Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a professional Illustrator for 4 years now, and before then an avid student of art. But during all that time, I've bought piles and piles of "How To Draw" books, namely by Christopher Hart. I was in the book store one day and saw this one and almost just bi-passed it as just another amaturise attempt at trying to make a "How to Draw Cartoon" book, the cover being the main turn-off.

In my 8+ years of buying these types of books, this is the first time I was simply astonished by what they were presenting; MOVEMENT!

It is rare that anyone write's these books with any mention on how an artist can try to achieve a sense of force and movement, and that is why I so highly recommend this book. The incoporation of how to apply the knowledge to comic book work was also great, not to mention the fact that Tom Bancroft also had the "Assignements" in the book which gives you a real look into what can go into creating charachters.

From novice to seasoned professional, this truley is a great book!

"I'm stumped, all my characters come out looking the same! What am I missing?"

"I'm drawing the same character as Seth, but his pictures are coming out better than mine. Why?"

"Ok, there's been a change of plans and our target audience is no longer going to be for kids in kindergarten but now 11 to 14 year old boys."

"Ok, the client is for a Honda dealership that primarily serves the Mexican market and we need a superhero mascot that appeals to these customers but doesn't turn off the other people who would be buying cars from them."

If you're researching this book chances are that you've already got some experience reading art and animation how-to books or know somebody who has. There are many books on cartooning and animation but there has been a frustrating lack of material that really digs into the meat of the creative process behind character design. Most books fall into categories that either narrowly focus on concept art from specific productions, or they discuss all facets of animation and cartooning and relegate character design to a single chapter and / or style. This book recognizes that educational void and happily is helmed by a man who not only can draw, but can explain the REASONS behind the stylistic choices employed by the best designers out there.

The REASONING is an important point that cannot be stressed highly enough and is what pushes this book beyond just another how-to-draw endeavor and becomes something that should be mandatory study material for anyone involved in the character creation process, from cartoonists, animators, sculptors, and 3D modelers, to storytellers, marketers, and producers. Tom Bancroft explains the esthetics of design appeal and allows you to better understand how your choices affect the audience's psychological response to the character's look. Going further you'll learn how to take that design awareness and modify your efforts to fit a wide range of stylistic applications so that your romanticly-loveable-yet-monstrous-and-scary frankenstein character can be drawn for an action-drama scenario or a slapstick-sendup. You'll still have to figure out for yourself however what the boss means when he asks for you to make your work "more hip and edgy!".

This book is filled to the brim with excellent and inspiring artwork and text which is both easy to comprehend and is satisfyingly complete. When you're finished going over this book I guarantee you'll either have learned something useful or you'll be applauding Bancroft for finally delivering the goods on a topic so many of us love but haven't seen explored to this extent outside of the studio or classroom.

Bravo, Tom, and thank you!

I got a chance to peruse a pre-release copy of this book and I really liked what I saw.
Tom is a former Disney animator and does a great job of breaking down the elements of good character design. What I really like about his book is that it isn't merely a "How to draw like me" book. He teaches principles that anybody can put to use in their own style.
Not only did he ask Rob Corley to write a chapter (his business partner), but he asked several guest artists to submit their interpretations of the same character. Among the guests are Peter deSeve, Mark Henn, Bill Amend and Jack Davis... yes, the Jack Davis. A very diverse collection of styles, yet with one thing in common: they create excellent designs brimming with personality and attitude.
Tom's point in the book is that good character design, regardless of style, comes down to clarity, appeal and knowing your character inside and out.
(Oh, and Glen Keane wrote the forward for some more words of inspiration!)

I ordered this book before it was released and it is worth far more than the cover price. As an illustrator I have always struggled a little with character design, and this book filled the void. It has a good combination of pictures and text so both learning style are met. After you read this book, you will understand many of the principles and techniques to design characters. You won't work for Capcom tomorrow, but your art will look a lot better.

To be honest, I was expecting more from this book because of the reviews I read at the time I purchased it. While all the illustrations are delightful, informative, and expressive and the quotes from other illustrators working in the industry were truly brilliant, I was generally unimpressed with how much I didn't learn. This is probably a great book for beginners, but for someone who already knows that it's a good idea to sketch different variations of a character before picking one, it's just a pretty book.

I wanted the author to get more indepth with breaking away from what an artist is used to, in terms of style. Such as more trouble-shooting, brainstorming ideas. My problem as a character designer is that I'm stuck in one style of a drawing that I'm comfortable in and just telling me to combine different shapes for the head isn't going to get me to break out of my comfort zone. I also wanted the author to discuss more about, after choosing a character, how to stay consistent drawing him/her/it. I understand drawing different expressions at different angles, but what expressions, what angles? How do I get more expression in my character when I have the problem of trying to make them all too "pretty"?

I was happy to find that this book included every aspect of character design that I needed. Throughout the book, Tom offers assignments for the reader to keep up with the progression. This book is a must for any artist dealing with characters; from web animation to comics, to feature films. Definitely a worthy buy, and I can't wait to see his next book!

Tom Bancroft's "Creating Characters with Personality" provides a solid foundation for folks who are interested in creating and developing characters for sequential arts and animation. All the basics are explored here, with copious examples: simple shapes, line of action, appeal, etc.

One thing that sets this book apart from the rest is how several examples of the process of character design are shown. The book reiterates several times that the first design isn't always the best - that one should continue to explore other design possibilities before settling on the final look and feel of a character. If you are interested in refining or creating your own character, I would recommend purchasing this book along with Ben Caldwell's Action! Cartooning and Fantasy Cartooning.

While beginners can certainly appreciate this book, I think it's best suited for intermediate level artists who are looking to refine their technique. Highly recommended.

I thought this book would be mostly about cartooing, but was pleasantly surprised. Although the characters included are reminiscent of cartoons, the theory and suggestions provided can be applied to anyone creating characters for books or other needs. Although I haven't done it yet (and to be honest, probably won't) the project included in the book that you are supposed to do as you advance in your reading seems like a great excercise of the mind and pencil. I love seeing the different interpretations of the same characters from the news paper comic's point of view, the illustrator's point of view, etc.

I've read several how to draw books. So far the the most instruction I've ever gotten was "do this, then do that." The books never explained why. This book explains why. The reason why you start out with simple shapes was probably the biggest "Oh yeah! OK!" moment for me and there were several other momnets.

The book is very well narrated. I actually read through this like a story book, the first time. It is easy to follow and at the end of each chapter there are homework assignments to help you get going. The assignments are a little tough, so you are expected to know how to do a few things, but I haven't met a how to draw book that started with "This is how you draw a line."

I personally love Anime and Manga and that is the style of art I try to emulate. With this book it doesn't matter what style of art you are trying to master, you will get help from this book.

A great book and a great learning tool! I reconmend this book for pros and hackers alike. The examples are great and easy to understand and the book is a good read too! Simply a must for any cartoonist/artist in any field of illustration. A good companion with animation books like "Animate the Looney Tunes way" or the Preson Blair series on animation.