Thanks for dropping in and sharing your thoughts! I absolutely feel the same way too and I"m glad we both share that love. Hope the video and tips help you goof off even further!
Wowwww Andyyy!! Such an educational and inspirational video as always! Seeing your ideas iterate in such a progressive and organized way really drives me to do the same, and I'm so excited to see more of this fantastical peacock knight!! My favorite part of character designing is designing around a magical theme - especially with fantasy creatures like animals x humans or elves etc.! I always find incorporating magic to characters to be so fun, whether it is through physical features, colors or personality! 🥰
Thank you so much Eniiii!!! Glad that you found the video to be educational but I'm flattered that you found it inspirational. I love designing characters around magical themes!! I can definitely see that in your work and I am so excited to see more of it!! Can't wait! And thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment - I appreciate you and all the support for the channel and work I do
Really enjoying your series. It’s fundamental stuff and your approach is very tangible with a solid steps/goals. I can actually remember these as I work because they’re so simple. I also really appreciate seeing the whole honest process from the very rough stages, bad ideas and mistakes. It’s much more approachable and relatable. People often cut that stuff out and creates a twisted image of how the design process can work. I would like to add, I had trouble finding this video because I was looking for a title that mentioned “mind mapping” as you referenced it in the later parts of the series. Plus this video has a different thumbnail stylistically, so it seems unrelated. Otherwise, Andy, please keep it up. 💪🙌
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and feedback with me Fathomless Forge! I'm really glad that you can find my videos memorable and relatable - that is my ultimate goal. I hope to continue down this path of authenticity and transparency in my process and learnings and I hope you'll join along on the ride! And your feedback on the thumbnail and title is also very much appreciated and I will definitely revisit them to improve the overall experience I'm trying to build with the channel. 😁
I love applying mind maps to as many facets of my day to day! Glad you found the video clear and useful and I hope it's helped you and your creative vision!
I personally haven’t done this with any of my characters! I’ll try to see if this is a method I can use to improve.😅 My favorite part is the beginning stage of my process. More or less what I’ve done is letting the idea incubate in my head, playing with certain consepts and then attempting to draw them out on paper. If I don’t like the result, to me it means that they aren’t ”ready to show themselves”, as crazy as that might sound. It’s funny, but I like to think of my characters almost as living creatures, which plays into my attitude towards them. Of course, I like to refine these designs if there is need for it.
Hope things are going well in your character design journey! I can absolutely relate to what you're describing and doesn't sound crazy at all. Our characters are precious individuals who need time to fully blossom and sometimes that happens more in our minds than on paper. Of course every character will go through different stages of incubation as you say, multiple phases of iteration or refinement, but at the end of the day, as artists, we'll know when they're ready and that's what matters - our own creative intuition. How we get there can be totally flexible.
Hi! Hope you had the chance to try the technique out! Would love to know how it went/goes. And haha, I find that my lettering could use some improvement when writing digitally but I'm happy to hear it's somewhat legible at the very least.
This is very kind of you and I really appreciate the encouragement. Been away for a bit but hope to resume creating content such as this soon. Thank you again, much love.
Say, I have a question: what if one of the two things I want to use for the mind map exercise was more of a concept rather than a physical object? For example, Art noveau + knight. How would you recommend to tackle that? thank you in advance
I think it would be quite similar. So rather than expanding on word associations of say 'peacock' you could do the same for "Art Noveau." From there, maybe there are certain styles or elements of Art Noveau that you're drawn to or want to explore. Perhaps a specific art piece that comes to mind or aspect of an art piece that comes to mind. All of these are great word associations that you could tie into your character. You can then tie those words into other elements of how you've expanded on the knight word associations. Really the combinations are endless and you're really using the starting two words as umbrellas that you can drill down deeper into. At certain points you might decide, "hey, this isn't really an Art Noveau Knight, but _____ Knight" but the starting point was Art Noveau. I hope that helps, and I apologize it's taken me so long to respond. But please let me know if this helps, and if not, I can try to clarify. Thank you for this lovely question.
