Character Design (1/3): Rabbit

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 To begin the concept illustrations for the story book, I began drawing concept art of the main characters. I have drawn some basic studies of different rabbit breeds simplified into basic shapes, the collage of different rabbits sourced from Animal Spot. The shape of the rabbit can be classified in four traits (four that I have identified) which are the ear [size/shape of the ear], the head [size and shape of the head], the body [tail or no tail, circular or oblong] and the legs [length]. These can be adjusted as needed to suit the personality of the rabbit.


Types of Rabbit by Animal Spot

 I continued on to study the shapes of famous rabbit characters known through different media. Their cartoon forms have differed according to the target market, such as the Miffy Rabbit being more simple and short as it is targeted towards younger audience while Bugs Bunny had more elongated shapes and exaggerated lines. One common theme however was that the shape of the face tended to be circular (round head, round eyes, round cheeks), possibly to emphasise the ‘softness’ of rabbit.





 I have attempted to apply round shapes to my character design, however I felt that it does not suit the cunning rabbit character that ‘The Hare’s Rabbit’ have utilised. Therefore I have drawn the form of the rabbit using triangular shapes which suited the character better while also referencing the shape of a carrot, an often associated food item with rabbits.



  Below is the finished character design of the rabbit.





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