This is the second part of our character design special (click here to read last week’s interview with Emmy winner and 2011 Annie Award nominee Gordon Hammond). Stephen Silver was born in England but moved to the United States to work as a character designer. Apart from being the lead character designer for cartoon series like Disney’s Kim Possible and Nickelodeon’s Danny Phantom Stephen also teaches online classes on character design.
Stephen, you have worked as a character designer for several successful TV shows. Would you mind telling about how you got your jobs on Kim Possible and Danny Phantom?
A friend of mine dropped off my portfolio at Disney and they called me in. At Nickelodeon, another friend had recommended me for the project. It’s good to have friends.
Did you already provide designs for the Kim Possible characters in your application?
Once I was asked to do some development on Kim Possible, I waited for the premise and a short “bible” [a reference document containing information about the characters] and went from there.
Can you give a bit more information about this development process?
It all starts with a written description of the character. Some times there is more information, some times less. If the character is, for example, a certain kind of animal or from a certain time period I begin by seeking necessary reference. Then I present my sketches to the client for approval. I will take it to a final stage if that is what they are seeking.
What, in your opinion, is it that makes a successful character?
I think the most important thing that makes a character successful is if it has feeling and personality – without having to explain to the audience what the character is. It also helps if it comes across as appealing, good construction and pleasing design.
What is it that gives a character “feeling and personality”?
Three things: a strong line of action, movement, and a story behind the character. The more info I have on a character, the better. The more you know about your character, the more appealing it becomes and the audience won’t have to ask questions as to who or what this character is. They will see it in the posture, the eyes, etc….
One of the tasks when designing a cast of characters for a TV show is creating a unique style. When doing designs for different projects, this of course means having to create a unique design for each of them. Does this in any way interfere with developing your own, personal style?
I don’t think it interferes, I think it just creates a new challenge. As long as you draw plenty for yourself, you will develop your own style.
Thanks for your time!
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