Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels

I recently purchased this book and pretty much sat and read it in one day. I have to admit even though these are really rough, they're the most "cohesive" designs I've ever really produced. In the book Tom does something very few how-to books do, he informs the reader on the very basics and WHY they work. It's as if he is having a one on one conversation with you and not just saying "add this here" or "do this there." He explains great usage of lines and curves and the actual thought processes that go into creating a character without getting bogged down into the technicalities of drawing.The character to the left is my version of Dillon, the book gives assignments to design characters in an entire setting, thats just one way I see him, the other way is highly realistic and closer to my other arts which focus on lighting and contrasts. But as he says in the book he really gets down to the "meat, potatoes and veggies" of character CREATION.I highly recommend getting Tom's book and giving it a good thorough read, it speaks to the mind of the artist in an interactive way and has loads of pictures ( I like dem books with the pictures) to illustrate not only the points that he is making, but also VARIETY and how a well thought out character and even recognition of shapes goes a really long way in expressing one's imagination.Thanks so much again Tom, you've most definitely given me loads to think about and incorporate into my art to make my work more lifelike and help me achieve something I've been struggling to find for so many years.

I just got through with this book and I have to give it a few words. While remaining kid-friendly (i.e. if you're looking to do pinups of busty babes, look elsewhere for full depth guidance on the upper torso area) it gives a LOT of information in a relatively small amount of space. As with any book about drawing, this book will not create a story and characters for you, however, it does give you ideas to get the ball rolling. One thing I like in particular is how they follow along throughout the book with a continuous assignment about the made up characters described in the first chapter. If you follow along, and actually do the revisions and find the one that's "right" then without realizing it, you've already begun the process for your own characters. As i went along, I started to mentally drift from what was in front of me as they described it and was thinking steps ahead to my own characters I wanted to create and applying the principles to them. This book covers a few different drawing styles, and though it doesn't go into depth for each style, it points out the similarities for personalities and how they are captured regardless of the style you use. I've used a few different drawing books before, and some were great for action and such, but with a focus on personality, I feel like this one really nails it. If you truely experiment with what you're given here, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I've just started sketich up different people again and already they all look different and like they could really have their own story as opposed to me putting different faces, expressions, and hairstyles on the same "template" of a head.

For the record, I am not a professional animator/producer by any means, strictly a hobbyist (granted, an increasingly active hobbyist, but a hobbyist none-the-less), so take my review for what it is - the perspective of somebody with no formal character design or animation training. Basically, the concepts in this book were completely new to me.This book was referenced in an Animation writing book I was reading. I checked it out of my local library and within a few days I knew I was going to need to purchase a copy of my own.I know each person learns differently but I prefer books that presents and steps through new material, prompts exercises for the learner to complete, then reviews the salient points of the material just presented. This book does exactly that.The material, too, is valuable. The author walks the reader through the thought processes of how to frame the viewer's perception of the character being designed i.e., when to use characters whose basic shapes are square and what kind of characters should be constructed from more oval-shaped foundations.There are also interviews with industry professionals (who are also completing the exercises in the book). Some are insightful, some are entertaining, but the real value is the actual material in this book.I find myself referring to the book whenever I start a new project. If nothing else, it reinforces the principles of character design and (hopefully) makes my work better each time.

I've grown to like Tom Bancroft's books and style of teaching. He has a way of really drawing you into what he's trying to say and gets you involved and interested. Some may see his style as a little too cartoonish but you can't exactly blame him since he worked from many years as an animator for Disney.In this book, Tom Bancroft discusses the importance of adding personality to your characters and giving them life. His focus is to get you thinking from step 1 to plan your character so that when a passer by sees him/her, they can immediately tell what sort of person your character is.Bancroft discusses things such as poses, body shape, expressions and the like for characters of different types including humans (male and female), animals as well as monsters.I would recommend this book to beginners although it can also be helpful for intermediate artists. The only thing I'll add is to say that this book is definitely not a must have. It doesn't have secrets in there that you can't find anywhere else. Having said that though, Tom Bancroft teaches with a rich background and portrays things quite simply encouraging you to try it out as he teaches through.