The Firefly Had Opinions
Creating characters for my stories is fun.
They’re not just plain bugs or worms or snowmen; they have personalities. At least their personalities develop as I create their stories.
Making bug facial expressions is time-consuming. Sometimes I start with a vector that has the perfect body and head shape, like Bee, but the face needs work. She might need to express concern, happiness, or puzzlement. That means erasing the original face and finding just the right eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. I may have to recolor elements or just cut pieces apart. It’s putzy work, but I enjoy it.
I have been working on a third book in my Tiny Bug Adventures series, and I needed a firefly. None of the different vectors I found were quite what I needed. Creating the firefly has been my most time-consuming character project yet. I had a head shape and thorax I liked. I found arms and legs that worked. I created an abdomen from the shape elements and added a glow behind it. Next came the eyes and the mouth. Finally I needed to decide on the appropriate antennae.
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One would think this would be an easy slap-on. But no. The firefly had opinions.
As you can see, I had plenty of choices, and the firefly’s reactions more or less mirrored mine. As I go along, I can get lost trying on different possibilities, from the basic to the absurd. Anyone looking for that special dress can relate.
There is a point where I have to stop and make a decision.
Am I there yet?
There are a couple more choices…
