I know the mask /bullet helmet is supposed to be intimidating but with the addition of that oversized jacket, all I could see while looking at him is a friendly creature from another planet who just wants to hang out and give you life advice while being goofy playing video games on a Sunday morning
me: just chilling on pinterest, half drawing "Listening to this in the background while doing something else?" Me: *guiltily switches tabs to look at him*
I get what you were going for with the oversized jacket, but... It just misses the mark for me. Instead of 'serious thief at war with self and outward image', I got 'dorky comic relief that never grew up past the 90's'. Were I to design it, I'd've incorporated some tech aspects to aid in his 'bulking up', rather than just puff-jacketing him. Jackets or cloaks can hang loose/long to improve the silhouette, giving him a more intimidating presence from the shadows. The jacket makes him look top-heavy and (as a result) easier to overtake. If someone isn't actually good at fighting or intimidating, appearance is how you compensate. If you're physically weak, you want an appearance that makes you seem stronger or heavier. Puffy jackets make you look like a marshmallow on a stick. Perhaps wide pants that don't quite cover the ankles, so the skinny ankles are visible to the keen-eyed? That said, interpretation is everything. A still, unmoving, plainly-posed character rarely tells a full story. By all means, the characters in that world may interpret silhouettes differently. Maybe puffy jackets are feared in that universe because 'who knows what he's got stuffed in there' or something, idk. That's my take on it. I find cloaks and broad shoulders far more intimidating than bulky torsos.
Well it's not just an oversized coat. If you look at the drawing, his character is just fat or 'beer belly' esque. Bc the red shirt, as you can see, lays over his belly. Its not laying straight down. Be better if he was more thin.
For me that was the idea... I mean, looking big and bulky, so when people see that you´re faster than they thought, they would immediately fear you. I thought more like the prosthetics legs being like robotic legs which makes the character faster than a normal human and that´s why he choose to look like a fat guy, so the effect is more impressive even if he can only run because it´s unable to fight for some reason, like not knowing how or simply because it´s too weak to fight. But, it´s all subjective haha.
the cloak is probably the better approach to the Dark Sci-fi Underworld aesthetic while the oversized coat would fight a wannabe gangster better, honestly the Original worked quite well in the world concept. Sometimes you get it right the first time and overlook it because you want to explore your options, if anything he made four perfectly usable characters.
The first one inspired the design of the "time guardians" in a series im making. Its fantasy but their technology is a lot more advanced because they can travel to most time periods.
I understand where you're coming from with adding the more industrial colors of the outfit for better sneaking in the dark, but you also mentioned how this would pop out more against the mainly white, utopian city that xul resides in. If he is truly trying to put up a facade, and respesenting the theme of changing yourself for the perceived interest of others, then I feel his design could feel better integrated into the daytime of the world, rather than simply the night and shadowy parts; of course, he could simply live in a more rundown part of the city, but you didn't specifically state that, so I assume that isn't accurate. I love the aspect of integrating the white in his design to show him scavenging together parts of his disguise, showing him as resourceful, but u feel you could push this more for the sake of the theme and allowing him the chance to blend in even more, being just another face in the crowd; either that or have him have an alternative outfit for day life. Love the design, Jack, and this story and character seem very intriguing, gives me some V for Vendetta vibes. Amazing work!
Lemme just say that this is a fantastic critique and it gives me a ton to think about. I did go back and forth on whether or not he should blend in more with the city as opposed to stand out, but I think I need to bang out some designs for other characters to get a better feel of what the rest of the world looks like first. Thank you so much for your ideas!
Now, an idea would be for him integrate himself in the enviroment around him, in a way that he looks like he fits but is still recgonizable by people who know him.
