Character Design discussion

[Anonymous No.5244631]

Post your OCs, talk about great designs, share resources.

Help each other make your designs, don't hug box.

>How can I make my OC better?
>What is the best method to better designs?
>Is my design too generic?

Lets help each other out.

Join our discord community: https://discord.gg/njqAyjt

[Anonymous No.5244634]

I hear the owner likes smelly feet.

[Anonymous No.5244638]

>>5244631
I don't have any OCs to post but this is looking good, anon. Distinct silhouette, bold color scheme. If it's yours: keep it up.

[Anonymous No.5244691]

>>5244631
cum

[Anonymous No.5244700]

>>5244631
server wont allow begs, wtf

[Anonymous No.5244728]

>>5244631
The eyes make my eyes hurt.

[Anonymous No.5244759]

>>5244728
you're on crack

[Anonymous No.5244813]

>>5244631
how do you even start with characters? do you just take characters/ things you like and put them together or something

[Anonymous No.5244835]

>>5244813
thtats one way to do it

[Anonymous No.5245013]

What do you guys think?

[Anonymous No.5245178]

My oc

[Anonymous No.5245300]

>>5245178
I love it! What are you going to use her for?

[Anonymous No.5245650]

>>5245178
cuute

[Anonymous No.5245703]

>>5245300
It started as an experiment of sorts?
I felt really inspired whenever I played RPGs, so I thinked about "How about I express my gaming experiences with a little character of my own?"
And I've been doing that as practice

>>5245650
Thanks anon!

[Anonymous No.5245721]

My OC. Is it good design or could it be better?

[Anonymous No.5245757]

>>5245721
looks good to me but
maybe you can make the hat stand out more? right now it's merged with her hair lol

[Anonymous No.5245762]

>>5245178
Shit/10

[Anonymous No.5245792]

>>5245762
why?

[BLOBBERS No.5245806]

>>5245721
her tits are exploding out of her jacket, but her jacket isn't responding to those gigantic milkers.

[BLOBBERS No.5245807]

>>5245721
also the anatomy is kinda retarded and looks like when Melonpan puts on that latex insect outfit.

[Anonymous No.5245826]

Here are some character designs I made, not my specialty so I’d love to hear some thoughts

[Anonymous No.5245828]

>>5245826
Spent so much on the leather

[Anonymous No.5245830]

>>5245826
>>5245828

[Anonymous No.5245881]

>>5245178
two question comes to mind: where does she put her sword? because I can't see any sheath. is she a witch? because her clothes are very witch like.

[Anonymous No.5245886]

>>5244700
shut the fuck up c moon you're annoying

[Anonymous No.5245889]

>>5245830
>>5245828
>>5245826
Looks rad

[Anonymous No.5245903]

>>5245721
it is a little generic, like what she have different from the other pirates? also even for animation her outfit look too plain. even suits have more detail than that. I recommend Concept Art BOOT CAMP videos if you didn't saw it already.

[Anonymous No.5245915]

>>5245826
>>5245828
>>5245830
very good

[Anonymous No.5245932]

guys help me decide...
which Retro Scifi big tiddie goth girl?

[Anonymous No.5245941]

>>5245932
same shit

[Anonymous No.5245959]

>>5245932
Right one

[Anonymous No.5245971]

>>5245889
>>5245915
Thanks!

[Anonymous No.5245993]

>>5245932
right tbqh, pentagram harness is so cliche

[Anonymous No.5246006]

>>5245993
Oh yeah...The old pentagram harness trope! everyone and their mom wears those!

[Anonymous No.5246011]

>>5244631
I like this dude (except for the eyes).

[Anonymous No.5246261]

>>5244631
>Is my design too generic?

The answer is almost always yes. Even the over designed cluttered messes reek of trend hopping and plagiarism.

[Anonymous No.5246421]

i can't design clothes

[Anonymous No.5246426]

>>5246421
What does this lady do

[Anonymous No.5246437]

>>5245881
Yes, she is a witch
She keeps comically large objects inside her hat

[Anonymous No.5246446]

I swear I've seen that knees out feet together hands up pose somewhere else before, what's it from?

[Anonymous No.5246538]

Some character exploration from a project a few years ago...I miss this stuff.

