can go ahead and dig around and choose the day of the month to match the character, or just pick a random date.

Why is this all? So that you yourself would believe in your character, that he would become for you the same as alive, that he would have a personality and behavior patterns in accordance with real life, and if you believe, then your fans will believe, and here it’s not far from mass adoration ...

Now about age. Whatever year of birth you choose, you should understand that with age, a person’s character changes. Look at it like this, if a person at 42 years old leads the same free image life as in 16 years, then something is clearly wrong with him. Age and cultural environment influence us every year, and we are constantly changing, for better or worse.

Indicating the age is also important to identify the social status of the character. For example, at the age of 16, a person is a schoolboy and he will act accordingly as a young and hot, and not as a wise old man, at 20 years old, usually people are already students and behave differently, responsibility for their lives appears, they want “adult” experiments, but also the punishment in which case is already higher, and at 25 a unit of society is already working and she has no time for “school” pranks, she would feed herself

If they are within the normal range, then they do not play a special role. However, if our comic has a caricature style, then these two factors should be given special attention.

If the character is cartoonishly large or short stature and weight, then only then does it leave its mark on the character. Eg, tall people noticeable in the crowd, it is difficult for them to play locks =), short ones can be nimble, thin (pretentiously) weak and sick, fat ones are funny and slow, etc. ( come up with your own)

Well, this is a very delicate question, choose a color according to your personality or because you like a certain color ... and that's it.

I would make the hair color correspond to the character, and the eyes to match the hair, contrasting or vice versa similar. In general, it's all "taste" so choose for yourself.

This includes all dimensions and curves of the body. Which? Well, for girls, these are secret “90-60-90”, the size of cups and clothes like them ( if you are not an expert, then do what you like), for guys body shape and muscle size.

It should be borne in mind here that certain curves and dimensions are not taken from nowhere and leave an imprint on the character's everyday behavior. For example, muscular guys have such muscles not just by nature, but because they go to the gym or play sports, this can influence their choice between fast food and healthy food. Girl with big breasted will attract the attention of guys and she will either be used by it or it will embarrass her.

So the shape of the body also makes your character "alive".

It is also worth including all the scars and features of the body. Each big or small scar has its own story and the character's reaction to this story, positively or negatively, with irony or nostalgia. The same with the features of the body, a large volume of lungs - runs longer, more convolutions brain - smarter, no finger on his right hand - maybe he's clumsy

Eh, a very important point in my opinion, but at the same time, logic recedes into the background if you want to name your hero something cool name and you don't care that the name also affects a person's life.

Let's subject ourselves to common sense and define it this way: if the actions take place in our world and in our time, then you climb into the directory and choose a name in accordance with the character; if in our world, but in the past, you give names in accordance with that era and place, it is possible without character, but with meaning; if the action takes place in a fantastic or fantasy world, then here you already have complete freedom of choice.

If you have problems with coming up with a name, then good help will provide various kinds of geographical, astrological, biological and other reference books - you open them, you find alphabetical index and transform the names of places, terms and phenomena into the names of your heroes.

And my favorite part of creating a character is combining all of the above and building a complete person out of it.

The story, well, or biography of the character, this is the “grease” that will allow you to link some character traits with others and make the hero of your story “revive”. In the biography, it is also worth mentioning the parents and how they influenced the character, their personal qualities, something our object could learn from them, refuse something, they could force him to do something, how they spoiled him, how they punished him. .d.

If your character's behavior has any unique habit or feature, it's time to describe the story of its origin here, and make it as vivid and memorable as possible for the character.

In general, having the features described in detail from the previous paragraphs, you are already ready to create a “live” and unique personality, which has no analogues yet. You can do a little test, do all the above for the character, then take one of your friends and do the same steps, and then let them compare and say that one of them was invented by you, and the other real man. So let them think who is who, and you check how much real hero you created.

That's all for today, all creative mood friends!