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darqx · 7 months

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Hi I understand if you don't reply, but I was wondering if you have any advice to beginners who want to start making their ocs a reality? (Like in the sense of having Charecters that have been in your thoughts for a while, but it's hard to encapsulate them into physical form?) As I have some that id like to make either into a game or comic but I'm a little stuck..

Also I'm curious if there will be any other content with the best boy himself rire?? : 0

Hullo! Ah, (physically) designing characters, how fun ❤️ - there is part of a reason why I only have a handful of them lol XD; ANYWAY here are three things that help me, so hopefully they can help you as well :)

(I'll use Demon!Rire as an example as unless you are an old guard of mine, he will probably be the most recognisable of my characs.)

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❓What do you know about them?

First of all since you already have your character in mind, congratulations you are most of the way there already! It's helpful to know the general vibe of them. And I don't mean the super detailed things that may arise from like..."Get to know your OC" quizzes - we are more looking for the core feeling of a character here. If you dumped this character into different AUs what things are going to stay the same/similar? Some things you should consider are:

What is their personality like? Why do they do the things they do?

Do I already have any physical traits for them in mind? Hair/eye/skin colour? Body type? Age? Name??

📝 Write a simple paragraph or some dot points about your character with these things in mind.

---EXAMPLE---

Sophisticated and charming, Rire outputs an aura of power and elegance. His pleasing physical appearance and gentlemanly demeanour usually enchants or commands people. Realistically, he is extremely manipulative and sadistic, and finds entertainment in the reactions of others.

---/EXAMPLE---

🤔 Make informed choices

Ok cool, you know something about your charac! Now build upon what you know to make them real - it is important here to try and match your design choices with the characterisation and "why"s of the character, and less with what you personally think will be cool/cute/whatever. What I mean by this is just pretend they are a person you are describing to a forensic sketch artist - you are giving "facts" as to what you think they look like not making stuff up (eg you would NOT be like "oh yeh she was totally a punk rocker however i'm going to say she wore a long flowing gown cos I think she'd look prettier in it?"*)

*Note that designing a character with opposites in mind can work out if you can at least answer the cursory "why" of it being a part of the character design. For eg maybe the punk rocker is secretly the alter ego of a socialite - flowing gowns and high fashion by day, grunge by night. Like Batman.

📝 Feel free to use dress up doll games and image searches for particular types of clothes/hairstyles/etc if you need inspiration. Thumbnail a bunch of different designs and see what works.

---EXAMPLE---

In my prev example paragraph I highlighted a few things in red. Here I'll break down how they can help craft a physical appearance:

Sophisticated and charming / elegance - to me, these combined make me think of ballrooms and black tie functions and nice suits. A well tailored outfit and someone who knows how to wear them.

Gentlemanly demeanour (well to some degree lol) - since I already know he's hundreds of years old (973 to be exact) I decided that an aristocratic Victorian-esque aesthetic would suit him. Somewhere in between a modern look and something with a bit more fantasy steampunk flair. He smiles quite genially until he's doing it with all his teeth.

Aura of power - he's got to be a bit of an imposing character so he's quite tall (or at least taller than all of my other characs) and carries himself confidently. Hooray for the ability to loom. Dark colours for this character, to cut an impressive figure.

Pleasing physical appearance - kinda stereotypical type of good looks that aesthetically most people would be like "yeh he's pretty". Athletic build - muscular but not bulky, broad shoulders, tapered waist etc etc.

Extremely manipulative - first of all, he looks rather human, for a demon - his entire species is designed very particularly like that. Then there's the sunglasses. The "why" [does he wear them] is they function to hide his eyes (one of the main parts of him that give away his demon-ness), but also as a bit of a red flag to the audience that something isn't quite right with him. I mean, look past his charm and he wears them all the time. The black and yellow colour scheme also ties in as warning colours ⚠️

Put them all together and this was one of my first sketches of Demon!Rire.

*Note that I already more or less knew how he looked other than his outfit; you will probably have a lot more sketch duds as you figure out what your character looks like.

---/EXAMPLE---

🔐 Don't lock yourself in

Despite the fact I've just said "pretend your character is a person", remember you're still their creator so obviously you have final say over them. Sometimes you'll find that they grow and change from what you initially thought of them (or you just evolve in how you draw them). Don't be afraid to make the tweaks and changes that enhance these - whether they be physical or core characteristics - and you'll get closer to the true character you always had in mind.

