Saturday 31 October 2015

Villain Design Research

I know from my research for the last few years that villains definitely need to have silhouettes that stand out, and pointier/sharper edges always help. Black or darker colours are very popular for villains, although brighter colours like red can signify danger, and can make them stand out. Purple tends to signify mystery, and green for envy - a popular motive for villains.




Maleficent's appearance instantly shows that she is serious and powerful from all of the pointed edges in her outfit - she means business, and leaves no openings, Her cloak covers all of her which could imply that she is hiding herself, or a certain side of herself which is reinforced by the purple. 


Raven plays the role of an antagonist in the new series of Teen Titans, unbeknownst to the rest of the team. Her face is hidden much more than in her other designs, despite already being a mysterious character. Her outfit is more blue than purple this time around which can signify royalty - her ties to her father Trigon (ruler of many planets and universes) are much stronger in this comic, and she seems to take much more pride in being a part of that family this time around. She also has more spikes and angles in her design this time, as she is a more dangerous character.

Bill Cipher is made primarily of angles, which gives him a less friendly shape than many of the other characters in the series. His one eye, already associated with cyclops who are already monsters, implies omnipotence showing that he is a powerful character. His other features imply he is much more of a comedic character (top hat, bowtie) and they are also usually associated with performers - which Bill is, when trying to manipulate people. Yellow is also associated with intellect, something that Bill has a lot of.  Colourmatter.com suggests "Lurking in the background is the dark side of yellow: cowardice, betrayal, egoism, and madness. Furthermore, yellow is the color of caution and physical illness (jaundice, malaria, and pestilence)" which is fitting with Bill's character.



The Joker's design choices are much more obvious than others. First of all, the clown make up, to show his love of comedy, along with the huge exaggerated grin. Clowns, despite being humourous characters, are scary to a lot of people which, put with the facial expressions the Joker always wears, makes him seem much more sinister. It is also a start contrast to the serious dark colours that Batman has; they work great in scenes together as everything contrasts so well, and the joker comes across as even more insane then when he is on his own. The Joker's outfit is bright and garish, getting everyone's attention and looking, quite frankly, annoying. It may seem that mystery isn't as big a thing with the Joker as with other villains, but no one, not even Batman knows his true identity, or even the reasons for his actions  (though some comics set in different universes other than the main 'canon' universe may say differently).

I want to think about the colours, shapes, and the expressions my villainous characters have to make them effective as these, whether or not they are supposed to be obvious, outright villains or more subtle shapeshifter or trickster type villains. Their silhouettes she be striking and stand out like Bill's and Maleficent especially (which could even possibly be used directly in some panels for more impact).

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