I am an illustrator. The title includes being able to do a lot of other things that have become a specialization. The title of character designer has become one of those specializations but if one is illustrating a story character design is one of the preliminary steps in finishing a project. Of course you have to design the character and it must be consistent through out the story. The more drawings or paintings you have to do for a particular project the more important this becomes.
As a personal project I wanted to illustrate some of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. I am starting with The Tell Tale Heart. Just two characters I have to flesh out (plus some minor characters) and I've nearly filled up a sketchbook trying to pin down what I think they should look like.
First problem is that I haven't decided if I'm going to make it sequential art or individual illustrations or maybe even motion graphics (limited animation). I am leaning towards comic panels.
Then I haven't decided if I should make them realistic or cartoony. As a cartoon I can exaggerate and be very expressive pushing beyond what it would appear like realistically. If I choose to do it realistically I think there is more of a connection or nearness that makes it seem more horrific and gritty and,I think, more of the stories original intent. 
Here are a number of the sketches I did for the two main characters in the Tell Tale Heart. If you like to comment on what you think of the different versions please do so.
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