A Test of Character

I left my latest copy of Computer Arts magazine lying around, and Nico, our 8-year-old, grabbed it. She quickly found the article on tips for creating a character, and decided she wanted to make her own character. So I told her to make a small sketch, and I would work it up in Illustrator for her.

She must have been in a literal mood, because she returned about fifteen minutes later with a drawing approximately 1/4 inch high of some small, cute animal. It was a black and white ink drawing, which, after some prodding, she told me was named Superbear.

So I began making the character in Illustrator, using basic shapes to imitate her drawing as closely as possible. Or, at least I thought I was doing it as closely as possible. "No Dad, the head is an oval, not a circle." "The body is a square, it's not a circle." So, multiple adjustments later (and making sure the hair, in particular, was exactly to her specifications) I asked her what color she wanted Superbear to be. Keep in mind that what I got from the beginning was only that 1/4 inch black and white ink drawing. The real fun began when she told me she wanted the body (which I had made from several merged shapes) to be half black and half pink. Let's just say it's the weirdest gradient I've ever had to make.

So, without further ado, here is Superbear: