How a Character Is Born (and Starts Complaining)

Every character begins the same way:

with a messy sketch and absolutely no idea who they are.

At first, I just draw shapes and gestures.

Is she brave? Grumpy? Dramatic? Possibly all three.

So I try different poses.

In one sketch she looks suspicious. In another she is clearly having a very bad day.

And in the third one she is already yelling at someone (probably the illustrator).

This stage is basically a conversation between me and the character.

I try things like:

• changing the posture

• exaggerating the hair

• testing expressions

• seeing how much attitude one small person can contain

Slowly the character begins to reveal their personality.

Sometimes they become kind and brave.

Sometimes they become chaotic little gremlins.

And sometimes they just decide that everything is unacceptable.

Once the personality is clear, I refine the design, colors, and textures.

But the most magical moment is always the same —

when a random sketch suddenly stops being a sketch and becomes someone.

And yes — sometimes the character wins the argument.