Making in Canvas: Character Design II

From Zero to Hero Part 2

Introduction
Welcome to Part 2 of our character design tutorial in Canvas, where we delve deeper into refining and enhancing characters, adding accessories, and creating dynamic backgrounds to bring your creations to life. This tutorial builds on the techniques introduced in Part 1, and focuses on practicing character creation based on existing ones and making modifications to desired parts of the image. By following this guide, you will learn how to manipulate and modify different parts of your character and integrate them seamlessly, creating a cohesive and detailed final piece.

• Begin with the completed image from Part 1

• Apply the cropping and scaling technique to each body part, starting with the head
• Create a duplicate layer for each individual edit and ensure the correct layer is selected.

 

• Expand the cropped area to the full size of the Canvas Project, maintaining the aspect ratio

• To create an art style character that can be used in casual games, we used the following

• Change ControlNet to: Character
  Influence: 100

• Click the Generate button

• Select the best output among the different options

• Change the eyes by making a copy of the head layer, cropping, and adjusting to the full size of the canvas
• 
  

• Select the Sketch tool and paint the eyes red
  

• Change the transparency of the Sketch layer to 50% and do a Merge with the duplicated head layer
  

• Select the Lasso tool in the Generate panel and draw a mask on the eyes where you want to generate

• Change the first Prompt from head to eyes so it now reads: Frankenstein’s red eyes

• Change ControlNet to: Image-to-image
  Influence: 25
  

• Click the Generate button

• Select the best output among the different options

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

• Use the sketch tool to paint over the excess parts. Merge the head and sketch layers

• Remove the background

• Scale down the new head, paint over the old head with a sketch, and if necessary, Merge old body and sketch layers

Do the same steps with all other body parts: (Torso, Pants, Shoes, Arms)

• Make a duplicate layer
• Enlarge the desired part of the image to the full screen
• If necessary, sketch additional parts or paint over unnecessary ones.
• Generate variants
• Paint over unnecessary parts
• Remove background
• Reduce and compose with the new part of the image.

Here are the results:

 

When assembled, it looks like this:

 

The other arm is simply copied, crop, flip, and unfolded as needed:

 

Step 3 - Create and Add Accessories:

• Go to the Elements panel and create the basis for the accessory (e.g., a scientific flask) using simple shapes and changing their color and size

• Create a background using a square element

 

• Use the sketch tool to finalize effects and details, remove the background, scale down the image, and place it where desired.

 

 

Step 4 - Generate a Background:

• To make the scene look more dramatic, generate a background using a detailed prompt.

• Change ControlNet to: Structure
  Influence: 100

• Click the Generate button

 

• Select the best output among the different options

 

• Move the background to the bottom layer to structure the composition

 

• After assembling all the parts and accessories, ensure that the composition is cohesive and harmonious.
• Adjust the placement and size of each element as needed to achieve a balanced and dynamic final piece

Conclusion:
This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on refining characters, adding accessories, and creating backgrounds to achieve a detailed and cohesive character design in Canvas. By following the structured approach and applying the techniques learned in Part 1, users can create dynamic and harmonious compositions, bringing their creative visions to life.