Character Design

 Following on from my illustrator research, I came to realise that the use of character and having a relatable design with friendly or comical expressions is the KEY to having a successful children's book.

I looked at the process's of Ed Cheverton and the use of facial features from all of the illustrators that I have looked at and began to plan how I could use this within my book.

Following on from my selection of the poem, and the changing of names, I felt comfortable with being able to design fun and comical characters based on the names 'Shiny Star' and 'Starry Shine'

I drew out a number of faces and expressions and began to place them over the faces of the star and moon, this was a really helpful process as I was able to see which were more effective in terms of creating the tone of voice in which I was aiming for. 

Initially I found that I was trying to be too weird about my designs, the faces didn't need to be too 'cute' or childish to still appeal to children.
I found that I was a very long process in finding what worked and what didn't. Following on from my designing, I began to think about what I personally liked in character designs and instead of trying to design to what I thought might looked good, I decided to design the faces to my specific taste, and this actually worked really well. I took my main inspirations from Chris Simpson Artist but also added my own flare to the work, focusing on my use of detail and line work within the block colour shapes.
This has already been a big learning experience for me. When designing characters, the process should be something that you're enjoying and not doing because you think it might look good, but doing because it's something that appeals to the correct audience and also works for yourself as an illustrator.

Once I had decided on the style of face and expression that I wanted to explore, I began to really enjoy the design process. I followed the process of Ed Cheverton and explored the use of cut paper and how this could be a quick and creative way to gain a more expressive understanding of the two characters themselves.

Once I had decided on the face that I was planning on using, I began to think about the body form that I could explore, I wanted the characters to have a slight quirky sense to them, allowing their forms and character personalities to appeal to children but also adults.

Despite the Star and Moon being almost 'alien' creatures, I decided the use a human body with extended features, I found that this really worked in terms of adding the almost 'creepy' appeal to them. 

NEXT STEPS

• Pin down the final designs of the character forms and think about if they are appropriate for the audience of the book.
• Consider the use of colour and size of the face and bodies and how this can have an effect of the appeal of the characters.