→ Character design exploration

Mixed characters: embracing randomness

This is a character creation project based on the use of randomness to establish a series of basic concepts that must be combined in the final design.

The purpose

This project is a small personal field of experimentation, with the aim of developing free characters linked to any type of context and limited by a simple conceptual restriction. Part of the challenge is formal, but it is primarily a conceptual exercise.

The process

I randomize three concepts from previously prepared lists and try to create a character based on them. For this, I use a simple spreadsheet with 3 lists (2 repeated + 1 additional one with complementary concepts), although there are many similar tools online that can do the work. Every time I enter the spreadsheet, it offers me a random selection of concepts.

Excerpt of the concepts spreadsheet

Example of character card with their concepts

Drawing stages

When solving the design of each character, there is an initial sketching phase, where trial and error is the norm, until a suitable approach is found. After that, an indicative design is chosen, the line work is polished and the color palette is defined in an approximate way:

Exercise 1 — Gothbert Greenleaf

Let’s start with this goth-shaman of the woods that I frankly have a fondness for. The resulting concepts for him were Goth, Tree & Shaman.

I can imagine him thinking: 'How cool to be surrounded by this beautiful and exuberant nature. But... if all of it withered I would be even happier. But no, it doesn't make sense, my job is to connect with the spirits of the forest. But... but imagine a blanket of grey and black leaves carpeting the entire earth...' 

Main design

Concept card

You can get Gothbert's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 2 — Midnight Davis

Here we have Midnight Davis. The result of combining the concepts: Jazz, Vampire and Chains. It was hard to introduce the ‘chains’ concept till I realized they didn’t have to be literal, physical ones. What if Davis was a doubly cursed vampire? 

Condemned to live forever, but also eternally chained to jazz. His whole existence, magically tied to his music. Every rainy night accompanied by his trumpet, under the dim light of nightclubs in the 50s. Perhaps it doesn't sound so bad after all...

Concept card

Main design

Cool mockup by Anthony Boyd

In this image, he’s probably thinking: “Dear chains, could I at least get up for thirty seconds and go get a new glass of a little less cold blood?” You can get Midnight's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 3 — Miranda Glocke

Miranda Glocke, the result of combining the following concepts: Top Model, Lovecraftian entity and UFO. Complex concepts to combine!

Miranda was created as a sentient humanoid spaceship, with a single mission: to act as a mobile and eternal prison for the ancient cosmic deity imprisoned within, launched into the infinity of outer space with no possibility of return.

A glorious purpose. But that's the way it is: Miranda’s true aspiration was always to be a stylish top model. And she is now the biggest universal fashion superstar.

Main design

Concept card

(Above) Detail of Miranda's face & the cosmic entity contained within her, briefly peering outside its prison. You can get Miranda's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 4 — Arksimov

Here we have Arksimov, the result of combining the following concepts: Robot, Crystal and Jungle. For this character, I imagine a post-apocalyptic setting. Arksimov is a walking nature reserve. A modern-day Noah's ark that functions past humanity's final debacle. One of the many androids that preserve a whole small ecosystem inside.

Its outer structure is transparent, so that sunlight can reach the life forms it contains and some sections can open so that rain can get to the interior.

Concept card

Main design

Arksimov's layered design

Arksimov's brain is an electronic model that combines the thought patterns of Doctors Noah Peterson and Naamah David, famous biologists who fought for the preservation of natural life before the disappearance of human beings.

Before this solution, I was considering making a wooden robot that lived in the jungle, as an ancient device created by other civilizations, and adding the crystal concept as a secondary attribute. You can get Arksimov's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 5 — Jo Stradder

The result of combining the following concepts: Punk, Boxer and Snake. Joan (Jo) Stradder. Her chaotic and disorganized personal life, surrounded by questionable music and bad company, contrasts with her steadfast dedication to boxing since she was a child.

Main design

Concept card

We will ignore the fact that she has been disqualified in various competitions for refusing to comply with the dress and equipment code. Her jabs are as fast and dangerous as a viper's bite  Her name is an homage to the Clash's Joe Strummer (+ adder!).

You can get Jo's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 6 — Eyesaac Evershield

In this case, the random concepts were: Scholar, Shield & Eye. Eyesaac was born blind, an essential requirement to be part of the secret order to which he has belonged since he was a child, destined to preserve all the hidden knowledge of the Kingdom of Irisia.

Concept card

Main design

He was educated to be one of the great scholars of his time and the custodian of a magical book, in the cover of which is embedded the eye of an ancient demon that sees and knows everything. Eyesaac has no combat training, so light armour and the magical properties of the book protect him at all times.

You can get Eyesaac's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 7 — Diane J. Chance

In this case, the random concepts were: DJ, Dice and Slingshot. Mixing these concepts was honestly hard. The first connection was using a dice to get a random result that might be associated with a music selection. But how to add the slingshot to the mix?

Main design

Concept card

After different ideas, I ended up visualizing Diane like this: what if she used a physical-virtual interface? The slingshot being the main device, using a laser thread to shoot a virtual dice to get random results from her lists and mix them in improvised sessions. Very meta! Also an interesting visual spectacle for her audience.

You can get Diane's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Exercise 8 — Shadowyn Qliphoth

In this case, the random concepts were: Witch, Assassin & Bird. At first I thought of just developing a witch that had control over multiple birds that she used as killing acolytes. But the global concept was, in the end, essentially a witch.

So I decided to mix two of the concepts: assassin and witch, and then introduced some bird-like attributes that could tie all the lore around the character.

Concept card

Main design

“Shadowyn’s mother, a powerful witch, made an unholy pact with the demon Malphas. The fruit of that agreement was her own daughter, who is at once an avatar of the demon on earth, a witch by blood, and a ruthless protector of her entire clan. The ultimate combination of martial skill and dark magic.” She also has good taste when it comes to clothing and accessories.

• Her surname references the hermetic cabalistic term Qliphoth.
• Shadowyn uses two long daggers, one imbued with fire, another smeared with poison.
• Her skin is covered with soft feathers, she has bird-like legs and wings, and a particularly long neck. She also has four ears (the inspiration for this coming from Yu Yu Hakusho’s demon Yomi).
• Although she doesn’t look human, her gaze can enchant anyone who looks at her, and she is as lethal with her weapons as with her spells.

You can get Shadowyn's illustration as a fine art print, an acrylic print, a metal print or a Canvas print on InPrnt (8x8, 12x12 or 16x16 inches) _

Final thoughts

An (ongoing) free project that has allowed me to explore the creation of characters through a narrative. The randomization of concepts is a pretext to force a creative exercise that is based, above all, on imagining a story, a context and a background for the character, later synthesized into a design. Writing is a great exercise for illustrators, the same way drawing can be extremely useful for writers. Enjoying all the parts of the process makes this project a powerful introspective and explorative tool.

More info

1. More character design samples: www.dribbble.com/rgildesign
2. Buy high-quality prints of the characters