Boo throws a costume party: character design ideas

Boo has decided that one startled face is not enough. The host is sending invitations across the Dandy universe, where a knight may arrive nervous, a dragon may dress for court, and every guest must look instantly recognisable in a crowded panel. A costume party gives the cast a simple comic test: can the drawing reveal personality before a word is spoken?

The strongest designs begin with a silhouette rather than a shopping list of accessories. A high hat, curved shield or trailing cloak tells readers what to expect even in tiny black-and-white panels. The costume then gains one visual gag and one behaviour: Boo clutches the guest list with suspicious eyes, while a supposedly fierce warrior keeps polishing a borrowed crown.

An Australian party makes a useful backdrop because its rituals are visually specific. String lights loop through a back garden, a barbecue sends up smoke, and an esky sits under the drinks table. Guests call the late-afternoon gathering an arvo drinks party, arrive with a bottle marked BYO, and greet an eccentric outfit with “fair dinkum” or “no dramas”. Those details can make a scene feel lived-in without crowding the characters.

The brief should remain simple: each guest must read at thumbnail size, work in a mini-strip, and carry one unmistakable attitude. The party can connect Boo with familiar Dandy figures such as Carrotty Kid and Bad Grandad, while invented guests provide room for parodies of knights, dragons, wizards and nervous royalty.

Find the comic signature

Give Boo a compact host silhouette: cone hat, short cape and an oval invitation card. Tilt the head and make one hand hide the lower half of the face; that instantly converts a cheerful party into a suspicious comic situation. Keep the cape broad enough to establish a shape readers recognise across several panels.

Build the supporting cast through contrasts. A tiny dragon in a tutu can act like a heavyweight champion, while an enormous wizard hides his insecurity behind an oversized beard. Their clothes should suggest what they want everyone to believe, and their poses should reveal what is actually happening.

Test every character in a row at thumbnail size. If removing the costume leaves no clear personality, the design needs stronger posture, a distinctive prop or a more expressive shape language. A limited palette can help, particularly when the final artwork must reproduce cleanly in print.

Build the Australian party world

Give the venue a quick geography. A coastal Sydney backyard near Coogee suggests sea air, evening light and children racing between adults, while a narrow courtyard in Brunswick can feel intimate, urban and crowded. Background objects should imply these places without turning the panel into a tourist poster.

Let the Australian setting shape the staging. Long daylight can give the party a lazy beginning before the adults emerge from the barbecue, while October’s unpredictable weather leaves some guests in sun hats and others wrapped in shawls. That contrast creates opportunities for costume jokes involving sunscreen, flyaway hats and windswept capes.

Use local speech sparingly but precisely. A character might call the food “fair dinkum”, dismiss a delayed guest with “no worries”, or complain that the music has been playing since arvo. Such phrases should emerge naturally from the situation, with the surrounding artwork doing most of the storytelling.

Make poses carry the joke

A costume party works best when the body line does the talking. A useful example is the favourite candid huddle moment, where a coach’s emotion changes the whole group’s posture. A guest leaning into a boast can alter the posture of an entire party scene.

In a mini-strip, poses also control the reading order. Let characters turn towards the loudest speaker, then show Boo noticing something suspicious in the background. The audience will scan the panel according to the bodies, discovering the visual gag before the dialogue confirms it.

Keep movement broad and readable. Pointy elbows, raised eyebrows and trailing fabric can survive small reproduction, whereas subtle hand gestures may disappear. Characters should look prepared to cross the room, spill a drink or hide behind a prop, providing ready-made action for later strips.

Give the costumes medieval mischief

Medieval clothing offers excellent material for visual exaggeration, particularly when each guest mistakes formal dress for personal grandeur. When a royal guest needs instant status, exaggerate the crown, beard and posture instead of adding heraldic clutter; the medieval caricature guide shows how selective exaggeration keeps the identity readable.

Try several clear concepts. Boo could wear a ceremonial cloak over a badly tied knight’s helmet, while the dragon arrives in a royal robe with the neckline sitting crookedly. A nervous squire might carry an absurdly large sword, suggesting that the blade is there mainly to hide trembling hands.

Let modern attitudes disrupt the period setting. Guests can bring a phone to a royal feast, treat a wyvern like a troublesome pet, or mistake a plague doctor for a helpful party guest. These anachronisms create friction without requiring an explanation, and they suit the quick, visual rhythm of comedy strips.

Draw for movement and reproduction

Movement matters once every guest enters the same room. For a knight whose dance needs comic timing, the George vs Dragon checklist is a handy reminder to check balance, footwork and the timing of each turn before committing a complicated pose to the page.

Keep the line work economical. A strong contour can define a cape, horn or shoulder pad, while a few interior marks provide texture. This approach suits phone screens and printed strips, and it gives the drawings the durable appeal associated with classic magazine cartooning.

Compact character-led gags also suit Australia’s small-press and zine culture, where creators often test recurring personalities through anthologies, convention tables and social posts before pursuing larger opportunities. A compact page can travel overseas to The Dandy while retaining recognisably Australian details, giving the work both local character and international reach.

Publish the guest list

Turn the concept into a three-panel announcement. Begin with an empty backyard, reveal the crowded party in the second panel and finish with one final visual surprise in the third. The sequence will work as a teaser, a portfolio feature and a natural home for a longer mini-strip.

Give each guest a name that suits the design, but avoid explaining every joke in the surrounding caption. A sharp costume detail can be enough, particularly when the characters are established through previous drawings. Share the finished piece through the social channels connected to Andy Fanton’s portfolio, where fellow cartoonists can respond to the individual designs.

Choose Boo, draw three party guests and publish the invitation strip today. Add the cleverest costume gag to the next panel, then let the whole cast assemble under the Australian night sky.