[Anonymous No.5246542]

>>5246538
Some thumbnail stuff too

[Anonymous No.5246608]

https://youtu.be/CjiKlLE3NuI
Great tips on character and costume design. I found it very helpful.

[Anonymous No.5246910]

>>5246608
thanks, it was a good watch. Crazy how she just draws clean lines without constructing anything beforehand, I can't imagine ever being able to do that

[Anonymous No.5246926]

>>5246006
they actually got trendy as of late due to some character designs in some shows using em (like loona in helluva boss)

[Anonymous No.5246973]

>overbearing mother dies but reincarnates as a soda can and a bow.
>now she wants to use this second change to help her son to find a good wife.
>but what she really needs is to fix their relationship

not sure about the son, he can be a hikikomori or just an old single man, he could even be a daughter. the only thing I am sure for now is that he is single and socially awkward, the latter because of his mom.

I used the random stuff generator to come up with something, is this a good exercise? what you guys think?

[Anonymous No.5246979]

>>5246973
A fun creative exercise, these are great for practicing to think outside the box, but I wouldn't make it any more than that. I couldn't see the series lasting long term unless it was a comedy or very self aware satire.

[Anonymous No.5247154]

this guys name is fuk yoo. he is half white half chinese. he doesnt realize until later in the story he is a test tube experiment and has no memory of breaking out of the lab he was made in. he can only say fuck and you. he doesnt know why but he is obsessed with this phrase. hes bald.

[Anonymous No.5249087]

>>5245826
unfathomably based robot.

blog?

[Anonymous No.5249098]

>>5246910
You'll get there eventually! Just practice longer strokes and don't zoom in too much. You'll be at that stage and you won't even really notice you made it past the hurdle. Just keep on truckin'!

[Anonymous No.5249117]

>>5244631
i like

[Anonymous No.5249130]

>>5245826
>not my speciality
then what is your speciality?

[Anonymous No.5249172]

>>5249130
im a performance rtist

[Anonymous No.5249200]

>>5245178

reminds me a bit of the bluehilda animation

[Anonymous No.5249209]

>>5245178
not trying to be rude but what are you going for with this? You are obviously talented, but the art style combined with the subject matter together just seems very boring and childish. if you changed one or the other it would be more interesting but this just seems like a generic product.

[Anonymous No.5249213]

>>5246608

fyi this person is doing a course soon for anyone interested

https://en.class101.net/products/arucelli

[Anonymous No.5249215]

>>5249213
>$185
>Poorfag
Feelsbadman

[Anonymous No.5249217]

>>5244813
blog?

[Anonymous No.5249219]

>>5249209
I liked it, whats your idea of "more interesting"?

[Anonymous No.5249223]

>>5244728
why the eyes specifically and not all the other parts that are the same color and pattern?

[Anonymous No.5249227]

Call me a retarded coomer, but I am obsessed with slugbox's catgirl OC's. They aren't good designs outside of smut, but regardless they're so thicc and fluffy. Too bad the actual comics they star in suck balls. Never have I read such a senseless, bizarre and unfunny alien-slice-of-life with very awkward dialouge and shoehorned porn scenarios written by an autist. Pic related.

[Anonymous No.5249260]

>>5245721
her body suit, hair, and hat are all roughly the same color. kinda makes readability a problem

[Anonymous No.5249263]

>>5249219
the character is boring, making it darker like something in the vein of the mcgee alice in wonderland games would be more interesting if for nothing else but a starting point. just as a juxtaposition. this sort of looks and feel like a Kids WB network commission.

it just comes off too childish, like a cartoon network sort of show. some of the environments look like you are trying to portray an impressive quest or adventure of some kind and i just think that your art style is holding it back. Or that the character needs to be more interesting. I just think that this character combined with this art style is a bad choice because as I said it comes off as generic. like the thing a talented artist would be forced to make for a studio. its missing something to make it feel like someones artistic vision.

[Anonymous No.5249285]

>>5249263
>darker = more interesting
You must be 18 to post here. Go do some homework or some shit.

