Designing characters doesn’t always start with structure—and sometimes that’s the point. In this video, I break down the character design process for Polly, the romantic interest in my western cartoon series, Magnum Arcana, inspired by an assignment from Creating Characters with Personality by Tom Bancroft. Instead of relying on my usual archetype-first approach, I stepped back, gathered references, and let intuition guide the process. The result was a character built around three core ideas: redhead, lady, and tomboy—balanced through iteration, influence, and experimentation. 🔍 In This Video: Why I abandoned rigid structure (and why it helped) Using references without becoming derivative Balancing elegance and toughness in character design Bruce Timm–inspired stylization Costume exploration: gown, jacket, utility skirt, and boots Color palette decisions inspired by Western aesthetics How small tweaks (like pockets and silhouettes) can make a design click Polly is part of Magnum Arcana, my western series set within the Bee Terrific C Media shared universe, and this video documents the thinking, missteps, and breakthroughs behind her final look. If you’re into character design, animation, illustration, or visual storytelling, this breakdown is for you. 🔗 Links & Resources 📘 Creating Characters with Personality by Tom Bancroft (Kindle & Print):
