Tutorial

Capturing your Character's
Personality during the Blockout

Ben Courtenay
Art Heroes Contributor
Establishing your character's personality in the early stages of the sculpt is vital to ensuring the overall persona rides through the entire project.

In this article, I will cover 3 useful theories to keep in mind.

1. Your Character's Style

One way style can be expressed is through the complexity of the mesh. Looking at the reference below, as the character becomes more the stylized the forms are simplified and exaggerated. Much like the 2D blockout, this can help you stay focused on the overall form.
3d character posing tips

2. Your Character's Attitude

The character's personality, attitude and mood can be captured in the blockout phase too! Below there are two versions of the same mesh, notice the difference is huge! One feels confident and strong while the other is heavy and tense; all the while retaining the rested A-pose.
how to pose a character in zbrush

3. Your Character's Attributes

A character's attributes can be captured in physical (digital) form through exaggeration and emphasis. By adjusting certain elements like larger arms and back to convey strength, while having a larger head and a smaller body could suggest intellect. These exaggerations can be very subtle or intense, relative to how realistic or stylized the character is. Overwatch is a great example of capturing a character's personality through their silhouette.
how to pose a character in zbrush
So I advise you to pay attention to these three points at the very beginning in order to empathize with your character. Much like form follows function, in character creation form follows the character: their personality, skills, abilities and attitude.

Hope this article was helpful!


Ben Courtenay,
Art Heroes Contributor

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