[Anonymous No.5249293]

Does any anon know where I can find afro hair style examples for male characters that are not extremely similar to killmonger's? I've been trying to draw a black character, the heroic type with short hair, but I can't find anything that can help me get inspired. Most of the other artists' black characters have the very same hairstyle

[Anonymous No.5249306]

>>5245178
Cute, but the character design tells me next to nothing about her character or story. See >>5246608. I think it would be very useful for you. Most people, really. Myself included.

[Anonymous No.5249309]

>>5249209
I'm the dude behind the character
Hmmm I wanted to express some experiencies of mine while playing RPGs
I also wanted to experiment art styles with an original character. So I made her.

I wanted her to be a witch, but then I realized whenever I play magic characters in videogames I end up using melee instead, so I came up with the idea of a witch that uses mainly a sword

>>5249306
Thanks anon! I'm currently working with some other artist in trying to get the design right.
Among other things, we are changing the shapes, the hair, the sword, the shoes, the top of the dress and adding her some dirt in the clothes

[Anonymous No.5249316]

>>5249285
i said it would be a more interesting starting place, not that it had to be that way. I already knew you would say some dumb shit which was why i mentioned it as a place to begin from not the end all be all.

As I have already explained before the issue to me is not necessarily the art style, its the art style in combination with the character. it results in a very generic and boring look. almost reminiscent of soulless chinese moba designs.

[Anonymous No.5249320]

>>5249309
i can see that you have talent, more than most people here. I just do not like the look of the character, its very bland and as i said i just dont think the art style combined with this character is compelling or interesting. doesnt mean you dont have talent. you dont need to change anything if you dont want to obviously, but i just think it feels uninspired in its current state.

[Anonymous No.5249324]

A good source of study, for anyone, can be the Dungeon Meshi Daydream Bonuses. The Adventurer Bible by the same author as well. Image related She does absolutely phenomenal character designs, both in looks and their personalities. She's done some great studies like image related that I think would be wonderful for people to practice more.
The polka dot background ones are their normal races.
https://mangadex.org/chapter/1227915/1
This is the most recent Daydream chapter. I highly encourage you to read the series too. There's a lot of soul in it and I think taking some lessons from it wouldn't hurt.

[Anonymous No.5249327]

>>5249324
Oh, but keep in mind that the Adventurer's Bible is full of spoilers for the main series. You can read the Daydream chapters and have minimal spoilers too I think... If anything, avoid the bonus one page comics in the most recent one. All the other pages talk mostly about character design.

[Anonymous No.5249373]

>>5249316
You are certainly entitled to your opinion on his work stylistically. But to call his work generic then to go with the most generic example of something that people go to, to be "different" does not do well either. Shits just as soulless.

[Anonymous No.5249419]

>>5249373
look dude, there isnt anything interesting about some generic little witch girl, it has been done to death in both western, and anime styles. But at the very least, at least anime has some louder visuals to keep your attention with. That was why I suggested something darker in tone just to add some details somewhere. This is obviously more of a western version but it lacks in details to keep my attention. It just is a very smooth and clean, "palatable" art style that neither offends or captivates any real interest.

I feel like you are just talking to talk and are unable to listen or understand anything. The art style to me plus the character is what the biggest problem is. You dont have to go full grim dark. But add some details or darker colors or some weathering or something somewhere. This looks like literally any korean mobile app games artwork. Yeah it sells and yes people get hired to make this shit. But when one of these games dies or fails 10 others are right there with the exact same look and feeling.

[Anonymous No.5249423]

>>5249419
honestly because this is so hard to understand apparantly, the character which is the focal point of all of these, is just boring to look at. The environments are nice and if anything get brought down by the terrible character design. You cant have a boring character design and an art style that doesnt at least present it in a unique way.

[Anonymous No.5249437]

>>5249320
Sure, man, don't worry about it, i won't feel down about it
And what would you change specifically?
I kinda want the cartoony vibe, it's hard to apply it to Dark Souls for instance (I did a drawing of it)

[Anonymous No.5249472]

>>5249437
i think that the biggest issue is the character just looks like an npc. They dont seem like a character i can root for, they seem lik a npc that will get in trouble and who you will need to save. I would say the outfit needs to change, the hat or dress or something. it just is too generic. From there what is probably worth considering but less important is the hair, i dont like it, but maybe there is a way to change the outfit in such a way that the hair seems less out of place with those loop things it has. Lastly i really do not like the facial structure of the character, it is too frog like and i personally find it annoying. This is the most subjective of my complaints, and i would try to change everything else before changing the face. If you find a look which is more unique or interesting for the character, the face may see like it fits more. Just as is it seems kind of generic and NPC-ish in its current state. The environments are good. I especially like the forst on the bottom left. I think the door on the top right could use some wood grain lighting accents and the trees could use a bit more expression in them though. They seem a little too lazy.

