This month's COSCBWI Illustrator Meeting was all about creating characters. Illustrator Coordinator, Stella Hickman, gave an encore presentation on how to create a character model using aluminum foil, wire, tape, and Sculpy molding clay. (You can read the step by step process on my February Illustrator Meeting summary here.) Last month, Stella demonstrated the sculpture process by creating a kitten from her current picture book project. After being baked and painted at home, she brought the adorable feline back again to show us all how sturdy and spiffy the figures are once complete.
Since Stella's kitten was all done, she crafted a head sculpture during this demonstration. While full-body figures are great for full-body illustrations, Stella explained how a sculpture of a character's head and facial features can be just as important. By having a close-up reference of a character's nose, eyes, mouth, and other features, an artist can make their illustrations that much more accurate, consistent, and detailed. It's also another great reference to use when creating tricky perspectives, since a head sculpture can be moved in any direction an artist desires. The very best thing to do, though, is to create both a full-body AND head model of your character so you have the best of both worlds for all your referencing needs!
Stella urged the group members to make their own character model (full-body or head, or both if you're up for the challenge!) and to bring their finished figures to the April meeting. It doesn't have to be perfect; just have fun and see what those fingers can sculpt! You may be surprised by how much you learn about your character by turning him or her into your very own 3D model! :)
I hope to see you at the April meeting!
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