Luigi Lucarelli
Character Designer · Southern California, United States
Californian character designer, founder of the Design-A-Character group on deviantART, and a consistently prolific one. This interview first ran in ArtSketch in January 2012.
10 pieces
From the artist’s public gallery
10 pieces from Luigi Lucarelli’s public gallery, chosen by the editor rather than the artist. Click any image to open the gallery. All artwork © Luigi Lucarelli.
Artist Interview: Luigi Lucarelli
Hi, Luigi! Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from and what you do for a living?
Okay, well, I live in Southern California, born and raised here. I create characters in my mind and then draw them into reality!
You must have been drawing since a very young age. When did you first realise that art was a passion of yours?
Not sure when I started exactly, but I was probably 4 to 5 years old, maybe. My dream was always to do something with my art. At a young age I didn’t think about what that would be: all I knew was that I loved drawing [and] it made me happy, so I kept drawing.
What informed your decision to specialise in character design?
I loved watching cartoons and playing video games because of the characters. I don’t know what it is about characters but I have the most fun when I’m creating them.
Can you tell us about the process you usually follow when designing a character from scratch?
First I get as much back story on the character as possible. I then take into account the character’s personality. I use shapes and gestures that I feel best suit the character based on story and personality. Most of the time when I’m drawing for myself the characters wont have a back story initially — instead I play with shapes and the characters sort of manifest themselves!
What are your tools of the trade? Can you tell us a bit about your process when creating full-colour artworks?
I use a [Wacom] Cintiq 12wx [and] I like working in Photoshop mostly. For sketching and inking, I use a hard round brush (the standard Photoshop one) with Pressure Sensitivity ON.
We all start out learning the boring stuff like anatomy and perspective, some more useful than others. What basic art skills have proved the most helpful to you in recent years?
I learned a lot through observation and research. I think it’s important to really look at what you’re seeing and study it, ask questions, figure out why things work the way they do, then try to draw it!
You always appear to be arbitrarily designing characters left, right and centre (which is wonderful, by the way!). Do you have any recurring characters that you are fond of? Can you tell us a bit about your favourite one?
As of yet I don’t have too many recurring characters but I will very soon this year!
Are there any artists who especially influenced you, both on an artistic and personal level? If so, who are they and why?
Norman Rockwell, Stephen Silver, Tony Fucile, Doug Tennapel, Chris Ayers, Sean Galloway, and many others. Their art style definitely was a big influence!
If I’ve learned anything in my time as an artist, it’s that if you do what you love, follow your dreams, and never limit yourself, you can reach the stars and beyond!
Luigi LucarelliYou founded a Group on deviantART, Design-A-Character ( DAC for short), which focuses on character design. What led you to create such a group, and what do you personally feel is the reason for its booming success?
I created Design-A-Character just to have some of the character design techniques I’ve developed over time in one place. I’m not sure why it’s such a booming success (haha) — maybe it’s because we have no deadlines, there’s no pressure on when things need to be submitted and it’s just fun to come up with characters using different techniques.
Your characters exude a certain sense of life and personality, which is rare in an art world where purely aesthetic beauty is what drives artists to create. Can you tell us your thoughts on depicting characters from the inside out as you do?
I like telling a story with the characters — I want the viewers to wonder what sort of story lies behind the characters. If I can spark anyone’s imagination with my characters, then I’m happy!
It’s quite often that one comes across talented character artists that depict their creations in what one can only describe as PG18 situations. What made you decide to keep all your work as family-friendly as it is? What are your thoughts on artists who choose not to keep it all as good, clean fun?
I have nothing against mature or adult art; I just lean towards more family friendly stuff because it lends itself well to my style and the sort of situations I enjoy drawing.
Tell us a bit about your hobbies and interests outside of art.
I play a lot of video games, watch movies, watch shows, I like to meditate, listen to music, go for adventures outside, and — most importantly — I do my best to enjoy life!
And finally, do you have any golden kernels of advice for young artists aspiring to become character designers?
If I’ve learned anything in my time as an artist, it’s that if you do what you love, follow your dreams, and never limit yourself, you can reach the stars and beyond!
Three things Luigi would tell a beginner
- Get as much back story as you can before you design, then let shape and gesture follow from the personality.
- When you are drawing for yourself, skip the back story — play with shapes and let the character manifest itself.
- Really look at what you are seeing. Study it, ask why it works, then try to draw it.
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