Dwarf Miner – Character Design for 2D Side-Scroller

A character design created for a simple 2D side-scrolling game, focusing on clarity, silhouette, and animation-friendly construction. The character was designed to be immediately readable at small on-screen sizes while maintaining a strong personality through shape language and proportions.

The design process began with loose construction sketches to establish balance, weight distribution, and joint placement suitable for side-view animation. These construction shapes informed the final line work and colour pass, ensuring the character could be easily rigged or animated without breaking form.

Particular attention was given to exaggerated features such as the beard, helmet, and boots to reinforce the character’s role and improve visual recognition during gameplay. The final design balances simplicity and charm, making it suitable for iterative animation and performance-friendly implementation in a side-scroller.