Every great project needs unforgettable characters! We have pro secrets from perfect poses to fully fledged personalities

INITIAL STEPS

Lucia Parvolo helps you dream up a captivating protagonist

1 BEGIN WITH A BRIEF

I always start off by asking myself key questions that will guide me throughout the character creation process. Where do they come from? How old are they? What do they love? What do they hate? The more I dive into these questions, the clearer the scope of their personality becomes. Creating a personality map can be super helpful for this!

2 FIND REFERENCES AND TRY OUT TONS OF SKETCHES

Beginning with a mood board, sketches, and silhouettes, search for the right balance. I remind myself not to settle after the first try – more sketches mean greater comfort and less self-judgement. We often underestimate how many cool ideas our hands can bring to life when we’re having fun with it! Don’t be afraid of starting over; when a character works, you’ll know it straight away.

3 FROM GENERAL TO DETAILS

When you find the shapes and proportions you like, revisit those initial questions and focus on infusing the character’s essence into the details.

This helps to showcase their personality, and lets you understand who they are and what they like by looking at them.