Book Preview: Alive Character Design: For Games, Animation and Film

Images and book description are from Gingko Press:

Follow this lively and entertaining book as it illuminates the basics of effective character design. Whether male or female, animal, monster or alien — certain rules apply that animate the figure and elevate it from a two-dimensional plane.

Knowledge of anatomy and proportion provides a framework and is crucial to attaining a convincing characterization. Facial expressions and body language complement the whole, conveying emotion and intention through subtle nuances of line and form.

Utilizing a broad assortment of sketches and finished illustrations, the fundamentals of process are revealed — from the divergent contours of gender to the anthropomorphization of animals, from the constraints of morphology on motion to the effects of environment on new species.

A must for working and would-be animators alike!

Check out more work at Suhaitao blog.

Contents:

Part 1: What Is Character Design?
1. What Is Character Design?
2. What Does a Character Designer Do?
3. Something You Are Supposed to Know
4. The Ultimate Principle about Character Design
5. Categorization of Character Design
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Part 2: Basic Method and Process of Character Design
1. Getting Fully Prepared
2. Basic Process of Character Design
3. Ten Key Warnings for Character Design
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Part 3: How to Design Different Categories of Character
1. Beauties — Design of Female Character
2. Heroes — Design of Male Characters
3. Cute — Design of Q-Characters
4. Foolish — Design of Stupid Characters
5. Animals — Design of Animal Characters
6. Featuring Realistic or Anthropopathic Styles
7. Variations — Design of Monster or E.T.
8. Evil — Design of Villains
9. Metal — Design of Robot Character
10. Anthropopathy — Design of Lifeless Characters