Designing Characters

Awhile ago when I was trying to draw Ryan & I as characters that could appear on our website (maybe doing fantastical things), I was playing around with sketches of this design for myself.  I’ve never drawn myself in cartoon or anime form before; mostly, I stick to realism, and my greeting cards are slowly edging me into the realm of the imagination, although I prefer to closely observe reality and replicate it within unique compositions if possible.

Here are a few sketches I did of my character.  Besides just the cartoon, I was trying to promote local businesses, so everything I’m wearing comes from local purchases: the hat came from a Peruvian business visiting my college years ago, the fluffy teal coat comes from Pack Rat Outdoor Center, and the autumn scarf is sold at Good Things Boutique.