Exercise 1: Creating Pencil Tests

Rough Pencil Test

This is a rough pencil test that I put together using a series of key drawings posted by Andreas Deja on his blog Deja View.
You can find the files yourself at Deja View : Action-Reaction

Principles of Character Design: Head Shapes

As important as it is to properly construct the head, the simplified rounded shapes used for construction are not interesting on their own. And unless the character you are working on just happens to be an egg or a beach ball, a simple oval does not a good character make.

You should start by sketching construction lines and shapes and try to create an interesting form or shape to use as a head shape.

Once you have a shape you like, try lining up the shape at a few different angles.

Try printing a piece of paper with this empty template at the top.

Add features to the front and quarter views then go on to up and down angles.

Principles of Character Design: CONSTRUCTION_theHead

Some people look at cartoon characters and see little more than a doodle; Simplified figures drawn without extreme detail and the most basic of lines - may as well be emoticons as they see it... 

    and in a way they have a point. 

Cartoon characters are not supposed to look like portrait. A cartoon should only have as much detail and complexity as is needed to convey the character's ... well, character. 

Contrary to what this may imply, however, creating a character from scratch can be immensely intimidating for beginner animators. 

A wide variety of skills, techniques and disciplines are involved in the art of character design, and it requires dedication, patience and a strong work ethic just to learn the basics.

Good character design is built properly, using the proper tools.
The Principles of Construction are the tools. Preston Blair published books on Animation that laid out principles of construction that have been taught ever since the golden age of animation and still applies today with more modern, digital animation styles.

The use of this construction method is key to finding the proper location of facial features and giving a three dimensional feel.