A Newbie Guide to Character Illustration

A newbie guide to character illustration

 

If you have ever seen any bright, cute characters and wanted to make your own but never knew where to start; then this is the guide for you. There are hundreds of fantastic tutorials by designers and artists on making characters but I remember when I first started out, it all seemed overwhelming and quite confusing with not much explanation on how to do simple things.

With a few years experience behind me I wanted to take some time to go over how I do things, remember there is no right or wrong way to go about this, it's all about personal preference. But this is what works for me.

 

Inspiration on how to make a character

The hardest part about making a character is thinking up the concept. You need to have an idea in your head before you can do anything, normally I find the following good for getting my creative juices flowing:

Online Inspiration: There is a huge showcase of amazing work online, you do not have to go far through the shimmering gates of Google without finding inspiration. Try going to Google images and typing random phrases and putting "cartoon" and "illustration" before or after, you can normally throw up some nice examples.

Look around you: Inspiration can come from anything, I mean anything!! (I find looking at household products very effective, due to having great designs, many with mascots and "faces" to sell a product.) But anything around you , no matter how small the detail it can inspire you.

Dip into your own brain: This may sound very odd, but I find sitting down, closing my eyes and mixing things together works wonders. Imagine a blank space, then start adding elements to the mix. What would a cactus look like with eyes? Now what does he look like with a big grin? Hmmm or what about with big muscles pulling a pose? Or dressed as a girl? In fact, he is not a cactus, he's a ninja! Imagine it like a film playing in your head. As you start to build the details piece by piece, I tend to think of things that make me laugh.

(Just remember the golden rule, inspiration is simply that! Its a big no-no to copy someone else's work and try and pass it off as your own!)

Lets get Sketching.... but I cant draw

Now lets just get this clear from the start! Everyone has the ability to draw no matter who you are. Some find it easier than others, it is definitely a skill that can be learnt. It just takes patience and practice. Don't ever be discouraged by seeing how amazing some people are, they are that good because they put in the hard work and probably enjoy and have fun with it! That's the exact attitude that we want. (Don't use 'I cant draw' as an excuse!)

So go and grab anything you want to start scribbling; pens, paper, pencils, even the crayons you have had since you were five years old. It really does not matter!! You are not painting a masterpiece you are sketching down ideas.

I will do the same and show you some examples of what I come up with.... Uh-oh,  this could be embarrassing.

TA-DA!! Here is the end product of a few minutes of sketching.... no need to laugh. As you can see I could not get the random cactus idea out of my head, so it had to be put on paper. I also looked around the office, seeing a selection of stationary and a packet of cookies! The ninja, well I am not really sure...

For the purpose of this guide I am going to be using the Cactus to show you how we can take this rough sketch and refine it into a digital masterpiece.

Refining the sketch

Before I start working in Photoshop or Illustrator, I like to redraw the sketch to remove all the construction lines. Now you do not have to do this, you can scan your sketch and skip the next steps if you wish but this is how I go about it.

Now there are two different ways to get a clean version of your sketch:

Using a pen tablet (a device that allows you to draw with a pen and have it appear on the screen) or your mouse if you are very skilled with that squeaker. I however am not! Hence why I went and bought a tablet. This is a big subject whether to go out and get a tablet, best saved for another post but if you have one perfect, show it some love.

Or you can use the simple method of laying a piece of paper over your original sketch and following over your lines. Or redrawing it again on a separate page, which can be tricky but good for practicing those drawing skills. Once you have done this, scan in your new sketch or if you don't have a scanner, taking a good picture with a camera can work. It is not the best method but does work if you have no other options.

Here is my refined sketch

Once you have done either of the steps above you will have  a cleaner looking version of your original sketch. This will help you later on, stopping any confusion if you have a lot of construction lines like I have.

I have used my pen tablet to get the refined sketch. Just remember it does not have to be perfect, this is still purely a guide. If you wish to use my refined sketch then please feel free to download the image from the link provided:

 

Taking your sketch into Illustrator

I have chosen to use Adobe Illustrator instead of Photoshop as it gives very clean detailed lines, and is perfect for mascots and cartoon figures. (Suiting my particular style.) Now this is where things can get confusing.

If you have never used Adobe Illustrator you can end up scratching your head in confusion with some of the directions. I will make sure every little detail is as covered as I can, as I remember the days of being a beginner, getting totally lost and ending up having to stop a tutorial/guide because I couldn't find the function or section that it was telling me to do.

So take a deep breath and have fun with it, as always I am showing you how I do parts, if you find a quicker way to do something or a way that works for you, do it!!

