Developing a character for the story (U9: P6, M2)

P6: Develop an original character to be included in the planned story

Mood board
Images: Pinterest and Google images

Summary of ideas of different characters you could choose 

I wanted to create a character with confidence, pride, and ambition when I designed Aubrey Clash. Surprisingly, Aubrey appears to be young and innocent at first glance, due mainly to her small stature and innocent smile, but she has many layers that are gradually revealed throughout the comic series. Furthermore, since her bright red hair is unusual, she stands out and appears as a focal point, drawing the readers' attention to her and recognising her to be the protagonist. Furthermore, her striking green eyes, as well as the green clothing and accessories she wears, contrast with her hair and allow Aubrey to appear as a bold, vibrant character for the story—this portrays her as heroic and ensures the readers view her as a strong protagonist. Another desire when creating Aubrey was to give her mostly 'normal' features so she could act as a relatable figure for audiences and thus instil the message in them that they too can stand up for what they believe in- a good message for young kids thus persuading parents to purchase the comic for their children. Finally, the name Aubrey Clash suggests to readers that she isn't afraid of battle and will fight for what she believes in, as implied by her surname, Clash. Aubrey's actions consistently reinforce this, allowing readers to connect the dots and gain a greater appreciation and respect for the character.

Additionally, I created the character of Sebastian to compliment Aubrey and act as The Helper (according to Propps' theory) within the narrative to aid its progression. Sebastian's character is a snake and this, therefore, restricts what he is able to contribute to the quest, allowing Aubrey to really shine and stand out as the protagonist. Interestingly, Sebastian's limitations due to size and species don't hold him back from trying to help Aubrey as well as demonstrating his superiority complex which is shown throughout the story as he speaks somewhat condescendingly to Aubrey. Significantly, I did this emphasise a contrast between the characters and somewhat confuse the audience as the personalities appear to not match the looks of each character, allowing them to think further and discover different meanings.

Spider diagram
Ideas in blue are my final choices

Colour ideas  

I used a bold colour palette for Aubrey's character to reflect her personality and to indicate the strong choices she makes throughout the comic. Interestingly, I gave her bright ginger hair in order for her to stand out as the main character and be easy to identify throughout the comic. In addition, I made her bionic arm look robotic and included bright red lights/buttons to emphasise it and ensure audiences recognised it as an oddity, reinforcing the sci-fi genre. Finally, I used more muted colours for her skin tone and accessories to avoid detracting from the bold clothing and to balance out the overall colour palette.

Features of character 

An important, key feature of Aubrey Clash is her striking, bold, vibrant green eyes. The colour green has strong associations with nature such as forests and trees. This colour relates to the beginning of my comic 'Flames VS Frost' as Aubrey saves a snake from animal testing due to her activism traits, linking to nature. Furthermore, Aubrey makes it known to those around her that she thoroughly enjoys exploring and investigating. By Aubrey being an activist, allows her to stop those around her from being diverted to important issues, especially environmentally.

Clothing

The clothing I selected for Aubrey's character includes a green t-shirt and dark cargo trousers, interestingly the cargo trousers imply the spy characteristics of Aubrey's personality which is depicted at the beginning of the comic and plays an important role later in the narrative. Furthermore, Aubrey's camo-green messenger bag plays an integral role in the early scenes of the comic by providing an escape route for Sebastian and the camo-green colour was decided upon due to the implication that it would blend in and therefore the characters would not be caught. Finally, Aubrey is illustrated as a fairly regular girl and therefore her clothes must reflect otherwise it might raise suspicion regarding why she's wearing it or where she would've bought it.

Back story

Aubrey Clash has always felt out of place; she was born without an arm and thus stood out among her peers. Aubrey was insecure about this, so she never tried to build a social life, making her an outcast in school. Aubrey finally received her bionic arm when she was X years old and began to gain some confidence in herself. Interestingly, this is what led her to feel she wanted control over one aspect of her life, and she discovered it through being somewhat of an activist- she would fight for what is right and others she perceived to be outcasts. This strong belief began with relatively harmless projects like packing food for the homeless and cleaning up local parks, but quickly grew into slightly more outrageous acts like protesting and, eventually, stealing animals from laboratories—this is where the comic begins.

Unique character traits and/or abilities

Aubrey possesses the ability to shoot various forms of fire from her bionic arm, she never used this ability until she had to in the battle against Blitzar. Significantly, the comic suggests she is aware of the power but needs to train in order to perfect this ability and beat Blitzar. The training can be depicted on page 6 of the comic where Sebastian helps Aubrey to perfect her aim.

Relationships with other characters 

Notably, the two main characters of the 'Flames vs Frost' comic only met a year before the comic's setting. Aubrey and Sebastian appear to have a friendly relationship, but there is a clear power imbalance; Aubrey is larger and has more mobility than Sebastian, who is a snake and thus limited in movement. Sebastian compensates for this lack of motion with his tone and content of speech in an attempt to re-balance the power dynamic. Overall, the relationship will maintain a power imbalance because Aubrey saved Sebastian and thus retains his respect for the rest of the comic.

M2: Explain the characteristics and features of the original character  

Initial character sketches 

Aubrey has bright ginger hair and this can be seen throughout the entire comic, the striking colour helps to establish Aubrey as the main character and immediately suggests her bold and strong personality to audiences. Furthermore, her expressive eyebrows are also an important feature that helps the reader to understand the emotions occurring at the moment- these will communicate emotions so they don't have to be described in words. Significantly, her bag is a primary belonging of Aubrey's and can be spotted in the majority of scenes, this bag plays a crucial role at the start of the comic and is often used to carry around important tools used within the comic. Aubrey's eyes are a piercing green shade which can be rapidly noticed throughout the comic and defines her character as powerful. 

I drew Aubrey in a few different positions like running, jumping and sitting down. I chose the first movement which is running because Aubrey can be seen running in my comic many times. For example, on page ... she runs from Blitzar as she grows frightened of him. Additionally, the running motion depicts her hand and leg to be up in the air accompanied by motion lines to indicate the running action of Aubrey. The next position I used was a seated stance in which Aubrey's legs are bent and her torso appears shorter due to the seated gesture, helping the audience understand the situation and portray a more dynamic character. Finally, the jumping motion has been drawn for the final page in which Aubrey attacks her nemesis and must jump/ lunge forward in order to defeat him. Interestingly, this links to the narrative and helps it to resolve and come to a close as the hero defeats the villain and this couldn't be achieved without the jump action.