Andyyyyy!!! This was such a smart idea!! I've never thought about mind mapping when making characters. I'll for sure keep that in mind next time. That said, my favourite part of character designing is most definitely costume design. I wouldn't say I'm amazing at it lol but researching different clothes, expressing their personality and the colours etc. are just super fun to experiment with! ❤️
Ahhh so glad I could share this technique with you then! Definitely give it a shot when you get a chance >:D I can definitely relate with the outfit design. It's definitely a ton of fun and provides a different set of challenges! I'll have a video on that in the near future so be on the look out! But I 100% appreciate you being here and being a supporter of the channel
While I think the map is a good way to do this. I still have problems making the silhouette unique. I usually fall back on Asymmetry or focusing on Narrative aspects such as character effects. I guess things like facial scars or removing/adding chunks (thing like undead characters or like Godrick the grafted) sometimes I still think I'm not very unique. But maybe that's just because I doubt myself so much lol
I know what you mean, creating a unique silhouette that also helps tell the character's narrative can be difficult. As you mention though, certain accessories like scars and jewelry can aid in portraying the narrative whereas I think you can think of the silhouette more as a tool to help the character stand out against the cast/crowd. Asymmetry as you mention aswell is super useful. Another thing I'd add to that is that the silhouette isn't binding. You could start off with a silhouette that you think works...then refine it once you have more ideas. Have fun with it, and let yourself experiment. From there you'll build the confidence and decision making skills to push you forward! Wishing you the best and I hope things are going well!
There is no right or wrong way to draw anything. Stop dictating that your way of drawing is the ONLY WAY. Stop making other people a clone of yourself.
Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and feedback. This video isn't intended to dictate any ONE WAY to draw or design characters and I never say there is. Instead it offers an alternative approach that you're more than welcome to try out (and I hope it helps). Thanks for your time and have a lovely day!
My favorite part about character designing is that it gives me a reason to goof off.
Thanks for dropping in and sharing your thoughts! I absolutely feel the same way too and I"m glad we both share that love. Hope the video and tips help you goof off even further!
Wowwww Andyyy!! Such an educational and inspirational video as always! Seeing your ideas iterate in such a progressive and organized way really drives me to do the same, and I'm so excited to see more of this fantastical peacock knight!! My favorite part of character designing is designing around a magical theme - especially with fantasy creatures like animals x humans or elves etc.! I always find incorporating magic to characters to be so fun, whether it is through physical features, colors or personality! 🥰
Thank you so much Eniiii!!! Glad that you found the video to be educational but I'm flattered that you found it inspirational. I love designing characters around magical themes!! I can definitely see that in your work and I am so excited to see more of it!! Can't wait! And thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment - I appreciate you and all the support for the channel and work I do
Really enjoying your series. It’s fundamental stuff and your approach is very tangible with a solid steps/goals. I can actually remember these as I work because they’re so simple.
I also really appreciate seeing the whole honest process from the very rough stages, bad ideas and mistakes. It’s much more approachable and relatable. People often cut that stuff out and creates a twisted image of how the design process can work.
I would like to add, I had trouble finding this video because I was looking for a title that mentioned “mind mapping” as you referenced it in the later parts of the series. Plus this video has a different thumbnail stylistically, so it seems unrelated.
Otherwise, Andy, please keep it up. 💪🙌
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and feedback with me Fathomless Forge! I'm really glad that you can find my videos memorable and relatable - that is my ultimate goal. I hope to continue down this path of authenticity and transparency in my process and learnings and I hope you'll join along on the ride! And your feedback on the thumbnail and title is also very much appreciated and I will definitely revisit them to improve the overall experience I'm trying to build with the channel. 😁
Whoa! I just got into mind maps the other night. Super clear and useful. Very well presented. Thanks.
I love applying mind maps to as many facets of my day to day! Glad you found the video clear and useful and I hope it's helped you and your creative vision!
I personally haven’t done this with any of my characters! I’ll try to see if this is a method I can use to improve.😅
My favorite part is the beginning stage of my process.