[Anonymous No.5249475]

>>5249472
Ways of changing the outfit that i would suggest is just experiment with hat shapes, maybe add different patterns or something to it or find a way to give it a more interesting silhouette. The dress could use some more interesting folds, it feels a little to fat like its made out of playdough in some parts. Maybe the hem on the bottom you can find an interesting shape for, or you can put a logo or some line or shapes on the dress to break up its shape a bit.

[Anonymous No.5249492]

>>5245178
honestly her clothes don't match the rough-and-tumble vibe that her facial expressions and poses give off. i think the knee-pads are nice, maybe add some more armor elements, some rips / patches, band-aids and the like.
also i know you said she stores things in her hat but i think a sheath for her sword would add a lot, mostly because it would be a lot quicker the draw her sword from her sheath and not her hat

[Anonymous No.5249557]

>>5249419
>>5249423
I already told you that i understood what you ment from the beginning. I disagree with your opinion but i did say you entitled to it. You dont have to like the art. All i was saying was you gave a shitty example.

[Anonymous No.5249561]

first drawing of a Batman Villain/Femme Fatale in the TAS artstyle.

[Anonymous No.5249568]

>>5249557
what does it matter if i gave a shitty example? the example i used wasnt relevant it was just a shot in the dark. Frankly if it was a crayon drawing it would be a more interesting take on what is an extremely generic archetype. you tried to project that i was immature or something retarded because you got fixated on one detail and ignored the substance of what i was saying.

[Anonymous No.5249571]

>>5249561
love the retrofuturistic aviator look. do you have any plans for her or the setting?

[Anonymous No.5249579]

>>5249571
thank you! I was thinking of doing one or two pages in the style of The Batman Adventures comics. for fun and as an exercise.

[Anonymous No.5249587]

Feel good about my colored guy, but I struggle with lady proportions. Trying to avoid going for super realistic proportions, want to keep it stylized like the colored guy

[Anonymous No.5249620]

>>5249568
The example you use is entirely the basis of your point. If i were to say, "this sandwich, is a bit bland. Heres an example of another sandwich that is also bland in order to spice it up!" it ruins the "substance" Now your just talking shit the guys art for no reason and acting like an immature retard. That i dont need to project.

[Anonymous No.5249636]

>>5249620
>making it darker like something in the vein of the mcgee alice in wonderland games would be more interesting if for nothing else but a starting point.

>if for nothing else but a starting point

> just as a juxtaposition

wow you are the biggest fucking retard on /ic/ congratulations spergo. I said as a starting point, i didnt say this was what he had to do. i was spitballing that anything else would be better on account of the subject matter in of itself. Stop performing mental gymnastics with your retard food analogies. my point was that if you have a boring generic subject matter, you need to juxtapose it with a unique presentation or else it has no identity.you had some retard kneejerk reaction to it without listening to the rational behind what i was saying. big surprise. nice IQ.

[Anonymous No.5249650]

>>5249636
Lol stay mad fag

[Anonymous No.5249659]

>>5249650
stay retarded, you saw someone bring up the word "dark" and your tampon fell out.

[Anonymous No.5249661]

>>5246421
Thy is her upper arm so long?

[Anonymous No.5249882]

>>5249472
No one is going to hire you to be an art director you dum crab....

[Anonymous No.5249903]

>>5245721
she looks cool, change the scars from lines to just be changes in skin tone would look 90% better

[Anonymous No.5250216]

>>5249087
Thanks! My insta is @miter_gear and I have a Twitter by the same name,
>>5249130
Weird overly design stuff

>>5249172
I have no clue who this lad is

[Anonymous No.5250282]

>>5249472
I tried a little change

[Anonymous No.5250364]

>>5244631
I think the scarf is distracting. Maybe making it a headband or belt.

