Character Models - The Good, The Bad,...

Many writers use models or images to be able to easily remember or recognise their story characters as they work. I've known some people who will go through magazines and catalogues and snip out someone who reminds them of a particular character. They might cut out some cardboard and glue the picture on and put the character's name across it or a the bottom. Some writers who can draw, may sketch what they think their character looks like themselves or do a story board. In the end it is the reader who will use their own imagination and the writer's descriptions to create the image in their mind's eye.


I thought I'd throw in  some of the miscellaneous character models I used for this story. I don't have pictures for everybody and if I do I won't bore the reader anymore than I already have. So here is a photo of the models used for Mac and his friends.


The Good

From left to right are Alex Wainright, Mac Macleod, and Lorne Sawczyn keeping Law and Order out on the Range! Taken at the Jay Seven Bar Ranch in between gigs with the group 'Chameleon'. This band also included Anja, Gette, and Deedee. The emphasis musically was six part harmonies. Alex played keyboard and guitars, Lorne played an array of traditional instruments such as Banjo, Mandolin, Dobro, etc. Mac played his usual loud, rhythm and sang many of the lead vocals.


The Bad


Every story has to have a bad guy, an arch villain and this story is no different. From the very start I had a picture of what the magazine mogul Malcolm Forsythe  should look like. Perhaps my character is a little heftier,...he has large hands,...as soon as I saw Ray Liota I knew I had my model.

I mean just look at that face. Doesn't he have "Sinister Business Tycoon" with hidden 'secrets' written all over him? That is why he is the model for my Malcolm Forsythe.

Here is a clue,...

Character Models - Mac Macleod

Many writers use models or images to be able to easily remember or recognise their story characters as they work. I've known some people who will go through magazines and catalogues and snip out someone who reminds them of a particular character. They might cut out some cardboard and glue the picture on and put the character's name across it or a the bottom. Some writers who can draw, may sketch what they think their character looks like themselves or do a story board. In the end it is the reader who will use their own imagination and the writer's descriptions to create the image in their mind's eye.



When I first pictured Torkel James "Mac" Macleod he was 6' tall, broad shouldered, bugling biceps, with a flame or brick coloured "Freak Flag" falling in thick ripples half way down his back. He reminded me of the cover for the paperback  "Lion of Ireland" by Morgan Llywelyn about Brian Boru. Now you try and find someone who looks like that in real life!

In the end I had to settle for this guy as a model. He doesn't have a flame red mane or bulging muscles,...he might even be a bit shy of six feet but if you squint your eyes,....he will do in a pinch!

Mac is the driving force behind 'Loud-Macleod' and 'Heathen Hearts' the bands in the story and is the song writer and lead singer on most of the music. He plays rhythm guitar, tin whistle and percussion on some songs.

 I have to apologise to my wife for using this next photo as she has claimed it as her exclusive property! This is Mac at the Jay Seven Bar Ranch in 1976.

 I also must apologise to the Grey's Scouts Mounted Infantry Regiment for using or maybe I should say miss-using this next photo. This is Mac while serving in the Rhodesian Military in the late Seventies.

 I thought I would throw in this photo of Mac and his wife "Elf" taken in Kaslo B.C. on the occasion of their twenty fifth anniversary!

These are models for the "main" characters in the story of "Heathen Hearts". They might not meet up with the expectations of the reader when the story is finally published but these are the faces I worked with while trying to bring these characters to life.

Character Models - Deedee Hanlon

Many writers use models or images to be able to easily remember or recognise their story characters as they work. I've known some people who will go through magazines and catalogues and snip out someone who reminds them of a particular character. They might cut out some cardboard and glue the picture on and put the character's name across it or a the bottom. Some writers who can draw, may sketch what they think their character looks like themselves or do a story board. In the end it is the reader who will use their own imagination and the writer's descriptions to create the image in their mind's eye.


In some ways Deirdre Hanlon was one of the hardest to find a model for. I had an image in my head that worked pretty well but I thought I should find something as I had the others. Try as I might I could not find an Irish face that looked like Deedee. For a while I was tempted to use Avril Lavigne but I wasn't quite satisfied.
Deedee is quite short, only 5'2" in stocking feet. She has a turned up nose with a band of freckles and green eyes. Her hair is usually a sandy reddish blond but she often dyes it and cuts it to spice things up. Though the drummer for the bands in the story, being raised in Belfast, Ireland she also plays the Uilleann pipes, the Scottish War pipes, Tin whistle, Recorder, besides the Bodhran drum and singing lead vocals on many tracks.

At long last I just happened to think of an old friend of my daughter's and also happened to find some photos of her on a social networking site. I've decided not to mention her name but as soon as I saw the photos,...she became my model for Deedee Hanlon. I hope she won't mind.  :)

Character Models - Gette Kozak

Many writers use models or images to be able to easily remember or recognise their story characters as they work. I've known some people who will go through magazines and catalogues and snip out someone who reminds them of a particular character. They might cut out some cardboard and glue the picture on and put the character's name across it or a the bottom. Some writers who can draw, may sketch what they think their character looks like themselves or do a story board. In the end it is the reader who will use their own imagination and the writer's descriptions to create the image in their mind's eye.
One of the easiest because I only have one photo model is,...


Brigette Kozak

"Gette" is 5'6" with dark eyes and features that reveal her heritage. Her mother's maiden name was Kun which is the name of the people known in English as Cuman. They were a Nomadic people from the Eur-Asian Steppe also known as the Kipchak before moving into Hungary around the year 1000 c.e. Though mostly a mystery, their language is of Turkic-Iranian origin. Gette like Anja is classically trained and can play almost any instrument. She plays either lead guitar, or lead fiddle (violin) on most of their early "Rock and Reel" music but on the final tour and record she does major duty on keyboards besides.

Gette posed a bit of a problem for me as I had another image in my head altogether when I started. She transformed from bitch-witch to beautiful witch as I got to know her better. I looked through Hungarian faces for quite some time before this model appeared. I have no idea of her name but she had done excellent service as a stand in for Brigette Kozak.

Character Models - Anja Lindstrom

Many writers use models or images to be able to easily remember or recognise their story characters as they work. I've known some people who will go through magazines and catalogues and snip out someone who reminds them of a particular character. They might cut out some cardboard and glue the picture on and put the character's name across it or a the bottom. Some writers who can draw, may sketch what they think their character looks like themselves or do a story board. In the end it is the reader who will use their own imagination and the writer's descriptions to create the image in their mind's eye.

Today I thought I might show you the "models" I used for my characters and tell you a little about each character as well. Let us start with,...

Anja Lindstrom

We meet Anja when she is approx 53 yrs as well as when she is about 23 yrs. In both cases she is 5' 11" and skinny as a rake! She has thin blond hair and dazzling blue eyes. Her instruments in the bands are the Electric Bass, the cello, the viola, the violin and various percussion instruments.

When she first came to me I had this image of the Norse Goddess/giantess, Skadi in mind.

One day the thought came to me to try the web and see if Anja might be there. I basically typed in "Swedish female faces" and low and behold, "Anja" was there waiting for me.

For those in the know yes, these turned out to be photos of Elsa Sylvan the Swedish super model taken at her first photo test when she was eighteen. http://www.supermodels.nl/elsasylvan

But like I'm saying, Elsa is not Anja nor the other way round either. Anja just happens to look very much like Elsa.