Making in Canvas: Character Design I

From Zero to Hero

Introduction

Welcome to our tutorial on character design in Canvas. This step-by-step guide is structured to assist both beginners and experienced users in creating detailed and proportionate characters, starting from the initial generation to meticulous refinements. The tutorial below covers starting a new project, generating and refining a character using specific prompts, and finalizing the design by merging different generated layers. Whether your goal is to create casual game characters or detailed renderings, this tutorial will provide you with the necessary knowledge and tools to bring your creative visions to life.

Step 1. Start a New Project:

• Navigate to 'Canvas' from the left panel
  
• Click the '+ New project' button
  
• Name your project
  
• Select your model (e.g., Cozy World Builder SD 1.5 Signature Model)

Step 2. Generate Initial Character:

• In the prompt field, describe the character you wish to generate, specifying details like style and features

• Click 'Generate'
  
• Select the best output among the different options

Step 3. Edit and Refine Details:

• Duplicate the output onto a new layer

• Select 'Crop' from the "3-dot menu" (top bar)

• Adjust the selection box to the area you want to edit
  
• Expand the cropped area to the full size of the Canvas Project, maintaining the aspect ratio

 

Step 4. Refine and Generate New Versions:

• Select the Sketch tool from the Canvas tools menu

• Click on the colored box under the label 'Stroke color' to reveal the color selection panel
• Select the eyedropper tool to determine the best colors to sketch on top of the image

• Sketch out the unwanted parts and loosely draw the right ones

• When everything is ready - select the image layer and the sketch layer - and click on the button: Merge, to merge the layers

• Use the 'Generate' tool again with a new prompt to refine details, like hands and fingers.

In the above example, the Prompts "concept art, inspired by 3d realistic cartoon artist, woody's homework, 3D cartoon rendering, cgi, Houdini rendering, Photoshop, CGsociety" are necessary for the drawing style to be preserved in all other generations.

• Click the Generate button

• Continue this process as necessary, using the sketch tool to paint over extra details and make solid backgrounds around the desired edit

• Paint over any extra details, again using the sketch tool and the eyedropper to make a solid background around the desired edit

• Remove the background

• Reduce the selection box and align it with the original image

• Return to the original output/layer we started with and again paint out the area the edit will cover using the images background color

• Merge all layers if needed

• Reduce the size of the upper part of the character to 60-50% of the original

• Generate the full size by updating the Prompt

• Click the Generate button

 

 

Step 6. Improve Quality of Character's Face:

• Use the cropping and scaling technique on the selected body part (head) to improve quality

 

• Change the prompt 'full-body shot' to 'portrait shot'

 

• Click the Generate button

 

 

• Use the sketch tool to paint over the excess part

 

• Merge the head and sketch layers, remove the background, and scale down the new head as necessary