I like to paint my characters.
Some may call it procrastination.
I myself call it
... procrastination.
This character 'had it all' once.
And this character
This character 'had it all' once.
And this character
still has it all. Or so she thinks.
These are odd bod characters.
And this is a jug of lilacs (and an iris). Not a character obviously, but marginally more interesting than some.
Do you doodle your characters? Or cut out their 'likeness' from magazines? Or base their likeness on an actor? Do you imagine what they would wear to a fete/a festival/a funeral? Isn't it interesting when their choices are marginally inappropriate. Do they sit in the passenger seat of your car and let you chat to them? Or is that a step too far?
31 comments:
I love your characters. I wish I could paint mine but I do chat to them. Like you, this can be in the car or sometimes the bath (not the men) but mostly at night when the family are asleep. I find they're most forthcoming when they've had a drink or two. Not me, of course.
Lane this is a superb post. I love the drawings - brilliant. My characters tend to grow organically as I progress through the story but your post has given me another perspective to work from. You always inspire me to keep at it as you are so darned sensible and thought provoking. Jolly good stuff eld gal!
Lovely eyes on your first character, Lane. Wise. She knows we can't have it all. As for your second character, to quote Little John in Robin Hood "Her I do not like." I think I'd enjoying having coffee with your guy--wish his tie were a scooch longer. . .And I wouldn't call painting your characters procrastinating. A great way to describe them.
Somewhat related: sometimes I love seeing a movie before reading the book. It really helps understand the character better. Lisbeth Salander in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a great example.
I make them up in my mind's eye and give them some characteristics of people I think I know. But I don't draw them, no. I do know their color hair and the color of their eyes and if they have freckles and good legs.
What a lovely way to get to know your characters! I sometimes imagine my stories are going to be films and I pretend to be the casting director. And I do chat with them/observe them a lot before I even begin to write. Other folks think my head is always in the clouds; I know the truth, which is that I'm living in an alternate reality with my story people.
Oops. I think they've got medication for that sort of thing...
What a brilliant idea, I wish I could paint my characters too. I have to make do with writing notes about them, but I do chat to them in my head and see/hear them clearly. It would be great to have a picture of them too though.
Great idea Lane - I love your paintings but don't have the talent to do that. My characters are more just there with me - describing them is dififcult but I have a sense of them just being close. (Makes me sound barking I'm sure but what's new?!)
I can't do that painting thing, my characters just live in my head and talk to me from there. I once saw a photo in a magazine which was the spitting image of one of my central characters at the time, and it gave me quite a funny turn. Your people pictures are great but I confess I love the jug of flowers the most, all my favourite colours and terrific spikiness.
What a fascinating idea. I can barely draw a stick figure, but I can see how this could be really useful.
I love them all...but your odd bods in particular! (Hmmm, wonder what that says about me?)
I think it is very cool that you paint your characters :-)
C x
Fia - Chatting to them is fun. Stopping them going on and on is not so much. Or is that me?:-)
MOB - thank you. And I've been called many things but rarely 'sensible' so double thanks!:-)
Faye - I'm glad you picked up on his short tie. At best he dresses like an unmade bed, bless him.
I've yet to read those books. Might be a good idea to see the film first in this case.
Nora - I suppose you're painting them in your head. All those details are so important, even if they never actually get mentioned.
Liane - I'm not sure about a medication. I quite like life in the clouds:-)
Debs - I'm glad to hear chatting to characters is pretty commonplace. Very comforting:-)
Flowerpot - it all sounds a bit barking when said out loud but it's normal. Honest:-)
Queenie - I hope you kept that photo. Must have been weird to see it.
Glad you like the spiky flowers:-)
Sue G - Thanks Sue. It's fun to doodle but probably a displacement activity too:-)
carol - Odd bods are always the more interesting ones:-)
Great painting, Lane! And I had no idea that Helen Mirren was one of your characters. ;-) And yes, the odd bods are my favourites, too.
