This article will explain how to create kid character designs and characters. I will also share a few helpful tutorials when designing your first character. So, let’s start with the basics!
When creating cartoons for kids, you must ensure your characters look like they belong in their world.
As a designer of animated characters, you must be able to create unique and appealing characters.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the steps of creating characters for kids, including how to create cartoon animals for kids, cartoon humans for kids, and cartoon monsters for kids.
The techniques I’ll show you are easy for beginners to follow yet powerful enough for professional animators to incorporate into their work.
If you have a kid or kids, chances are, you’ve heard the question: “What’s your character design?” You probably know your character design and may even have a vague idea of how it would work in a story. But what does your kid’s character design look like? Or your nephew’s? Or your nieces? Your grandkids? Even pets? If you are wondering about character design for kids, this article is for you.
What is Character Design?
Character design is making characters look right for a particular medium. Regarding kids, character des characters are fantasy creatures for kids.
When designing characters for kids, you must ensure they are as fun, realistic, and as close to reality as possible. If you want to appeal to kids, you’ve got to appeal to their imagination.
You can do this by making your characters look realistic and appealing. This is where you’ll use reference images of real children and adults.
This is what I mean when I say you need to make your characters look like they belong in their world.
Let’s start with creating a cartoon human for kids.
What are the elements of a character?
A cartoon character has to look natural.
You want your characters to look like they could live in your story.
That means that they need to be believable. They need to look like they belong in the setting you’ve created.
They also need to appear as if they are from a particular era.
For example, a cartoon character can’t be dressed in modern clothes. That’s too jarring.
Instead, try dressing them in something from the ’80s, ’90s, or 2000s.
It’s essential to think about the era your characters live in because it impacts what kind of character you will create.
What do you need to know to start drawing your characters?
When I was a kid, I loved watching cartoons. Whether they were on TV or played on a VHS cartoon, they were my favorite thing to watch.
So, when I started designing cartoon characters for kids, I naturally drew some of my favorites from the past.
There are several things you need to know when creating cartoon characters. And here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need.
The first thing you need is a pencil. Most cartoon characters are a few basic shapes, so you can’t draw your character without a pencil.
If you’re new to drawing, you’ll probably want to start with a very soft pencil. If you’re more experienced, then you can use a harder pencil.
Next, you’ll need a paper. You must know what form you’ll use when making a cartoon character. Some pieces are better than others for drawing.
Here’s the kind of paper you’ll want to use.
A standard sketchbook is perfect for beginners. It’s durable, and it’s cheap.
If you’re more experienced, you’ll probably want to use a paper pad. The best paper pad for drawing is a 3 x 5 pad.
You’ll also need a sharpened pencil. And you’ll need to point it out before you start drawing.
You can use a pencil sharpener or use a wooden stick. Both are equally effective.
You can always start with a pencil sharpener if you’re new to drawing. But once more experienced, you’ll want to sharpen your pencil with a wooden stick.
Once you’ve sharpened your pencil, you’ll want to set yourself up comfortably. I like to sit in a chair and lean back. This way, I can rest my arms on the desk and relax.
Now, you’ll want to start by drawing your character. There are different ways of removing a character; the best way to learn is to practice. So take a seat and start drawing.
How to draw a character
When creating cartoons for kids, you must ensure your characters look like they belong in their world. This means they should be believable yet unique.
You may have heard that “cartoons are for children,” but this is untrue. Children find a lot of inspiration in cartoons, and comics are often used for educational purposes. But children can also find a lot of inspiration in the adult world, and adults can learn a lot from cartoons.
I know this because I grew up watching cartoons and reading comic books, and I’m now a writer who creates cartoons. I’ve also worked in the industry as a character designer and taken taugimation courses at schools and universities.
Frequently asked questions About Character Design for Kids.
Q: What is the difference between drawing characters and designing characters?
A: Characters are design features and elements connected to create a character. Characters can include hairstyles, clothes, accessories, and personality traits. Designing a character involves determining what it is and how it moves, interacts with other characters, or exists in its environment. Creating characters for kids means designing characters with the appropriate body proportions and enough detail to appear as if they have a 3D shape.
Q: What are the three types of characters for kids:
A: There are three main types of characters for kids: (1) an animal character, (2) a person-in-an-environment character, and (3) a person-on-a-background character.
Q: What kind of drawings do you need to make a kid character?
A: For a kid character, drawings are typically two-dimensional and may be simple or detailed, depending on the complexity of nature.
Top Myths About Character Design for Kids
1. Character design should be used to create a character with a personality.
2. Character design should be used to create a character with facial expressions and body movements.
3. Character design should not be used to create a character with a specific look or style.
4. A character can have a wide range of emotions.
5. The more emotions, the better.
Conclusion
Character design for kids has been one of the most successful avenues for my students. I’ve been teaching character design for kids for over ten years now.
And while I do still teach this course, I’ve recently added two new courses specifically aimed at teaching beginners.