More or less what I’ve done is letting the idea incubate in my head, playing with certain consepts and then attempting to draw them out on paper. If I don’t like the result, to me it means that they aren’t ”ready to show themselves”, as crazy as that might sound. It’s funny, but I like to think of my characters almost as living creatures, which plays into my attitude towards them. Of course, I like to refine these designs if there is need for it.
Hope things are going well in your character design journey! I can absolutely relate to what you're describing and doesn't sound crazy at all. Our characters are precious individuals who need time to fully blossom and sometimes that happens more in our minds than on paper. Of course every character will go through different stages of incubation as you say, multiple phases of iteration or refinement, but at the end of the day, as artists, we'll know when they're ready and that's what matters - our own creative intuition. How we get there can be totally flexible.
Might try that one technique out. Good video and... I wish I could write letters as good as you digitally. 👍
Hi! Hope you had the chance to try the technique out! Would love to know how it went/goes. And haha, I find that my lettering could use some improvement when writing digitally but I'm happy to hear it's somewhat legible at the very least.
Andy, you're more successful than you realize keep up the good work.🤓
This is very kind of you and I really appreciate the encouragement. Been away for a bit but hope to resume creating content such as this soon. Thank you again, much love.
Say, I have a question: what if one of the two things I want to use for the mind map exercise was more of a concept rather than a physical object? For example, Art noveau + knight. How would you recommend to tackle that? thank you in advance
I think it would be quite similar. So rather than expanding on word associations of say 'peacock' you could do the same for "Art Noveau." From there, maybe there are certain styles or elements of Art Noveau that you're drawn to or want to explore. Perhaps a specific art piece that comes to mind or aspect of an art piece that comes to mind. All of these are great word associations that you could tie into your character. You can then tie those words into other elements of how you've expanded on the knight word associations. Really the combinations are endless and you're really using the starting two words as umbrellas that you can drill down deeper into. At certain points you might decide, "hey, this isn't really an Art Noveau Knight, but _____ Knight" but the starting point was Art Noveau. I hope that helps, and I apologize it's taken me so long to respond. But please let me know if this helps, and if not, I can try to clarify. Thank you for this lovely question.
Andyyyyy!!! This was such a smart idea!! I've never thought about mind mapping when making characters. I'll for sure keep that in mind next time. That said, my favourite part of character designing is most definitely costume design. I wouldn't say I'm amazing at it lol but researching different clothes, expressing their personality and the colours etc. are just super fun to experiment with! ❤️
Ahhh so glad I could share this technique with you then! Definitely give it a shot when you get a chance >:D I can definitely relate with the outfit design. It's definitely a ton of fun and provides a different set of challenges! I'll have a video on that in the near future so be on the look out! But I 100% appreciate you being here and being a supporter of the channel
While I think the map is a good way to do this. I still have problems making the silhouette unique. I usually fall back on Asymmetry or focusing on Narrative aspects such as character effects. I guess things like facial scars or removing/adding chunks (thing like undead characters or like Godrick the grafted) sometimes I still think I'm not very unique. But maybe that's just because I doubt myself so much lol
I know what you mean, creating a unique silhouette that also helps tell the character's narrative can be difficult. As you mention though, certain accessories like scars and jewelry can aid in portraying the narrative whereas I think you can think of the silhouette more as a tool to help the character stand out against the cast/crowd. Asymmetry as you mention aswell is super useful. Another thing I'd add to that is that the silhouette isn't binding. You could start off with a silhouette that you think works...then refine it once you have more ideas. Have fun with it, and let yourself experiment. From there you'll build the confidence and decision making skills to push you forward! Wishing you the best and I hope things are going well!
Cool Video
Appreciate the kindness :)
There is no right or wrong way to draw anything. Stop dictating that your way of drawing is the ONLY WAY. Stop making other people a clone of yourself.
Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and feedback. This video isn't intended to dictate any ONE WAY to draw or design characters and I never say there is. Instead it offers an alternative approach that you're more than welcome to try out (and I hope it helps). Thanks for your time and have a lovely day!