Character development

Character design and development are the themes of my publication, so I have illustrated my own character from my Final Major Project in its design stages. By illustrating the stages, I have shown how I managed to reach a final design for one of my characters, as well as how each layer of detail is compiled together. I ended up presenting these design stages in the centre of two pages of my publication, so a reader could follow the character's development from left to right. A written explanation of the character has also been provided underneath the final stage for clarity.

For the cover of my publication, I knew that I wanted to create an illustration of the featured character in a very unique way. In following my plan, I constructed the following drawing of the Master Chief in segments - from the most detailed and finished to the simplest sketchy lines. The finished illustration is made up of five segments that are cut diagonally. I feel like this proved to be an interesting and experimental way to draw a character, and I enjoyed the challenge of finding a new perspective to draw one of my favourite characters from. The outcome turned out better than expected and looks great as the cover art for my magazine.

Following on from this, I wanted to put the finished illustration through Adobe Illustrator as I wanted to make the lines bolder and was interested in how it would turn out. Below is the result of that experiment, and I am surprised with how clean and professional it ended up looking. While the pencil sections didn't translate well, I used it to my advantage to present a different narrative to the same drawing. This version shows a fractured and broken character, who is slowly dissolving into the wind, which can be representative of many different storytelling elements.

This version of the illustration appealed to me so much that I used it on the back cover of my publication, and I feel that it helps to bring the other elements together (ironically, as the character is coming undone). By exploring this digital aspect and experimenting with image trace, I discovered a technique that I enjoy and have been encouraged to use in my future practice.