Thursday, December 15, 2011  Choices Create a Believeable and
Consistent World  As artists, when we create stories in a visual
medium, we control the look of everything. Every character,
every background, every prop and every detail has to be
designed. We have to make a choice about how each and every
thing will look, and why. It can seem overwhelming,  So how do
you know which way to make those decisions? For me, everything
always seems to go back to the story and what will tell it in
the best possible way. Each and every detail you draw can
contribute to the story you're telling, if you put enough
thought into your work and design it right. And if you don't
think ahead and don't put much thought into what you're doing,
you can undermine what you're trying to say.  Here's an example:
our story (be it an animated film, comic book, whatever) opens
on our main character's house, before we even see him.  Our
character's house has walls that seem to be falling in and a
roof that appears to be sagging. Most of the