Hi everyone!
Aren't the Ghibli characters the best reference for studying character design ?
Unlike the well-known manga style of character design, Myazaki's, like those we see in the film "My Neighbor Totoro", are more subtle (in my opinion), they have very precise expressions that are quite difficult to imitate.
I particularly like the confident expression he gives to his little girl characters. They are determined to fight, to follow their hearts, like Mei.
So Mei's look in that pose is very challenging: I have to convey that determination. How does this manifest itself in the design?
The eyes are a bit far apart, like the look of a fish; also, I thought it was very clever in the film: her character design is really compatible with the design of a fish, into which she transforms herself. (or rather, she turns into a human :))
So the distant eyes, coupled with the frowning eyebrows and a mouth that is not so happy but not so sad either - gives that "nothing will stop me from doing what I want to do".
I also noticed that the angle of the eyes is very precise. If you make the angle of the eyes too straight, the children will look silly. Bend them a little and they look confident and more appealing in terms of design.
Hope you will like it!
See you soon for more creations.