Question

How do I make my character art look more interesting for my portfolio? Kenny Cale, US

Answer

Paco replies

The most important thing is to apply the basics of visual composition. If you have a finished character study and you want to make it look interesting on a character sheet, then include elements that will balance the composition and fill it out. These could include a turnaround, early sketches or the name of the character.

There are some other tricks, such as using some texture for the background, adding a close-up of the character behind it, using photographic filters such as Gaussian Blur or lens distortion to simulate the depth of field, or the chromatic aberration effect to give it a cinematic look.

Indeed, there are plenty of effects that you could apply to your character concept – it all depends on the style you’re aiming for. But remember that those are just cheap tricks to make a character sheet more eyecatching. Nothing can improve a poor painting of a poorly designed character. Don’t forget what’s important.

The upper image features the character and some alternative viewpoints. The lower image is the same, but the presentation is more appealing. Using some filters such as Gaussian Blur or lens distortion can quickly help you to achieve...