Build a Character in Illustrator

Learning Intention: Select favourite images and rework them into a final image
Success Criteria: Identify successful experiments and work towards your final work

Here’s a checklist for students and teachers. This is what you should have ready so far:

Reflections

Before creating the final work, you should review the work you have done and identify which are the ones you’d like to pursue further. These are my favourite works, and I would like to incorporate these techniques further. These four were stand outs for me and am referencing them in the next step.

This experiment made me realise I really wanted to include a fur texture. In your reflections in your visual diary, think about which outcomes and experiments you like that you can move forward with	Looking at the compelted furry bunny, I thought she didn’t look purposeful enough, and the gun she was carrying didn’t seem like a proper gun, so want to address this	In this one too I have added some textures to the coat, which I really like and am thinking about adding gradients to the gun and changing the end of it.

So moving forward, I will be editing the shape of the glasses. I think these can communicate lots of emotion as you can’t see her eye brows. I want to make sure she has a purpose, that she looks like she can do things.

In earlier paper versions I refined the stance of the rabbit, but this could be something to do now, and ask other people about the expression of you character too, does it communicate what you are intending. Here’s a list of questions to add into your visual diary and answer thinking about your current work.

Does the character convey the intended emotion?
Do the colours reflect the purpose of the character?
Is your character in 3D or is it a flat 2D character? (either is great)
Have you used an outline all over? (Why/ why not)
Have you been able to incorporate ideas from the images you researched?
What aspects of what you have made will you use on the next version of the character?

Here is my finished bunny, it has lots of lovely fur, a proper and purposeful gun, a tank on her back. Her eyes really mean business, this is a lass who knows how to use that flame thrower. Some changes that I made include adding lots of detail to the gun, increasing her glasses to much larger for a more comical effect, adding a gradient on her dress, adding whiskers and a light effect on the eyes to show the glass that is in there. There is also a flame coming out of her flame thrower. Add lots of detail here to make it more interesting for your viewer.