Storyteller Planet Survived Capital City Anime Fest!
- Crystal Cabrae
- Jun 9
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 4
The rush of a performance, combined with the feeling of presenting your project to the class, is the best way I can describe how I felt after presenting my first workshop at Capitol City Anime Fest. The line waiting for me was longer than I anticipated, with more bodies than our seats could fill in our meekly air-conditioned classroom. It had been over half a decade since I had presented anything in front of a large crowd, and by the time we had reached Q & A, the heat had my head spinning.
After decompressing by attending two industry panels, I realized the flaws in my workshop. There were questions I was itching to answer with a clear head. Naturally, I had to hop on-planet to provide better answers to the questions that were asked during my presentation of The Essentials of Character Design.
To those who attended my workshop, thank you for being my inaugural audience in the next chapter of my life as an educator and a storyteller. And to those who asked these awesome questions, I hope these further clarify the answers I provided at Anime Fest and lead you to create the characters of your story.
What is “shape language" when talking about characters?
You may not see it at first glance, but everyone and everything in this world is made of shapes. The most basic ones are squares, circles, and triangles. If you think of your character's personality, do you see them as someone with a hard definition or as someone a little squishy around the edges? Knowing your character's heart will give you a better understanding of what shape they lean towards. Try looking at the people in your circle and notice the shapes you see.
When creating characters, do you draw them first or write them first?
I see everything I create in animation first, but it's not always clear what they look like. I get to know my characters through dialogue as I'm writing the story. Once I start answering these questions about who they are, the image becomes clearer. Then I think about color and other details that bring them to life enough for me to sketch out a design.
How do you choose your color palette for your characters, and how do you portray that to a design team?
The funny thing about my journey with color is that I knew nothing about color palettes or the emotions behind colors until after I started my art journey, yet I've been coloring my whole life. I think seeing the color palettes surrounding a specific color was helpful to me. It helped me understand what colors naturally go together once I looked at the color wheel. When I digitally color, the program I use tells me what color naturally complements the one I'm working with. Sometimes it works, other times I decide with my gut and draw from nature. For example, most of the characters on Storyteller Planet have a color palette based on the region where they live. For example, Blyth is the Master of Transformation and is based on autumn's color palette. Choose colors that tell your character's internal and external story, and understand the emotions behind those colors.
When making characters you'll have to draw over and over, how do you know what to choose to make them stand out from the generic “elf” or “human”?
Your character's silhouette is most defined by the traits that are connected to their core personality. It's important you know your character before you start dressing them up because you'll know what they'll tolerate on them every single day. Even if it's a precious pendant and a pair of boots, make them impactful to the core of the character.
Are you done making your Taino characters?
Yes and no. While I have completed the Taino Cemi petroglyphic symbols, the completed designs for the divine who run my Universe are still in the works. Triad of Rehlms and Enamored are the closest I've gotten to portraying the designs I'm working on, but more will be coming soon.
If you missed our presentation on The Essentials of Character Design, we created it into a Story Mode Shortcut for you to enjoy! Also, expect even more content to bloom from this conversation. I learned a lot in an hour and can't wait for the next opportunity to present the essentials of storytelling.
As far as the Fest itself, I hope this becomes an annual event. From parking to registration to the seamless organization of the panels, this was a fantastic experience, especially for this being a first-time con. Every panel felt like a unique experience with the space to decompress on the third floor. Hurray for ample bathrooms and clean water fountains!
At first, I felt a little overwhelmed being on a new campus and presenting for the first time. But it also felt like the first day of school. Everything was new and exciting as my face was shoved into a piece of paper, trying to figure out where "class" was from 10:30 am-2 pm.
The map was a huge help, and I appreciated the space to take notes, even though I admittedly didn't have a pen on me. I even got myself a few stickers before heading home, as I also admit I was a little tired by 2 pm and still had an hour drive ahead of me. I saw some of the art from the artist alley floating around that looked beautiful, and the food from the vendors smelled divine. If I didn't present, maybe I could've had more energy to walk around a little more, but I also tend to gravitate towards panels at cons anyway. As a first timer myself, I look forward to growing from this experience and meeting back up next year!
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