www.marlafrazee.com
Though I am familiar with her picture books, I haven't looked long at her chapter book black & whites. So, I checked out "Clementine" at the library.
Below we have Clementine (left) and Margaret (right).
Clementine has a disheveled back pack, distinctive curly hair, a jacket tied around her waist, jeans rolled a bit too high, and shoe laces that are a bit too long. Clementine's posture is confident, and happy-go-lucky. Even though I've never read a Clementine book, I can see that though she means well, this kid isn't perfect. She has layers of personality!
Margaret has had her long locks tragically snipped (part of the story) but still has her matching dress outfit, feminine shoes, and a zipped, organized book bag on wheels with flowers. Even though I haven't read the book, I can see that Margaret likes predictability, organization, and pretty, "girly" things.
Now we have Clementine who has cut her hair just like Margaret. There's a subtle curl to her hair, but other than that, their hair looks exactly the same. Also, the ears are exactly the same. The eyes are exactly the same. The lips are the same. The chin is the same. The shape of the head - same. Clearly, the manner in which Marla Frazee draws her characters has nothing to do with shaping their personality. She is not trying to get the exact likeness of a little girl. No, Marla is after something bigger and better than likeness. Marla wants her characters to have personality.
So, apart from the details of the face, how does the illustrator breath life into her ink lines?
1. I can almost pinpoint one adjective to each character where everything about them supports that adjective. For Clementine, maybe it's "compassionate." For Margaret, maybe it's "genteel."
2. What they are wearing. There is nothing vague about the clothes. Even the disheveled shirt, and homemade quilt look compassionate. Even the mirror and buttoned blouse look genteel.
3. Gesture. Clementine holds the quilt up, looking like she's reaching for compassion. Margaret pats her hair and raises her chin, gestures a genteel young woman would make.
In conclusion, when I design characters I want to neglect these two things:
1.) Likeness to a real person.
2.) Clothing like what I wear, or my kids wear, or what anyone I know wears. I don't want my characters to be ordinary, but full of personality.
And I want to pay close attention to these three things:
1.) Choosing a specific adjective for the character and keeping it consistent in everything about and around the character.
2.) Creative clothing that matches the character's adjective.
3.) Gestures that match the personality of the character.
