This chapter is about ideas-where they come from and how to develop the ones you have. There is no doubt that coming up with creative ideas is tough work. Nothing grows in a vacuum, and the best ideas and designs do not come easy. Artists often sit around in our studios or at our desks, virtually a vacuum , pondering where the next idea will come from. Often we sit and scribble on whatever paper is handy, tap the pencil, scribble some more, and then wonder where we lost our ability to think of good ideas.
Good character designs do not usually come from sitting, tapping a pencil, or jumping directly to the sketching. Planning and preliminary work are always needed and will pay great dividends in the finished design. This is what this chapter is all about. Here we present a few strategies to help charge your creative energy. These ideas are not the only things that you can do, but if you're stuck, they'll help get you rolling.
The majority of the exercises and suggestions presented in this chapter are about generating creative thought. While you need nothing more than your brain to give these ideas a try, you should probably have a pencil and paper ready in anticipation of that epiphany moment.