---EXAMPLE--

I now draw Rire with a more pronounced V-shape, longer, wavier hair, and somehow he ended up with way more pronounced eyelashes than I usually draw on my male characs. Which works out quite well considering how I tend to draw his eyes. Anyway the point of this is that these things developed over time as I kept drawing him.

---/EXAMPLE---

🍀 Try it out with your own characs! Have fun and don't force yourself to try and get it "right" on the first go.

#prettyboysmakegravezz #character design #ref #character design tips #hope this is kinda helpful!#also honestly have fun aye #long post #also as for other content with rire there kinda is but he's not really the main charac lol #also who knows when that will come out im a bit pedantic planning a webcomic #sz

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trinrose3 · 11 months

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Small things you can change in your characters designs to avoid same-face syndrome:

Vary your characters’ ear shapes; do the lobes connect? Are they big or small? Do they go outward?

Eyebrows! Are they thick, thin, messy, dyed, or cut?

Teeth! Do they have perfectly straight white teeth? Are they a little yellow from too much coffee? Bad dental hygiene? Do they need braces? Missing teeth? Are their teeth only slightly crooked?

Do they have Blemishes, freckles, moles, scars, etc? If so how many? At what intensity?

What’s their resting expression? Stoic? Happy? Sad? RBF?

What’s their Eye shape? Don’t do generic male or female eyes

Do they have any skin conditions?

How do they smile? Lopsided? Picture perfect? Subtly?

Their nose! There are SO many nose shapes don’t just do the upside down 7 ESPECIALLY if it’s for a character of color!!!

What about their lips? Full and round? Small top or bottom? Both thin? V or U shaped? What color are they? Do they wear lipstick or gloss?

Does your character have piercings or tattoos?

Do they have eye bags? Are the eyes sunken in? Are they a little redder?

Are their pupils small or big? What about their iris?

#character design #character design tips

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creation-help · 1 year

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Miscellaneous character design tips (that everyone could find useful)

- Feathers in hair, behind the ear, on the head, in some headress ect? Just don't. Unless you're indigenous I strongly, strongly advise against it, bc native people have criticized this design trope time and time again. Accessories and clothing like this can be very difficult to get right if you don't know what you're doing.

• Also! W*ndigos. Don't. If you wanna design a character that "looks like" (or is what you imagine when you think of a) W*ndigo, just. Design a character that looks like that and call it some other monster (Disclaimer: I'm mainly talking about things like those skull headed monsters with antlers ykno). These creatures have alot of deep meaning to the cultures they're from, and people are tired of them being appropriated and misrepresented. It will cost you nothing to just make a generic monster rather than butcher something from a marginalized culture. (Also, I've censored the word because in the past I've been told that using it's name is bad luck/harmful, so I'm doing this to be respectful)

(Natives/indigenous people are welcome to add on discussion about this if you feel like there's anything I could've said differently)

- Unless your character design is meant to be flexible, up to artist interpretation, or just messy, place patterns and decorative characteristics on distinct, memorable places. For example if your character has spots, put the most notable ones on places that're easy to remember and replicate, like on particular body parts. I'd also advise to make just a bit less of these patterns. Generally, if you're not aiming for a cluttered looking design, prioritize quality over quantity, when it comes to patterns.

- A character design's intent is just as important as the actual character design. You'll see me mentioning this on the previous point as well. Unless we're talking about offensive caricatures, there's teeechnically no such thing as a "bad" character design. Just rather a failed or unsuccessful one. What I mean by that, is that if your design is meant to look cliche, tacky, messy, or just plain unappealing, and it looks like such, that is a successful design! If you designed a character just to be something fun for you to draw, that's a successful design! I often see this point applied more professionally by other art advisors, to mean more like "You should be able to tell what kind of character it is based on the design", which is also true! But intent and purpose matters in storytelling. Obviously, not all aspects of a design need to be there for some very specific reason (looking at the people who ask "Why was this character made fat/gnc/black/poc?" and so on.) just keep in mind what this character is supposed to be. I think it's better to worry about if the character design does what it's supposed to, rather than if it's ""Good""

(And yeah, there are still things that just objectively don't look very good together, according to human perspective and color theory and whatnot, but again, if you're aiming for that, you go buddy!)