These are lovely paintings. Look forward to reading about them one day in a novel . . .
I just knew you were a dab hand with the old paintbrush m'dear :) Now, I've a wee suggestion for you! (not one of my mad and silly ideas!) Could you maybe create an adult comic strip book to include the life and adventures of these wonderful characters. I've for one have taken a real liking to the odd bods! Bags of material in those characters methinks ;-)
Keep up the good work. TFx
Oh I love your pictures. Does this mean the book is finished? I can't wait to buy a copy.
(if I could paint or draw then I would draw my characters)
That's a great idea, to paint them. That might actually be one way to avoid the characters having blue eyes in Chapter 1, green eyes in Chapter 14 and blue eyes again in Chapter 46.
Oh, must you be so talented? It really does make the rest of us look bad you know.
I can't do any of the clever stuff you do. I do, however, read my characters' horoscopes and let them write a diatribe based on their thoughts on that day's fate. I do hope your paintings feature on the cover of your novel when (WHEN) it's published.
I can't paint, but I do the cutting pictures out of magazines thing. I find it really helps.
I'm afraid I don't do any of it. I don't paint them or cut out pics. They are just there with me. Waiting to be introduced I guess. Such manners they have huh?!
Babaloo - Ha. I didn't notice that. But now you come to mention it:-)
Dumdad - so do I. Maybe I'll donate them to a writer:-)
TF - since when have you had a mad idea? Thank you for the suggestion and I shall carry on doodling and see what happens. I prefer the odd bods too.
French Fancy - book finished? Ahem. (Shuffles around. Looks uncomfortable.) Not quite:-)
Fran - it can still happen though. I often have characters who grow younger as the years progress:-)
Spiral - horoscopes are an inspired idea. I must look up some of my gals' star signs. It could account for some of their odd behaviour:-)
Helen - I think any visual that can help is a bonus.
Aims - They may be well behaved but I bet they won't let you ignore them for long Aims:-)
LOVE your paintings you clever thing! I'm particularly drawn to the odd bods.
I tend to picture mine as actors so I can imagine them speaking their lines, in order to make them 'realistic.' Trouble is, I can spend ages procrastinating while I trawl through databases looking for a particular actor that emobodies my character. Ah well - more productive than eating cake I suppose :o)
erm - embodies. You knew I meant that, right?
There's an award for you over at mine. x
OMG! Stop being multi talented immediately! xo
Wow, how impressive is this???
I'd love to be able to paint my characters - or paint anything come to that - but I have to settle to making lots of notes about them. I'm in awe, m'dear.
Sigh - those really are lovely paintings. My Gran was an artist, and since I was the spitting image of her she was determined I had some artistic ability in me someewhere. She did give up eventually...
I really struggle with the physical appearance of my characters. I remember the basics of their appearance but can't pin down exactly how they look. If I write a more specific description of them I have to re-read it to remember, because it's not part of my image of them. They are quite chatty though!
Wonderful paintings! I especially love the ones with words 'round the edges.
It occurs to me that although I love to write songs and poetry, I don't have any book-worthy "characters". Perhaps my gears will switch one day to "output", but for now I am on "intake", eating up books and other people's characters.
Karen - I quite like the word 'emobodies'. Now that conjures up some real characters:-)
Debs - thank you:-)
DJ Kirby - Multi procrastinational talented you mean:-)
Shirley - Ah but you make lots of notes and you get the job done. I on the other .... :-)
denise - I think that's fine though. When I'm reading I often don't have a clear picture of a character's physical appearance but I can still feel I thoroughly know them. It's the essence that's important. (and it helps if they chat to their creator:-)
Marcheline - Maybe you're filling up the 'creative bank account' and then, when the time is right, all that intake will pay dividends:-).
Fabulous paintings and I always say that too far is never far enough!
Eternally Distracted - hi and welcome! And I agree. I think:-)
gad, i LOVE your paintings!!!
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