Stephanie T, Author at Art & Design by Teresa Cowley

Three side-by-side images of expressive character puppets. On the left, a beige refrigerator is styled as a face with droopy red eyes, bushy brown eyebrows, a horizontal mouth with four small pointed teeth, and a brown handle. In the center, a purple flower character with layered petals framing a human-like face smiles mischievously beneath a large yellow blossom, with a striped purple stem and leaf-like arms. On the right, a red squirrel puppet with fluffy fur, half-closed eyes, a black nose, long white whiskers, and oversized front teeth stands with its small paws raised against a blurred outdoor background.

The Material-First Character Design Process

Discover how a material-first approach can transform character design. Brought to you by Furry Puppet Studio, this guest post explores why textures, happy accidents, and hands-on experimentation often lead to stronger, more memorable characters than starting with a sketch alone.

By , 57 years ago

Stephanie T

Stephanie T. writes for Furry Puppet Studio, a custom puppet design studio in SoHo, New York, founded by Zack Buchman. The studio builds custom puppets and characters for film, television, music video, and advertising. See more on Instagram at @furrypuppet.

The Material-First Character Design Process