[Anonymous No.5250418]

I really want to design a character that looks like that or have the same feel I can't describe how the character features or mood is like I'm not good at observing any help?

[Anonymous No.5250423]

>>5250418
literally just draw any generic anime

[Anonymous No.5250424]

>>5250418
Another character from the same series I'm really in love

[Anonymous No.5250445]

>>5250418
Just look into the kitsune type of characters. Fox characters. That's what you want.

[Anonymous No.5250616]

>>5246011
>>5246538
Nice style

[Anonymous No.5250632]

>>5245178
Rough and tumble adventuring in cute clothes is a juxtaposition I really like. I would enjoy a platformer with RPG elements starring her.

[Anonymous No.5250644]

>>5244631
This feels like a hybrid of Sonic The Hedgehog and Jet Set Radio. I love it.

[Anonymous No.5250652]

>>5249659
cope and seethe sweetie, cope and seethe

[Anonymous No.5250672]

>>5250632
Oh thank you, that's what I was aiming for

[Anonymous No.5250698]

>>5250652
>buzzwords

is that what you tell people every time you make yourself look like an idiot because you talk before you think? I think its funny you projected about my age when you are probably not even in college yet. And if you are, you may as well give up with your inability to read.

[Anonymous No.5250708]

>>5250282
this post just proves I was right about everything I said. that other guy arguing is just autistic. This already looks much better. Personally I would maybe experiment with changing the eyes to a more slightly more oval shape with a canthic tilt, but something still exaggerated too fit your style, these look a bit boyish. But I think they are balanced out now by the more interesting outfit. If you are making a tom boy character i think the challenge is to balance out the feminine and masculine impressions in such a way that they balance out.

[Anonymous No.5250717]

>>5250708
or if you are open to the idea, maybe consider changing the color of the hair/outfit to see what sticks unless you have a specific reason for the color. It isnt bad but a purple dress and red hair dont really convey "witch' to me, but the inverse of this logic is that if they dont seem witch, then in a sense it is original and has its own value. But I would still toss a few colors on it just to see if anything stands out to you that you like. If you can maybe add some black or some other neutral color somewhere on the outfit, maybe the colors will pop more and seem more interesting as well. This version you made has much more potential.

[Anonymous No.5250772]

I feel like all the girls I draw are pretty androgynous in the face

[Anonymous No.5250773]

[Anonymous No.5250778]

>>5245178
I like this.

[Anonymous No.5250791]

>>5250772
your ideas are nice but the perverse influence of twitter bleeds through your work

[Anonymous No.5250812]

>>5250772

I think you need to study face structure more, it's holding you back imo. You have these nice expressions in the blue, better structure and crisper clean-up will help make them pop more

[Anonymous No.5250976]

>>5250708
>this post just proves I was right about everything

[Anonymous No.5251015]

Oh, didn't know this thread was going on.

[Anonymous No.5251080]

>>5250976
it does. you are wrong about everything in this thread. go read a book or practice drawing. you have nothing to contribute.

[Anonymous No.5251206]

>>5250216
you dont remember creating me?

[Anonymous No.5251209]

Fuck guys, with an ever evolving art style, how do you bros stay consistent? What are good exercises/studies to get better with staying stylistically consistent?

[Anonymous No.5251337]

>>5249324
Good stuff

[Anonymous No.5251354]

>>5249223
Not that anon, but eyes are where you look to for most of bodily communication. They need to be readable from first instance, if it takes you time to decipher them, bad design. Although it does look very cool.

[Anonymous No.5251358]

>>5249223
Not that anon or the other anon-
But to me, it's just two high contrast colors slapping right next to one another. The thick blue and the thin red makes the red somehow hurt me more. Color theory is weird and I just don't like high contrast colors. They hurt my eyes most of the time.

[Anonymous No.5251360]

>>5251358
>>5249223
Oh, spaced it-
I can stand the other parts because there's bigger sections. My eyes have more space to roam, I guess? More buffer time? That, and eyes will have faster movement than all the other things, so I imagine that might be a headache.

[Anonymous No.5251391]

>>5251206
?

