MANILA – Many successful artists have less than glamorous beginnings, and in the case of Stephen Silver – famous for being the character designer behind Kim Possible and Danny Phantom – it was drawing caricatures in Sea World, San Diego in 1992.
“I never went to school, and all I wanted to do was draw, I never actually animated. I was freelancing and doing caricatures at theme parks and t shirt design,” the London-born animator said.
A year later, Silver started his own illustration company, Silvertoons, but it was only much later, in 1997, that he joined the animation industry when he was tapped by Warner Brothers to join them.
“I sent my work to Warner Bros animation studio and they hired me as a character designer, I didn’t even know what that was. I just went with the flow, all I ever wanted to do is get paid to draw,” he shared.
According to Silver, being a caricaturist helped him in his character design work.
“It helped me become a better designer because it follows the same principles through exaggeration of forms and shapes. It taught me to observe which is one of the key ingredients to design,” he shared.
When it came to designing characters like Kim Possible and Danny Phantom, Silver said that he enjoyed “quite a bit of freedom.”
“I just did what I did and the director would tell me if he liked it or not. The sensibility of shape and style was always there, it was always a matter if the character looked correct or not,” he said.
“The early development is where I had the chance to explore a lot and then we would narrow the show style down. Both shows were great experiences and I am happy that I had the opportunity to have a crack at them,” he added.
Silver, who uses both traditional and digital tools, shared that he doesn’t have a preference, but believes in “developing skill through pen and paper.”
“This can give you a distinctive edge which you then transfer to digital,” he explained.
He added that software is something that anyone can learn and continues to evolve, “but learning how to observe and become a good draftsman which I believe is essential to longevity requires commitment to a sketchbook and figure drawing.”
When it comes to staying ahead of the times and keeping his designs fresh, Silver keeps it simple.
“Animation trends and styles are forever changing, but I have always believed simplicity is an overall design style that will always be present,” he said.
Hear more from Silver at the upcoming entertainment design conference ICON Manila, which will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay on July 3. For more information, visit the ICON Manila website or Facebook page.