Open up your version of Adobe Illustrator, Click on File > New Document. From here you can name your file and change any settings, for mine I am using the standard settings.

This will then open up your new blank document, ready for you to work your magic.

Click on File in the in the menu and select Place, it will ask you the location of your image. (Find your sketch and hit Place. This will then add your sketch to your new document. You can also drag and drop the image into your screen if you are feeling cheeky.)

If your image is far too big or too small once you have placed it into your document, click on the image so that the corners show little square boxes. Then click on one of these boxes and start to pull inwards our outwards to change the size. (If you hold the shift key while doing this it will stop the image from loosing its proportions.)

With your sketch selected, look at the top of the screen for Opacity: This basically makes the image more see-through (transparent.) I like to lower my sketches to about 25%, enough so that I can see them but not get confused when I start to work over the top of it. (This can obviously change for different sketches, or scans etc.) Pick something that you are happy with.

If you now look in the Layers Panel, (if you cannot see this window got to Window > Layers, or you can hit F7 on your keyboard to bring it up). Once you see the window you will see Layer 1 which now contains our sketch, you can change the name of this layer by double clicking, bringing up a menu box shown above.

Once you are happy with your opacity lock the layer to stop you selecting it when you move on to later steps.

Create yourself a New Layer and give it a Name that is relevant. (It is good practice to name your layers.)

Quick guide to Illustrator pen tool

When it comes to making the character in part two, the Pen Tool will be used for most major parts. The pen tool allows you to create custom shapes and lines. It can be a fantastic tool once you know how to use it, however it can take a while to get to grips with. I will show you my methods...

Start by selecting the Pen Tool from the toolbox.

When using the pen tool you can have a Fill and a Stroke Applied.

Fill: Will fill the inner part of the line you create with the colour you choose.(This is best for making custom shapes and for making lines with different widths and heights.)
Stroke: Follows the line you will create, the higher the stroke value the bigger the width of the stroke around the line. (A stroke will not change in width, it will always be the same.)

(The above examples use a stroke and no fill.)

1: To make a perfect straight line click once then while holding SHIFT click again.

2: To make a curved line, click once then when you click the second time don't let go of the mouse, and drag it down or up to make the arms appear. Once you are happy with the first part of the curve let go, if you then click again it will carry on the motion of the line.

3: If you want to make a line with a big curve in the middle you can either use the same method as number 2, I normally create two points then click in the middle to add another point and use the Convert Anchor Point tool (holding ALT) to click on the point and drag out, gives the point arms which you can then move about with the Direction Selection Tool (A).

4: This is the biggest problem I used to face when starting out with the pen tool, if you want to make a curve and then have the line carry on in the motion. In the example I have shown if you wanted to make a curved line then go straight down, if you were to click, hold and create a curve then click down it would have a bend on it. (Very frustrating.) To stop this, once you have made the first point single click on it  with the pen tool, it will remove the right arm and then wherever you click next will be free from following the previous curve.

Using the Pen tool with a fill

Using the pen tool with a fill allows you to create shapes, you can use these for block colours, outlines, shadows, highlights - most shapes you want to create can be made with this tool. I personally use  fills to make character outlines with more variant or to fill in blocks of colour that are not simple shapes, such as a square or circle.

Remove the stroke by clicking on the stroke and then click on the white box with a red line running through it. Now any points that you make will fill the inside with the colour that you have chosen. If you then use the small double black arrow it will change your shape from a fill to a stroke.

Using the Pen tool to follow a shape.

Using the Pen tool to follow a shape.

Above is an example on how to follow a shape. I have chosen an arrow from google to show you how to do curves. (The example is using a stroke and no fill.)
1 - 4  : Easy; Just Simple Clicks from one point to another.
5        : Click and Drag downwards to create arms and the curve from 4-5.
6        : Single Click on point 5 to remove the second arm.
7        : Click and Drag down to create the rest of the curve on the arrow.
8:       : Single Click on Point 7 to remove the second arm.
9:       : Click and drag down again to make the large curve on the back of the arrow.

Stroke tool point edges

When  you are using the pen tool you might notice that the edges can be different. When doing a stroke, there are 3 variants. To change the edge, open up Window > Stroke, select the stroke and change the 'Corner' function.

Well hopefully that gives you some idea on how to use the pen tool, as I mentioned there are loads of great tutorials online devoted to the subject if you want to know more. But that is a simple run-down of how I use the pen tool.

Creating the Outline

We are going to start by making the outline for Carl, you should already have a 'Sketch' layer and created a new layer for the line work. If not then create those now, ensure the layer with the sketch on is locked and create the following steps on the 'Line work' layer...