[Anonymous No.5251437]

>>5250616
Thanks, I'm actually starting to really like this guy in a Shadow the edgehog kind of way.

[Anonymous No.5251466]

>>>/a/217666434

[Anonymous No.5251473]

>>5251466
lots of trash taste.

[Anonymous No.5251477]

>>5251473
Some good too. Also good to see what non creatives//consumers may look at.

[Anonymous No.5251632]

what are your thoughts on "comfort ocs"? saw that trending on twitter and I dont know if I should be weirded out by it or what

[Anonymous No.5251650]

Why are character design books all a scam to get childrens money?

[Anonymous No.5252046]

I feel like a lot of character design can be boiled down to some simple base things. After that, its all up to your skill as an artist to carry you the rest of the way.

1. design with a goal in mind. What is the character's purpose in the story? What is the character like? what is the world they inhabit like? Is the world they inhabit fantastical or grounded? What is the style your story will be drawn in? These things will help you get started on a building a character and set "rules" for yourself that you can then bend or break if you need to. Its like when you're asked, "what do you want for dinner?" and suddenly you can't think of anything because everything is an option. Give yourself limitations, and work within those limitations.

2. Use design principles. Big/medium/small, color theory, rule of thirds, silhouettes, shape language, etc. Use design principles to achieve the goals and limits set in #1.

Another thing that isn't really a part of the process for me but is something I think about too is, 'does this character look good outside of the context it was designed for?" So many times I see really generic characters that look boring by themselves, or sometimes I see characters so outlandish I cant even imagine a world they would fit into. This is my own limit as an artist, because I know that stuff can work, but for me it helps me make the character's, uh, 'character,' read clearly even without any context. I feel like above all, a character should be fun to look at and should read as a real living thing, which is hard to really define categorically.

>>5251650
Yeah, I wish there was a book like "making comics" but just about character design, without any pretentiousness of the artist bleeding through like in the examples you posted, I bet half of these books are actually probably good, but you have to cut through the bullshit in all of them

[Anonymous No.5252050]

>>5250791
I don't really know what you mean, can you explain?

[Anonymous No.5252064]

>>5251632
people who make those don't go outside often enough. Definitely weird

[Anonymous No.5252265]

>>5251632
What's a comfort OC according to the current trend?
To me, "comfort OCs" sound fine and harmless enough. Making characters that pander entirely to you isn't a bad thing. Many OCs I know, both some of mine and from other people, started out as characters that I just liked all around. They later evolved into more proper characters for most of us. So I think it's more than fine, especially if it's a trend with more amateur artists.
But depending on what this current trend really is, maybe my stance will change for it...
>>5252046
Great advice!

[Anonymous No.5253147]

>>5246979
yeah I only did it as an exercise. this was just the best story I could come up with to justify the design.

[Anonymous No.5253172]

>>5252265
yeah and i need a special tumblr word for the sandwiches i like too. fucking autistic

[Anonymous No.5253570]

>>5251437
just looks like you ripped off the main character from bastion. yours looks better/ less autistic though. even though i dont like the face.

[Anonymous No.5253582]

>>5252064
i cant comprehend this autistic image

[Anonymous No.5253595]

>>5250773
Damn this one is fucking sick.
Great shapes, colors, and props. I lke that light blur on the line work too.
The sword seems to clash and doesn't gel with the other uncharacteristic though, at least imo.

[Anonymous No.5253613]

sorry but I'm posting more robits

[Anonymous No.5253629]

>>5250812
I agree with you desu. first thing I do when I'm out of college is study the head and face again
>>5253595
Thanks! Yeah the sword is there because its supposed to be like a post-future fantasy setting, but ey it just might not work with this character. Might make a dude who is melee only or something

[Anonymous No.5253686]

>>5253172
What are you going on about? Did you reply to the wrong person?

[Anonymous No.5253688]

>>5253613
I really like that slug mercenary color transition!

[Anonymous No.5253718]

>>5253172
okay what would you call it then nigger. comfort oc makes sense for what it is

[Anonymous No.5253721]

>>5253718
aww did i trigger your autism? get your fidget spinner and favorite ASMR playing, you need your comfort

[Anonymous No.5253851]

>>5253718
Call them OC, you fucking faggots.