Month: August 2014

So there’s this guy named Todd Harris who draws all the pretty pictures for the Hero’s Guide books (and the ones you see plastered all over the wallpaper of this site). Since I wrote those books (and used his artwork all over my site), I figured I should talk to him. Here’s the conversation. (Read to the end for a peek at some awesome unused art from Storming the Castle!)

ME: So, Todd, let me start off with a thank you for creating such awesome depictions of my characters for the Hero’s Guide trilogy. More often than not, you’ve nailed the images I’ve had in my head as I wrote. I’ve always been curious as to how much you use the text when creating your character designs. What kind of specific cues you take from the text?

TODD: I rely on the text completely in the initial phases, all in an effort of trying to understand the personality. Once I feel like I understand that, I’ll try to add little things that bring the character to life and compliment the story. Everything I draw flows from the personality of the character and the situation he’s in. I’ll even draw sad or happy hair depending on the scene! With good stories (like Hero’s), there are unique characters and each character gets a unique shape language. For instance, Frederick is kind of a wimp (at least at the beginning of the series), and his waist is smaller than Gustav’s wrist! Read More “I Interview My Illustrator, Todd Harris!”