Making the eyes

Start by selecting the ellipse tool (L) from the toolbox, drag a circle over the eyes (holding the shift key down will ensure a perfect circle.)

You then need to select a fill colour and a stroke, choose white for the colour and black for the stroke. Then select the stroke width to be 3. We will be removing the white fill later on, but for the moment it will help you to see each component.

Now you can make a smaller black circle, this will be the pupil of the eye. For this circle use a black fill and turn off the stoke, to do this click on the stroke and then select the white box with a red line running through it. (You can also make a small white circle for the highlight.)

To make the eyelid line; Click on the Pen tool (P) , click on the left side of the eye, (1) Then click again to the right side of the eye (2), but this time dont let go. Keep the mouse clicked down, dragging down to create a curve  ( example above.) . If you are not happy with the curve, use the Direct Selection Tool to move the anchor point arm, which will change the curve.(3) Once you are done Deselect the line by clicking on any area of the blank page. (You will know it has been deslected as you will not see the points or anchor points anymore.)

Now we are going to make the pupil so that it does not overlap the lid. Open the pathfinder window, click on 'Window' > 'Pathfinder', now select the eyelid line that you just created using the Selection Tool (V) . Then Click: 'Edit' > 'Copy' (CMD + C if you are on a Mac or  CNTRL + C if you are on a PC). You are copying this so it can be pasted back in after the next step. Now select both the eyelid line and the black pupil and click 'Divide' on the pathfinder window.

You should now see the black pupil with the top of it split. Select only the top part with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and delete it. (you have have to press Delete a few times.) Then paste the eyelid line back that we copied, by clicking: Edit > Paste in Place.

Quick tip: If for any reason you notice that parts of your outline have seemed to disappeared or are behind something, (in the example above, the pupil and highlight have vanished) it is to do with the arrangement of the objects on the layer. To fix this, right click on the object and choose Send Forward or Send Back, etc. Play with these options until each object is in the correct place.

Once you are happy with the eye select all the lines and Copy and Paste them, this will give you a second version of your eye.

You will now need to flip the eye to be facing the correct way, well... unless you want him to be looking to the left? But I want him to be looking forward. Select the new eye and click Object> Transform > Reflect from the top menu, then choose 'Vertical' from the window.

Select both eyeballs and off the fill colour, you then should have the above result.

Making the Body Outline

To make the top of the head, make a circle with a 3 Black Stroke, then use the Direct Selection Tool . Select the bottom point of the circle and press Delete.

Select the Pen Tool (P) and click on the bottom left open point (1), this will allow you to carry on the line from the top of the head. You can then click again to the top of the eyball to make the line. (2). Once you have made the line. Select the Direct Selection Tool and click in a blank area of the document. (3) This will stop you from joining lines 1&2 with 3&4. Once again select click the Pen Tool (P) and click on the right open point (4) then click down to the top of the eyeball (5), Select the Direct Selection Tool and Click on a blank part of the screen.

You should then be left with something similar to the example above. Where the lines of the head now are touching the top of the eyeballs.

Now, the rest of the body is made up of using the Pen Tool (P) with a black fill. I will not show you each little step as it would take ages and probably confuse you more. Just take each part one step at a time and if one part will not make the shape you want or becomes distorted, delete that part and start again.

Just remember that you can make small sections for shapes, then simply line them up. Don not try and make everything from one pen tool shape. Once you have made a shape e.g. a spike, or a cheek bone then deselect it and create the next shape.

Quick-tip: If you create a shape with the Pen Tool and decide it is to thin/thick or the angle is not right. To move the points around Select the Direct Selection Tool , double click on a point and drag the point to move it. (A very handy tip, that as a beginner took me ages to find!.)

Once you have made all the different parts of his body you should have something like the above example  (Notice how I have not stuck to my original sketch but used it as a guide, his arms looked strange attached to his head so they were moved down to his body.

Making the Cactus Spikes

To make the spikes for his head, make a simple triangle shape with the Pen Tool (P) . Then create two smaller shaped triangles with a slight curve and position them over the large trianlge. Once they are in place select all three pieces and click 'Unite' from the pathfinder window to connect them all together. (For the spikes on the tops of Carl's head you only need the large triangle.)

Making the Spikes for his Body

Copy one of the completed spikes you just made, then make a new layer and paste in as many spikes as you want. These will need to be on a separate layer as they will have their own colours and need to be in front of the body and head lines you have already made.

