Character Story:
I knew that when I brainstormed my character, I wanted to create someone who held an inner secret, an innate characteristic that they aren’t necessarily satisfied with. I wanted someone whom perhaps, others my age could easily relate to in terms of identity and pressure. Thus, I created Alex. Alex is a ghost, that is it. He has no special powers, other than being able to float and disappear, the usual ghost stuff. Only, Alex does not exactly understand why he is unable to interact with humans. He spends his time watching the humans play with one another, watching them hug, watching them laugh together in unison. Ghosts can not dream, but if they could, Alex would dream about humans. He wishes he could be one of them, only he can not. His duty is not to befriend them, but to scare them. Or at least, that’s what his parents are expecting out of him. However, Alex isn’t exactly fond of doing so, he never seems to understand why he has to follow in the footsteps of all the ghosts that came before him. He never understood why is it that when he appears, no human can see him for who he truly is. He never understood what was so scary about him. Down the line, if I am to continue Alex’s plot and storyline, I want him to be granted the opportunity to become human for a change. These transformational characteristics are available in the process and design.
Process:
A ghost was definitely not the initial idea had, I had thought of chickens, aliens, toy blocks, lightbulbs and many more before I landed on the idea of Alex. I knew though, that I wanted my character to be simple, no severely harsh lines or overload of details that would take the attention away from the few things you need to understand a character, their silhouette, and their story, as we had briefly learned in our Comics reading. I thought that a complicated character would be too hard to remember, and would not be as memorable in the mind of the viewer. However, Alex is both cute and simplistic at its core. His sad demeanor and minimal design as a ghost give viewers, in my perspective, easier accessibility to understand the character. Instead of fretting over the shading of his arms, viewers will focus only on the information that is present. They will notice his physique, his eyebrows, his closed eyes and so on, will want to fill in the missing gaps by understanding the plot. The simpler it is, the easier it is for viewers to relate to him. The more specific you are in a character, I would assume, you gradually depart from being able to connect your readers with the character you have created. But I am aware that complicated characters have their benefits too.
In the design process, I wanted to lean away from the overly done cloth-covered ghost, instead, I wanted something new and fresh. I gave Alex some clothes to somewhat give him an identity and to provide to his character of wanting to shield away certain feelings and or parts of his being, or even ‘lack of being’ since he is a ghost. I wanted the eyes to present a sorrowful image, in which I had to refer to various references and tutorials by other artists to understand how to create that frowning look. I also wanted it to be obvious to the reader that Alex is in dear need of a friend, or at least a human one. This is why I am debating the addition of a thought bubble to his head, but I will have to see down the line if it is necessary or not. I also want to lessen his cartoonish look by adding in gradients to convey a transparent feel, but since I am not an artist, I am having difficulty doing so. Hopefully, I can create my ideal design by the time we enter the Illustrator phase.
Current Design:
Q&A :
First Name: Alex (No last name as of now)
Date of Birth/Death: Jan 1st, 2035
Character’s Current Job: Apprentice to Father’s Boo Inc.
Character’s Dream: Ghosts do not dream, but if Alex could, it would be about humans
When bored: Alex goes down to earth to watch the humans play, pretending and practicing playing alongside them without ever being seen.
What Scares My Character: Disappointing his father, who is head of the scaring department at Boo Inc. Alex is also scared of scaring his human companions, as he sees them as his ‘friends’.
What does your Character dislike: Alex hates not being able to interact with the humans down below, besides having to scare them. He imagines and practices doing human things alongside them, in hopes of one day being able to do things together.
What is your Character’s favorite food: Alex’s favorite food, or actually dessert, would have to be South Korea’s Bingsoo, icy and relaxing, though of course, Alex can not feel the cold.
What Makes My Character Happy: Watching humans laugh and play together