- Sorta coinciding with the previous point: Don't be afraid to use "ugly" traits when designing. I think the reason why is obvious (beauty standards can go suck a dick), but there's more to it than just radical acceptance! By giving more unique, weird, or "ugly" traits to your characters, you make them more memorable and distinct from one another. If there's a billion smooth faced perfect pretty characters who are the exact same kind of flavorless vanilla sexy, it gets boring, and they blend together! And please don't limit these traits to just villains or characters who are supposed to be disliked!! My other advice on this point, is, pllllease don't design villains "ugly" and heroes "pretty", I feel like that should be a given, but alot of people may be doing it without even realizing. And that's understandable, but I heartily recommend taking a second to think about it more deeply. Why is this visual trait "Bad", or "Evil"? I just feel like so many artists are deathly afraid of having their characters look the least bit unappealing or challenging. I could go on about this but I'll stop here to keep it concise. Don't beauty police your oc is all I'm sayin

- Reference! I don't necessarily mean take inspiration from other existing character designs, although that can also be helpful. I mean that look around you, think broadly! If you have a certain theme for your design, try to round up all the little things (items, concepts, colors, animals, traits) that could be associated with it! And try to reflect that in your character design. You can get a little wacky and experimental. You can literally just broaden your inspiration to things like everyday objects, a specific fabric texture, an element, or a fungi that lives in moldy houses. Anything! My main point is to try to think outside the box and consider more unconventional things to reference for your character design, you'll never know what might work and look really interesting. Often, a bland design is worse than a weird one. (Disclaimer: Unless you're aiming for bland ofc, per my prev points, but ykno). You can also just go by "Hmm, I'm making a character who is X, what does that remind me of?" or, what I also recommend "Hmm, so X kinds of characters remind me of these things. Let's ditch that and think what one usually wouldn't associate with X kinds of characters!". Ykno, defy convention, think about things you might not usually do. I know it can be easier said than done but once you get into a habit of trying to think more broadly, it'll come to you easier. Don't be afraid to get odd and unusual

- While I don't condemn designing a character in a way that just, is that way, because you designed it like that, I also recommend thinking about how and why the character is like that in-story. Might seem like an obvious tip, but I'll elaborate. I for example, have a pair of bug demon characters who grew up on the streets and didn't have the normal amount of nourishment for their age, so, due to that their mouth pincers and other buggy parts were left much smaller and more "plain" looking than others of their species. They never developed to their appropriate adult size. Things like this will reflect on a character design! And that's just one example. If your character has a habit of nervous picking, or sensory problems, or live in an area where certain resources for clothing aren't available, all of this will reflect on the design! Of course, you can also work backwards from a design and think "Hmm, what justification will I think of for the character having these traits (especially if they're uncommon for their story setting)?"

I may do a part 2 sometime later, I just had some thoughts I wanted to compile for now! Obviously you can have your own design principles but these are ones I consistently use (also the first one being as specific as it is, is just something I particularly wanted to say).

#Character design #for character design #Character design tips #character design ideas #Cultural appropriation #Ask to tag #design tips #Design ideas #Artists on Tumblr #monster design #Artblr #Important

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johannamation · 1 year

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Underrated* character design element. 🗡️ 🗡️

*it deserves to be talked about 250% more than it already is

#johannamation #characterdesign #sketching #cloak and dagger #illustration #fantasy #character design tips

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lmkobsessedmoth · 5 months

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Does anyone have tips on how to make character designs less boring?

#character design #character design tips

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smolldust · 2 months

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hey does anyone have any tips for making character design portfolios?

#smolldust #Smolldust rambles #rambling #art tips #art help #art advice #portfolio tips #Portfolio help #Portfolio advice #Character design #character design tips #character design advice

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vitiligo-is-not-a-trend · 7 months

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For reference I have a BFA and animation and you can check out my stuff @trinrose3 to give an idea of how it might turn out.

#vitiligo #character design #character design tips

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jaskersneakthief · 1 year

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"You just don't know it yet, but you love me and I love you the same!"

Yayyy here are the sillies!!!

