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napalmnacey — How to Draw Unique Characters
Published: 2008-08-08 12:56:06 +0000 UTC; Views: 201190; Favourites: 3812; Downloads: 48725
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Description
Hey everyone. This is the tutorial that goes with the 25 Essential Expressions exercise sheet.Now, I want it to be understood that I don't think this is the only way or even the best way to make unique characters. The beauty of comic art is that it's infinitely varied and approached from all different angles. I just wanted to share how I do it, and a couple of weaknesses I've noticed in the dominant styles and how I personally try to work around those. Remember that above all, you gotta play to your strengths. I remember agonizing over my style to a colleague once, and she said to me, "Yeah, but that's your style and it's great." So often in comic art guides I see instructions that basically tell you to drop everything that makes your art unique - don't do this! In the final figure in the tutorial, you'll see me try to do traditional western comic style, and then I do my own style. The first style is neater, but the second style, as bobbly and loose as it is, has a lot more emotion in it.
I'm rambling. Thank thank thank THANK you for all the wonderful feedback with 25 Essential Expressions! I'm touched beyond words. Feel free to share any good sketches you might make from this tutorial - I love to see if I've helped anyone out!
Lots of love and hugs,
Nancy.
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Comments: 360
What?
Do you mean my signature?
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I love the poem in your signature.
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Thank you! I am overjoyed to hear such comments!
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This appears to be broken =[
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I will be studying this. Thanks for this excellent resource!
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it's really inspiring. learned a lot! 
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Great exercise, thanks for sharing! You have a real knack for instruction!
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It appears to be broken 
"Not Found
The requested URL was not found on this server."
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The actual display seems to be broken, but clicking on the "open in new window" button still opens this correctly on Google docs. Thanks very much for posting this- this is a very different approach than I have seen before, and looks like it will be very useful!
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Oh my goodness! I saw this tutorial years ago and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread (I mean, varying up face shapes? Brilliant! In a very "Now why didn't I think of that sooner" kind of way). I'm very, very happy to have finally found the original here on dA, and I'm even happier there's an exercise to go with it!
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I'm late to this party, but wanted to add that for me this piece is not only helpful but also timely. Being interested in fanart of anime characters, which are often so stylized that we aren't given too many hints as to what they "really" look like, I have been wondering how to achieve consistency while still paying respects somehow to the design of the original character. I haven't found anyone willing to discuss how this is done, until reading this.
I will try my best to learn from this and apply it. In the meantime, thanks again!
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This is amazing...and I think I was looking for something like this. o.0" I'm trying to convert from a style I've been trying to do, to a more semi-realistic approach as comics show and stuff. That or I can probably find my own style by learning different ones. Thank you so much for uploading such a helpful tutorial.
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wonderful tutorial, I'll be trying some of your tips tonight
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I always hate it when my friends draw in my notebook, trying to copy the drawings I did. I feel life ripping my hair out cuz you're NOT GOING TO BE ORIGINAL BY COPYING. >.<
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I know this is a really stupid question, but how do you access the tutorial? Like all I see is the.. title page?
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Click the download button. It's below the Add to Favourites button.
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This is a very interesting and useful read, full of bits and bobs to think about and practice! Thank you very much for taking the time to do this and, of course, the famous 25 Essential Expressions sheet!
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Thank you so much! This will work for making a storyboard!
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This tutorial is great! Definetly going to work from this with some of my characters that I'm trying to make more realistic.
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how do you look at it i keep clicking it an it just keeps getting bigger and smaller bigger and smaller? its annoying me!!!
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Are you looking at it with Adobe Reader?
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No i Just didnt click on the download but now i got it so nevermind srry!!! lol
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Never mind I found it!! Im so Stupid Sorry!!!
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May I put your reference image too and a link to this page on my blog "Open Art Academy" [link] ?
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draw-with-me.tumblr.com
thank you
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*fist-bump* Thank *you* for spreading it onto a new network. That's an awesome thing! I deeply appreciate it!
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np, I really love art, and I thought art education blog would be awesome.
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This was amazing! I've picked up so many ideas on how to handle my own characters, such as practicing how to draw them consistently. You did a fantastic job, I can't wait to share this with other comic artists I know! Thank you for your hard work!
p.s. I absolutely love the 25 Essential Facial Expressions exercise, it's always a blast to play around with
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No problem! I think the most important thing I learnt when it came to comic art was to go with my own style and let that shine through whatever I did, and to not stress about not being Marvel or DC ready. Hopefully that comes through in the tute.
Glad you had fun with it!
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Reading it now, so far so good. Made me realize, apparently I can draw people who don't exist better now that I've gotten all that life drawing under my belt.
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Life drawing is the best thing for everything when doing art. It transformed my work completely.
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