✏️ Character Design Activity
Activity: Sketch a character using basic geometric shapes. Explore its silhouette, proportions, personality, and overall design.
Time: 30 minutes
Goal: Design a creature or character that expresses a clear personality, emotion, or identity.
🔍 Step 1: Brainstorm Your Character (3–5 min)
Briefly answer these questions:
- What is your character’s name?
- What kind of being is it: an animal, robot, alien, creature, blob, or something else?
- What is one important emotion or personality trait it has?
- Where does it come from: a desert, dream world, underwater city, another planet, or somewhere else?
- What makes it different from other characters?
🎨 Step 2: Sketch Your Character in a T-Pose (15–20 min)
Draw your character from the front in a T-pose.
A T-pose is a neutral position used when preparing characters for 3D modelling and animation. The character stands upright with both arms extended horizontally, creating the shape of the letter T.
Your character should have:
- Both arms extended straight out to the sides
- Both legs separated, with visible space between them
- The head facing forward
- The full body visible from head to feet
- No body parts overlapping
Keep the body easy to understand by building it from basic geometric shapes, such as:
- Circles or spheres for the head and joints
- Rectangles or cubes for the torso
- Cylinders for the arms and legs
- Cones for horns, ears, spikes, or other features
❗ Try to avoid:
- Complicated clothing
- Complex or overlapping shapes
- Features that would be difficult to model quickly
✏️ Step 3: Add Design Notes
- The geometric shapes you plan to use for each body part
- The type of movement you imagine for the character
- A catchphrase, voice, sound, or way of communicating
- The colours or textures you might use
📝 Reflection
After you finish modelling, consider:
What makes your character recognizable and unique?
Which parts of your drawing may need to change when you build the character in 3D?
🗣️ Character Pitch Activity
You will have approximately two minutes to introduce your character to the class.
Your drawing will be projected while you present.
Briefly explain:
- Your character’s name
- What kind of being it is
- Where it comes from
- The design feature that makes it unique
You do not need to explain every detail. Focus on the most important parts of your idea.