Creating Characters for "When It Rains"

One of the most crucial parts for me when writing a story is the characters. The characters are the ones driving the story after all; they're the ones the audience feel a connection to. Without good characters, you don't have a good story. In the field of animation, I dream of not only drawing these characters and creating key frames, but I also envision myself creating characters. For the past few years, creating characters has been something I've focused on in creating art and drawings.

For the earlier stages of "When It Rains," I decided to base the main character, Teru, off of a cute little charm called "terubozu" in Japan. This charm is said to ward off bad weather, and while the charm itself is rather cute, the old folk song or nursery rhyme is rather dark and ominous.

Despite the fact that the overall tone of the song is dark, I decided to make light of the song with Teru's cheerful demeanor and adventurous attitude. His outfit itself is heavily based off the overall design of a terubozu, very simple, white, and flowy. I also decided to incorporate common Japanese features such as the dark, bowl cut hair (typical for young boys) and hikimayu eyebrows (the process of removing natural eyebrows and replacing them with smudge-like eyebrows). 

In addition to Teru's brave spirit and curious nature, he encounters a stray cat that lives nearby. Much like any other cat, it is mellow, independent, and quiet. I thought the cat would be a great companion for Teru on his adventure since cats have a good understanding for the city life, especially those who have become strays like this one. He helps Teru out and even lends him a tour around the city, finding interest in the little charm.

These are two of the main characters that appear in my animation, both of them developing a close relationship with one another during their adventure together. While both of them are relatively simple, the characters help to create a friendly, family tone suited for a children's movie.