July 22, 2010

Character Design 101

So....you want me to design a soft puppet or hard figure for you? Here's some things I'll need to know when I start designing your new partner.....

1. Soft puppet or hard figure?
Soft puppets and hard figures are put together differently. They're construction is as unique as any real person's, and each needs to be designed a certain way.

2. Who's going to build your partner?
I've seen many great works out there by many of the best puppet/figure builders around. I've studied them so much, I like to think I have a feeling for their style. So, I can design to their style of work.

3. Who is the character?
 - Their name
 - What's their personality? Are they a goof, cheeky type, old man/woman, grumpy, sneaky
    shy, etc?
 - Are they human or an animal...or something else? What animal? What creature?
 - Do they have a certain profession they'll portray?

4. Full or half body?
Full-body characters are usually used by ventriloquists, while half-
body characters are usually used for puppet stages. *If your character is a stage puppet,
will they have rod or glove arms?

5. Costume design?
Will I need to design a costume as well as the character? Or, will
 you simply take care of finding them clothes yourself?

6. E-mail!
Write me a detailed e-mail about the character you invision. Include sketches of your own, no matter how crude they may look, they could help.

7. Phone!
Give me a ring and tell me all about your ideas!

*See contact info to tell me all about it!




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