Thread by @Lowtwait

My rule of thumb for #CharacterDesign is that you should be able to recognize your characters by their silhouettes.

This boils down to shape.

For human characters, hair is a defining facet of shape.

A step-by-step thread of how I use shape:

I start out with bald heads.

In this case, it's my own character. In the story, there's a reason for her to have several different hairstyles.

Her bald head is like a blank canvas, a template to draw upon.

I draw various simplified shapes, even if they're weird, like (B).

I decided she'll have wavy hair so that's my base. What can I do with that?

The character style here isn't too outrageous so I don't go crazy.

I did about a dozen or so of random shapes and these are some of the rejected hair shapes.

They were either too abstract or just didn't feel right for her personality.

This is where personal taste comes in too. What do I like or want to draw?

From those 4 shapes I liked, I designed hair that fit with those silhouettes.

I keep her natural wavy hair consistent, even though each is styled different.

Since she's going to be blonde, I did a quick shading to judge how easily recognizable each hairstyle is from each other.

This is the silhouette test.

They work for the style of the character and are recognizable from each other.

There are many ways to approach character design but playing with shape and silhouette is pretty universal.

Take some of your favorite characters and look for their defining shapes.

This focus on shape language applies to both 2D and 3D characters, obviously.

But also within 2D design, it applies to both flat, graphic characters, as well as volumetrically drawn characters.

Of course, entire characters, not just hair, can be designed this way.

It all depends on how much you want to push (and in what direction) on shapes that defines character styles.

I'll post more breakdowns exploring full characters.