“I start by researching what kind of character I would like to create. During this process I think about every aspect of the character. Where does it live? What does it eat? age? weight? size etc. I believe thinking about all these things will help you to create a far more interesting character and create some history for the viewer to discover.”
http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials/making_balthar/balthar_01.php