What are the best practices for creating a stylized character in a graphic illustration?

Keep shapes?simple: Simplifying shapes?can help create?a more stylized look. Avoid adding?too many details?that can make?the character?look cluttered

When developing an illustration of a character for commercial use, it’s necessary to determine what the character will be symbolizing. For example, will the character serve as a mascot or company personality? Will the illustration be of an actual person or represent real people? In some cases illustrations are preferred to help discuss sensitive topics, or to get a clearer image than photography might provide, such as with instructions or diagrams. Interviewing the client and gaining a complete understanding of the intended message, and who the audience will be is critical. After that, it’s best to work with several possible sketches and focus on the simplest body language, clothing, and features to convey the message.

Keep it simple, exaggerate shapes with dynamic poses and lighting. Do it just enough to make it feel natural and to enhance the composition. Keep it loose and trust yourself.

If the goal is to deliver something tailored and original –because sometimes it's not and therefore I'll step aside–, the style will depend on the audience, culture, medium, genre, reproduction method and sooo many others variables! Unless it's a series, I've never come across a project that shares the same needs as another, therefore that style needs to be adjusted, always!

Sketching out your character is also an important part of refining and defining your style. It will help you figure out any uncertainties in the design and shape language that you had while you were figuring out your style. As you sketch your character take this opportunity to sketch them doing different poses, making different expressions, as well as seeing how they interact in the chosen environment they are intended for. Using references in order to help you work through this process and push exaggerations is also a good exercise to do as well while sketching.

Drawing guide lines across the character can help keep everything aligned and make logical sense. This is especially helpful when creating character sheets and model turnarounds

In my experience pencil and paper have always helped out with connecting the way I see my sketch going. There is a certain disconnect with digital media even though it creates less waste i.e. eraser and pencil shavings. Draw arrows and lines with shapes to compose a character within a scene. Use perspective 2 or 3 points to establish mood.

Once again, the design of your characters depends on your styles and the purpose of that particular project. There is no one path to character design. And more than once picking up a brush has invoked the right muse when I've been stagnant for days. Thank the gods we have an incredible variety of styles and deformations and not everything is "disney-like". I know how to "old school", I even need to sketch on paper with pencils myself! But the truth is that it bores me and I don't feel represented by it. Character design more than drawing is *A LOT* of feedback and making the right questions that generates incredible answers and filling the blanks.

When trying to stylize a character, it's important to think about the features/characteristics abstractly rather than relying too heavily on reference material. This can help avoid creating a character that looks like a realistic but stylized no-man's land

Read a lot of books. Ask. Watch cartoons. Some documentaries too. Go to the cinema. Have friends from everywhere. Travel if you can. Collect nice things. Designing characters is not just the technical part they taught you in college. Of course, if it is a background character, it is enough to respect the proposed style. But when they are the main ones, the ideal is to really know them.