Taking Pride in Character Development

Since hitting the scene in 2001, Powerhouse Animation has been bringing forth tremendously unique characters inspired by real-life people and situations. The talented artists behind the scenes have worked on every type of project imaginable in the field of animation. Whether it’s a cartoon strip, a video game trailer or any other style, the characters are sure to leave an impression with viewers. Powerhouse animated characters have been developed for all sorts of advertising campaigns, television series, video games, etc. Powerhouse has the ability to develop characters from scratch, or base them off an idea like a personality that a client may have in mind for the character undergoing development. A lot of thought and planning goes into creating these animated characters. Characters need to be strong enough to get a point across and make a memorable impression on viewers. There are several aspects of character development people might easily overlook, so here are just a few of the things the folks at Powerhouse and other animation studios consider when bringing a new character to life. Who Is Your Target Audience? Clarifying your audience is a critical first step when designing an animated character; the target audience will heavily influence its development. Designing a character for young children will differ drastically from a character that’s being designed for adult content. For example, characters aimed at appealing to young children are often brightly colored, cuter and sillier looking than characters on shows aimed at older kids or adults. Just look at the characters on Disney Interactive’s animated series It’s A Small World – adorable. On the flip side, if you think about classic comics, the heroes are usually very detailed with bulging muscles and angular faces.

Powerhouse has created content for all ages and demographics. Their designs are all distinct and the intended audience clear. The characters they create are used for famous animated shows on networks like Disney and Nickelodeon, as well as series for older audiences featuring well-known television personalities. Be Distinctive Professional animators take character development seriously, no matter the role their character will play. Most recently, Powerhouse Animation teamed up with advertisers at Weight Watchers to develop a short animated clip for their Super Bowl commercial. The animated character was a small hippo with a contagious grin and an insatiable appetite. To create this character, the team explored several different options until they finally found their perfect fit in the purple hippo that graced television screens across the country. Even for this short clip the animators wanted to make their hippo stand out. Looking at the studio’s past work, they have developed a wide range of characters – from football-playing pigs to caricatures of famous actors and dancing hamburgers to superheroes. Though one team of animators developed this lively bunch, each character is distinct both in animation style and personality. Each character was thoughtfully developed to meet the clients’ needs, whether it’s for an animated commercial or a new TV series. Be Versatile Animation teams are usually comprised of very diverse and talented artists with their own personal style. When clients need a new character to be created, it’s up to the concept artist to work with their ideas to develop fully fleshed out personas. The artist often creates sketches of a variety of possible products showcasing different style of animation in order to hone in on what the client is looking for. A good concept artist must always be flexible and adapt to what the client needs, even if they don’t have a lot of input at first. Without that versatility, artists couldn’t open doors to new and different projects that test styles and promote innovative design. Oddities The style of a character can go a long way. Props, clothing, facial hair and more can contribute to the fun personality an artist is attempting to bring to life. These qualities can help emphasize character traits as well as the background and supporting cast for a single character. Accessories are very helpful. They’re a literal extension of the personality. Speaking of Personality Never judge a book by its cover. We’ve all heard the saying, and it continues to be true. Despite the elaborately detailed character an artist has drawn up, they must put an equal amount of effort into creating the character’s personality. Interesting appearances can’t carry the character alone. This means capturing how your character will react to certain situations and how he interacts with other characters in a given scenario. Needless to say, the personality of any character should be interesting enough to keep audiences wanting more.

Personality can be depicted in so many ways. Often times, viewers can gain a lot from a simple facial expression a character makes. These facial expressions can be pivotal points in long quiet scenes if it reveals enough to let a viewer in. The expressions an artist is capable of drawing show a character’s emotional range. These facial expressions must be capable of capturing the high and low points. For example, a character blushing after having just been kissed is a great form of facial expression that gives the viewer insight with no words needed. The creative services Powerhouse has to offer are truly limitless. Whether it’s cooking up a new character for the latest children’s show or developing the perfect mascot for a new product, the animators at Powerhouse get the job done. Powerhouse Animation is a traditional 2D animation studio based in Austin, Texas with offices in Burbank, California. Since 2001, Powerhouse has been making ideas come to life through animation, illustration, and motion graphics. With a staff of 35 in-house artists, animators, videographers and designers, Powerhouse works on a wide variety of projects and has created animation for companies including Disney, Sony, Marvel, DC, Old Spice, Coca Cola, Miramax, the USO and more. To learn more about some of these projects visit www.powerhouseanimation.com.