Character Design: Power and Personality Through Shape and Color

For my final project in the character design course, I chose to illustrate King Henry VIII alongside two of the women in his life: Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour. I was drawn to them because of the striking contrast in how history portrays each of them. Anne Boleyn, who was ambitious, assertive, and politically savvy, is often remembered as a cunning and untrustworthy woman, almost witch-like in both narrative and visual depictions. In contrast, Jane Seymour, who gave Henry a male heir and died in childbirth, is idealized as pure, saintly, and beautiful, both in historical accounts and later film portrayals.

These differences in how they’re remembered aligned perfectly with one of the key concepts we learned in the course: building characters from basic shapes—triangles to create tension, squares to convey stability, and circles to express softness and warmth. That framework became the foundation for my illustrations.

Anne Boleyn, for example, was the clear “triangle” figure—not because she was the devil woman history often paints her as, but because she stirred tension, disrupted norms, and challenged power. King Henry VIII, with his dominating presence and rigid role as monarch, felt very square to me—symbolizing power, structure, and control. And Jane Seymour, remembered as gentle, pure, and nurturing, naturally fit the circle: whole, soft, and serene.

Supplies used:
• Procreate
• iPad Pro
• Apple Pencil
• Derwent sketching brush (for outlines)
• Eagle Hawk brush (for coloring)
• Custom color palettes for each character

The first step in my process was choosing a basic shape for each character — a method we learned in the course. Interestingly, this part came to me quite intuitively. When I looked at Anne Boleyn, I noticed her features felt very triangular, which worked perfectly given how much tension and controversy surrounds her character in history. For Henry VIII, the choice was clear: his entire visual legacy revolves around presenting himself as large, dominant, and powerful — very square. Jane Seymour, although her natural features might lean more triangular as well, I softened her form intentionally. I gave her a rounder silhouette, including a symbolic, fertile-looking belly reminiscent of Renaissance depictions of motherhood and purity.

Once I had the shapes in place, I began refining the anatomy and composition of each character, adjusting the structure to emphasize what they symbolized. The anatomy was designed not just for accuracy, but to reinforce the emotional and narrative tone I wanted each figure to convey.

After exploring the characters through multiple sketches, I moved on to the line art phase. This was where I refined the design of each figure, defined their shapes more clearly, and added stylization to better match their personalities. I emphasized certain lines to highlight key features and marked areas where I planned to apply shading later on.

In the next stage, I added shading to bring depth and dimension to the characters. I chose a light source direction and used it consistently across all three figures, allowing me to define shadow areas accurately and enhance the volume and form of each character.

At the end of this stage, I also selected color palettes for each character, matching the tones to their personality and psychological traits. Each palette was chosen to support the emotional impression I wanted the character to leave.

In the final stage, I brought all the elements together into the finished illustration. Each character’s color palette was chosen to reinforce their personality and narrative presence.

Anne Boleyn: I chose a combination of green and yellow. Historically, green has been associated not only with nature, but also with the supernatural — including magic, danger, and rebellion. As early as the 15th century, it was used to depict the devil, and later became linked to witches in folklore and pop culture. In historical paintings, women dressed in green were often portrayed as powerful, unconventional, or even subversive.
I used green to reflect not only the historical and folkloric associations with danger and witchcraft, but also to reclaim it as a symbol of Anne’s strength, intelligence, and ambition — qualities that likely made her threatening in a world ruled by men.

Henry VIII: dressed in bold red, as he is in many historical portraits. Red felt like the natural choice — a symbol of fire, power, and impulsiveness — which reflects his notorious temperament and larger-than-life presence.

Jane Seymour: I chose soft pinks and light golds. These gentle, warm colors evoke purity, calmness, and idealized femininity, aligning with the way she is often remembered: serene, maternal, and saintly.