Blue thief: Meff (he/him)

Orange girlscout: Muffin (she/her) full name is Rebecca Magdalene J Darmons

really liked how this came out!^⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠^

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thevoidguider · 2 years

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How do you do character design in papyruses because they're so similar?

Well! Good question. So to distinguish Papyri on a base level, I usually exaggerate characteristics; Sanguine has a gradient eye combined with sharp cheekbones, jawline, and teeth (usually a characteristic in Fell variants) and a three pronged scar with mini-cracks branching off of it. Those are his most recognizable characteristics to distinguish him from other Papyri.

Sharper angles

Scar that branches three ways with branching cracks

Weird eye

I tend to exaggerate these traits when drawing other Papyri as well - For Gravel (Maxlad's Papyrus) I like to keep him sharp and with exaggerated eyebags. The eyebags distinguish him fully from other Fell types. For shortout's Rust, it's the lower tusks and the funky jaw. Don't be afraid to mess around with facial structure and weird mouth shapes. Angular typically equals more violent in this fandom (fells and murdery papyri), and rounder means softer/classic (Swap Papyri and classics)

The next thing is clothes - I like to keep my Papyri clothes vaguely similar to canon, with influence of practicality/personality. Sanguine wears what is basically a croptop under a large jacket to give him body. He still has gloves, just altered to fingerless ones. And ofc the scarf moodring.

Try to give them a distinctive outline! Sanguine's coat billows a lot and gives him Presence, which is part of his personality: He is flashy and has Style! Let him have style!

Those are my main two tips! Other character design traits apply obviously, but yeah have fun!

TL;DR

A Papyrus does not have to be distinguished from clothes alone, skull shape can make a big difference, as well as irises/pupils and scars

The sharper the Papyrus, the more typically violent they are (just. from the trends lol)

General character design applies :]

#character design #character design tips #undertale

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tea-time221 · 7 months

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i, too, would like my head to be cushioned by wyll ravengard's bosom :3

throws these things into a cooking pot and blows up the kitchen

i cant stop drawing them grrrgrrrrrrrrrrr GRAAAAARARARRRRRRGHHHH

#pro tip: watch character design videos while drawing #still not sure how i drew astarion there #im in a forever fight with wyll's horn placement #it keeps changing everytime i draw him im sorry pensive emoji #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #wyllstarion #bloodblade #bloodfrontier #bloodpact #farts n sharts #I KEEP FORGETTING MY ART TAG

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thepedanticbohemian · 9 months

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#writing community #writer things #novel writing #writerslife #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing #writers #writers and readers #writing tips #character development #character design #character concept #character sheet

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writerthreads · 4 months

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Super detailed character profile chart

Character Name:

First Name:

Last Name:

Nickname (if any):

Basic Information:

Age:

Gender:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Nationality:

Physical Appearance:

Height:

Weight:

Build:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Scars or distinguishing marks:

Personality Traits:

Positive Traits:

Negative Traits:

Background and History:

Family Background:

Parents:

Siblings (if any):

Childhood:

Education:

School/College/University:

Major/Area of Study:

Favorite Subjects:

Least Favorite Subjects:

Career/Profession:

Current Occupation:

Previous Jobs (if any):

Career Goals:

Hobbies and Interests:

Hobbies:

Interests:

Relationships:

Marital Status:

Romantic Relationships (if any):

Friendships:

Closest Friends:

Relationship dynamics:

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Goals and Ambitions:

Short-term Goals:

Long-term Goals:

Fears and Insecurities:

Common Fears:

Insecurities:

Quirks and Habits:

Quirks:

Habits:

Beliefs and Values:

Religious or Spiritual Beliefs:

Moral Code:

Political Views:

Favorites:

Favorite Foods:

Favorite Books:

Favorite Movies/TV Shows:

Favorite Music:

Favorite Color:

Dislikes:

Disliked Foods:

Disliked Activities:

Pet Peeves:

Miscellaneous:

Talents or Skills:

Secrets (if any):

Motivations:

What drives the character forward?

What are their ultimate aspirations?

Character Arc:

How does the character change or evolve throughout the story?

Feel free to adapt and expand upon this template!

