Character design packet
Last week at work, they asked me to do a talk about character design and how I go about creating characters. This is the second time that they’ve asked me to do this presentation, the first time was for ‘bring your child to work’ day, and the older kids, about 12 year olds, seemed to really enjoy it. This most resent time was for a group of “at risk youths” or that’s what they told me. They too were really engaged while I was talking and had lots of questions to throw at me. For both presentations I made a packet of materials for the kids to work on and fill out while I walk them through it. The materials I handed out consisted of this 8 page packet, the first part of the packet was a 6 step process for drawing a human head, as well as a sheet of facial expressions that I drew for examples, and the final part was a character creation worksheet. Below are 2 PDF packets. One is a full color 11 x 17 set up for duplexing and the other is a 8.5 x 11 black and white version for home printers. I hope you enjoy these packets as much as the kids did.
Norm
Growing up on the shores of Maui, Hawaii, Norm has always loved drawing. Since leaving the islands’ beautiful beaches and landing in Oregon, he went to college and received a degree in graphic design as well as an additional degree in digital prepress technology. After graduating, he worked for an interactive media firm in Corvallis, Oregon. While there, he was the company’s lead illustrator/designer and was responsible for creating illustrations, animations, and interactive products like video games. Now living in Beaverton, Oregon, Norm worked as an in-house illustrator for 10 years at a large education company in downtown Portland, Oregon. While at this position, he was the creative mind behind nationally marketed campaigns, numerous brand identities, toy and product designs, children’s books, as well as Web and interactive designs for the company’s design team. After leaving this position to raise his son, he now spends countless hours perfecting his craft as a freelance illustrator. He has worked with companies like Highlights Magazine, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Reading A to Z, Kaiser Permanente, KinderCare, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). He has created projects such as marketing illustrations, children’s books, coloring and activity books, video games, and educational products for these companies and others. Norm’s ability to draw has given him the chance to do the thing he truly loves: Create.
