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My good friend Claire Keane gives what is, perhaps, the best advice about Visual Development portfolios that I’ve ever heard.
…and today I’m going to share it with you.
This is part two in a series designed to give you an advantage when pursuing one of the most competitive jobs in animation.
Listen To Claire:
During her Q&A, when someone asked Claire for advice about Visual Development portfolios, she said:
“Every piece should respond to a question about the character.”
Then she showed this sketch from Tangled:
When she showed this sketch she said: “I was thinking about how it must be hard to put on pj’s with all that hair!”
Claire knows Rapunzel so well that she was able to find revelatory character moments in the most mundane activities.
How much thought do you personally give to the process of putting on your pj’s?
Not much, right? It’s an activity so familiar that you probably do it without thinking.
But Claire thoughtfully considered the specifics of Rapunzel’s evening routine.
…and in one sketch, Claire revealed more about a character than most summer blockbusters reveal in three hours.
…by asking hundreds of hyper-specific questions about her character.
…and responding to them through Visual Development.
A Picture Of Your Future Portfolio:
“Every piece should respond to a question about the character.”
Get to know your characters as well as you know your best friends.
Imagine if every page (Not three pages. Not five pages. …but every single page.) of your VisDev portfolio revealed this kind of insight.
Wouldn’t it amaze your future art directors? …collaborators? …audience?
Take five minutes (or longer) and think of the story you know you need to tell.
Close your eyes and picture your future Visual Development portfolio
Mentally flip through at least ten pages.
Ask questions about your characters and don’t turn a page until you’ve imagined it filling with revelatory answers…
Try it now…
If you’re reading this sentence your eyes are still open.
Come on! Just go with it. You really need to try it eyes-closed. …hold onto hope the whole time and it’ll feel really good.
Okay. Now…
Close your eyes and try it.
***
What did you see?
Did you laugh? Did you cry? Did you worry?
“Portfolio” doesn’t seem like a strong enough word, does it?
It was an experience.
…a story.
Now go make that portfolio.
Learn More:
If you like this post then you’ll probably like Good Character Design Goes Deep.
To find more questions that you can ask your characters, check out this early episode of The Paper Wings Podcast.
In part three: How environment design can help you develop characters!