#writing #writing inspiration #writing tips #writers on tumblr #creative writing #teen writer #writers block #story writing #writeblr #characterisation #character design #writing advice #character concept #character sheet

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deception-united · 4 days

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Random Character Profiles

Prodigal slacker. An exceptional intellect, capable of solving complex problems with ease, but absolutely no drive or motivation to apply their abilities towards any practical endeavors. Others are often frustrated by the wasted talent, but they couldn't care less. If their ideas are so great, someone else can come up with them. They're just here to laze around and have fun.

Loveable annoyance. A mind that dances on the border of sanity, and a perpetual source of simultaneous amusement and irritation. They delight in making puns and bad jokes at the expense of others' patience. Undeniably loveable nonetheless.

Reluctant recluse. They present a facade of rugged independence, portraying themselves as one who thrives on solitude and despises the company of others. They project an air of indifference towards others, often dismissing any attempts at connection or sympathy with a sharp retort or a cold shoulder. But beneath this tough exterior lies a soft spot reserved for the select few who have managed to breach their defenses—though they're reluctant to show it, going to great lengths to conceal the affection they view as weakness. Their stubborn refusal to accept help or acknowledge their own struggles stems from a fiercely guarded sense of pride, manifested in their vehement denial of any signs of weakness or vulnerability, even when they're visibly on the brink of death.

Sister figure. Sharp-witted and quick-tongued; will shame, embarrass, and ruthlessly tease. Their sarcasm is as much a display of fondness as it is merciless. Fiercely affectionate, extremely caring, unwaveringly loyal. Will put themself in danger for those they love, and will not hesitate to hurt anyone who offends or hurts those they care for; but mess up, and their sternness could make a warrior sob.

Impressively patient. Reserved, caring, mature, typically polite and tolerant to an extreme extent. May lash out occasionally. Possessive of a quiet strength, tending to observe situations with a thoughtful demeanor. Their reserved nature can be mistaken for aloofness despite their deep well of empathy and care for those around them. They navigate social interactions with a polite grace; however, beneath this composed exterior lies a potential for volatility on the rare occasions when they are pushed to their limit. Often the peacekeeper in friend groups.

People hater. Seems perpetually done with everything and everyone. Specialises in dry remarks and diminishing enthusiasm. General mood killer. However, their outward projection of disdain and superiority is really a mask of their own feelings of inadequacy.

Feel free to add on any other character descriptions you like! Happy writing ❤

#writeblr #writing #writing tips #writing help #writing resources #creative writing #character description #character development #character traits #character design #writing characters #character writing

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ramonn90 · 9 months

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Get access to my brushes, art tips, process videos, and files here https://www.patreon.com/ramonn90

#illustration #ramonn90 #art #photoshop #patreon #digital art #portrait #character design #brushes #game art #animeart #art fundamentals #tutorial #tips about art

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puppyeared · 11 months

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mmmonkey

#playing around with the idea of their tail tips reflecting their character shcnvdvb #picked bok choy for MK because it’s used as an ingredient in some Chinese food like noodles and soup. at least from my experience #the other option was a rock but I was having a hard time designing it #obviously wukongs is a cloud. I chose a flame for Macaque because shadows/lanterns so I think it kind of works #myart #my art #Lego Monkie kid #lmk #Monkie kid #lmk macaque #lmk six eared macaque #lmk sun wukong #lmk wukong #lmk swk #lmk monkey king #lmk MK #lmk xiaotian #doodles

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vitiligo-is-not-a-trend · 3 months

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I'm really glad I found this blog. So I'm writing a fantasy world and one of the main characters' races is a type of elves I'm currently calling Sun elves. They live in a densely wooded jungle and have dark skin with lighter splotches akin to vitiligo. They're called Sun elves because their skin looks like spots of sunlight coming through the tree tops. I've never had the chance to talk to someone who actually has vitiligo to get their opinion on this. I'm always worried about offending someone and I don't know if designing a fantasy race that looks similar to a real human condition is appropriation or not.

Personally I would avoid referencing vitiligo for this!

This would fall under something more akin to pibaldism, rather then vitiligo in terms of how it would function but I dont think that would be a correct term for it either.

Both of those two things are pigmentation disorders whilst what you're describing is more akin to pattern-ation, and a common trait amongst these elves.

Now I can't really offer a better description for this but I will also say to be weary of / avoid any animal comparisons seeing as these character are mainly poc/poc coded!

#answered asks #representation #character design #character design tips #answered ask #vitiligo

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