Making the Plant Pot

The plant pot is the same as the body; create a new layer, then use the Pen Tool (P) to create curved points by clicking and holding down the left mouse to curve the line. You can see that the plant pot is made up of 3 elements. You could make it all from one if you wish, but I prefer to make each part separately then, if need be, merge them together with the 'Unite' tool from the Pathfinder.

For the dirt in the plant pot, make a new layer, then use the Pen Tool (P) to create curves. Make sure they overlap Carl's body - you can make some that overlap the pot to make it seem as if the dirt is overflowing. Have a play and see what you can come up with.

You can see from my example, just by using the simple pen tool curves you can get a nice outline effect.

Here is the finished line work. I know some parts looks quite confusing at the moment as there are no fill colours, and all the outlines are black. This will all start to change once we introduce some base colour.

Check your layers

Lets just have a quick look at my layers and explain what is on each one to make sure yours are organised the same.

Spikes Front - Spikes outline that are on Carl's Body
Dirt - Outline for the dirt in the plant pot.
Plat Pot - Outline for the plant pot.
Linework - All the linework for Carl's Body.
Base Colour - I have added this layer for the next step.
Carl Sketch - Original Sketch.

Adding the Base Colour

Create a new layer for the base colours. On this layer, you need to create the colour for the body, pot, and spikes that are coming from behind the body. Choose the colour you want and simply follow the outlines for that part. It does not have to be perfect just as long as you keep within the black lines, just like when you were little with a colouring book, stay within the lines!

Adding Colour to the Dirt and Spikes

Create a new layer below your Dirt layer, mine is  called Dirt Colour. As with the base colour, use the Pen Tool (P) to follow round the outline, I used a darker brown.

You can see from the example above that by making a separate layer for the dirt and colour it can sit on top of the line work (overlapping it).

However you will notice that the plant pot is running through Carls Stomach. To remove this, make a box on the Plat Pot layer over the line. Select the new box and the back plant pot line together, then choose Minus Front from the pathfinder window. (You should then see that subtracts the new box from the pot line).

Once again create another new layer below the front spikes layer. Fill these with your chosen colour using the Pen Tool , just as you did with the dirt colour.

Linework Colours

One last thing I like to do to our linework is to change the colours to match what it is surrounding, e.g. at the moment we have all the outlines in black, which looks okay, but changing the outlines to a darker version of the colour it surrounds can improve the realism.

Shadows and Highlight

At this point we could leave Carl as he is, but personally I think he looks like he is missing something. This is where adding some well placed shadows and highlights can really make an illustration stand out from the rest.

You need to decide where you want your light source to come from. I normally have the source coming from the top left, but feel free to try your own.  As you can see, you want highlights to be in direction of the light and the shadows to be on the opposing sides. Think about it logically, there are some places shadows will be present due to depth (such as between the  eyes). If you create these correctly you will  give a 2D flat image a three dimensional feel.

First lets start with the highlights. Create a new layer and put it above all your other layers, as once again the trusty Pen Tool (P) will be used. Create shapes that follow the flow of the object. Do not keep them the same width, as it will look wrong and boring, but instead experiment with the width and see what you can come up with.

Don't add too many highlights - you want enough to give the impression of light bouncing off Carl and his pot, but in most cases less is more, if you add to many it you will over-complicate the design. Once you are happy with your highlights, select them all and lower the opacity to about 45%.

Adding shadows is the same procedure - create a new layer but this time put it above base colours. (This means it will show up on top of the colours but not over the outlines.) Once again I have only added a few shadows just to help accentuate some features.

For the colour of the shadow I used black and then lowered the opacity to 30%. You will notice that between the eyes and on the bottom set of teeth there is a faded shadow, this is very simple to do and can be accomplished as follows:

Create the shape with the Pen Tool (P) .

Select the Gradient tool from the Toolbox (G).

Then, single click on the shape and it will turn it into a gradient, it will probably be a strange colour or be facing the wrong way etc...

Go to the top left part of your screen, and choose the gradient drop down box, then select Fade to Black.

Then, simply rotate the gradient bar and shrink it to the size of the shape (by grabbing hold of the ends). Select the squares on the end by double clicking on them - this will bring up colour pallet. From here select a dark green for the top set to 100% opacity, then select black for the bottom and lower the opacity to 0%.

(NB: This is only another variant of how to make shadows. You do not have to use this method, but its a handy one to know).

Ta -Da, That is how you create a gradient shadow!! Your Carl now has shadows and highlights!

The End Result

Congratulations, you have successfully completed the newbie guide to character illustration. If you have been following correctly, you should have a Carl the Cactus that looks similar to the one above. I decided to give mine a sandy background, why not try and make your own background and see what you can come up with.