For one week I was set the task of drawing a character using influences of shape. I found this subject to be fascinating, really liking how a character can be given attributes visually purely through the use of shape. To begin with I focused on shape while designing different heads. I used stylized political cartoons from the likes of Peter Brookes and Dave Granlund for inspirations as I feel like they use shape to great effect in there works.
(Dave Granlund uses shapes in his drawings to wonderful effect.)
(Peter Brookes uses more varied shapes for the heads of his characters.)
I began by drawing different faces with different shapes. I made a large masculine head with a square design as that shape shows strength and stupidity visually. I then made a woman’s face with a circular design, to give the character a comforting warm effect. Next, I used a stretched rectangle to make two different characters which I feel tell different stories visually. One, where I added arms, I tried to make seem an intellectual. Whereas the other design based on the same shape I tried to make seem worn down, with thinning hair and lots of stress lines.
My two other faces were based around the shape of a pear and the shape of a capital D. Which both represent very different things. The pear-shaped face is an unflattering design, often used in political cartoons to show a character as inept and poorly suited to leadership. In contrast to this I found that in these cartoons a capital D face shape is often used to show reliability and leadership.
After experimenting with shapes and their different meanings I felt like I was in a good position to create a full character with an emphasis on visual character traits. I decided I would make a bird for my character, loosely based on a vulture as I felt I could really use shape and angles to make this character old and withered.
I brought the unflattering art style from the cartoons I had used for inspiration. Showing lots of aging lines and giving the character a stomach large enough to overhand the log it’s sat upon. The sketch on the left is one I did by hand before taking the design into Adobe Illustrator to make the design on the right. I added more aging lines in the right-hand design and added more definition to the tree branch just to add visual interest.
I would have liked to add colour, however found that when I painted in Adobe I simply couldn’t get the design to work as well as when it was plain. I have since ordered a demonstrative book on digital painting which I hope will help me in this regard. When I have read this book, I may come back and colour this design.
References:
Dave Granlund (2016) – http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2016/09/16/trump-birther-to-obama-believer/ [accessed 27/10/2020]
(2017) – http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2017/03/07/trump-and-wiretap-claim/ [accessed 27/10/2020]
(2018) – http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2018/06/12/kim-and-trump-handshake/ [accessed 27/10/2020]
(2020) – http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2020/11/11/trump-unhinged-after-loss/ [accessed 27/10/2020]
Peter Brookes (2017a) – https://www.facebook.com/PoliticalScrapbook/photos/peter-brookes-in-the-times-on-theresa-mays-priorities/10155728180284218/ [accessed 27/10/2020]
(2017 b) – https://chrisbeetles.com/artwork/10634/antiques-roadshow [accessed 27/10/2020]