Excellent point, this being a futuristic city though, perhaps the outfit can change colors at will, switching between the two forms? Although that could cause some problems with how recognizable the character is
@@Subjectively for me personally, the feel of the character really made me feel irritated. The contrast of his rigid head to his really organic, round figure and back to a rigid skinny legs, made me feel uncomfortable. i cant connect to this character at all, i don't feel any sympathy, even knowing his story. honestly i think he would stand out way too much if he wore an intimidating mask. people would be less friendly if they cant connect to the person they are interacting, then again it is utopia so i dont know. I love the first design so much, he looks so mysterious and has a lone wolf vibe about him
@@Subjectively Maybe a daytime and nighttime change of aesthetic. From the viewers perception he almost transforms at night to match how he changes with the world around him and I think that plays into the theme and his aesthetic to be different yet still be affected by the environment around him. A bad example of this fire force and how at night their uniforms glow, it was a simple change but to me as a viewer it felt like they were a part of the city but in a way still felt like they had a feel to them that showed they were unique in comparison to their environment and how their uniform in the day time reflects their social standing in the setting as a fire force members in a steam punk like environment. Its strange how just a glow of their coat in neon blue and the color change in their eyes made me feel these 2 ways of blending(i.e. uniform) in yet standing out. In the day he is looks to others like he is mostly a part of this world or trying to be but at night he seems to oppose the world before the day starts again and that contrast to me would add to his character yet take nothing away from his origin and your theme. I hope this helps.
6:50 "Your ideas deserve this time and energy." I love that advice. Often times I find myself not drawing something just simply because I don't think it's worth it. And that's simply not true. Like you said, you might create something amazing based of a sketch that was initially horrible. You never know if you don't try
I've been working on designs for elemental creatures: Angels that represent order and rigidity relating to the element of earth, Faeries that represent balance and fluidity relating to water, and Demons of chaos and entropy related to air. These tips help a lot!
To add onto the character that you created Jack I would also design something underneath the coat as well; I really like the robotic aspect of this design as well so I’d probably focus more on the mechanics of how this character was made, maybe make him more robotic than human in a mixed-race setting? Love the idea!
That's a good idea! I was kinda thinking some mechanized part that resembles organs or maybe bones? Something further exaggerating the vulnerability of the character underneath his disguise.
Then you would be definitely ripping off ideas from Fl4k. I mean His first drawing resembles Fl4k and Fl4k concept art. He said its all from this so called dream. So easily w.o knowing, it's possible to copy or rip off multiple characters, w.o realizing.
@@humphreybiggins8295 in March there were images and concept art and by April they were all over. But he may not have gotten any ideas or even knew. But his first drawing does look similar. But the idea of half robot/half human is a sick idea and can be interpreted many different ways.
That first character sketch with the triangular sword and rounded mask WAS IT! That was such a good design! He would totally fit in a clockwork SciFi world.
Imma start off by saying that I don't have a lot of experience drawing. But if you want your character to fit into a creepily perfect utopia that forces him to be someone he isn't I think he would need a palette swap. Make him the same colours and tones as the city. To show his individuality you could let the light he is emanating be slightly off colour from the colours of the city or have it be exact opposite (reds and darker tones as opposed to blues and whites). This would allow you to see the true colours of your character at night when it's dark and there is nobody else around thus showing your ''true colours''.
I really like that visible metaphor of "showing your true colors". You're not the only person to suggest that his main color scheme should match more with the rest of the city, and I'm starting to like that idea. I'm definitely going to try swapping around his palette some more, and I need to spend some time sketching out this city too, to get a better idea of how it will look in contrast with Xul.
Thing is, I agree with you, but in my opinion I would “leak” his colors into it. Like, if it’s a start white backdrop, I would go for some cold, techy whites and grays, but have his yellows and reds, maybe even some orange and brown, his “true colors” if you will, leaking through on some small areas on his design, appearing as highlights
CrazyLikeUhFox search it up, you can find a lot of videos and forums about it, including the sheet he uses itself. If u dm me on discord i can just give you the sheet?
I don’t think chad Narukami can really use that persona anymore. If he’s too fat, izanagi wont be as fit. Wait can personas get fit? What tf am I on about?? XD
I’ve realized I have absolutely no process to how I design characters really. The only examples of good character design I have is some cartoon villains and an old group of kinda fantasy oc’s. All my story’s now are just people in the same brining human outfits, they don’t have any real rhyme or reason to what they wear, just tshirts, hoodies, jackets, and tank tops. And it’s mostly that the men look like recolored versions of each other. They all have different eyes but their hair is just a softener swoop or two. I hope I can make all my characters feel very unique eventually and convey who they are as people. This was a good video and it helped give some insight thank you! (Damn this was longer than I thought)
This video was really cool to watch even as someone who isn't an artist? I'm a writer with basically no art skills, so it's sometimes a little hard to design character when all I have to go off of is what I picture in my head and then trying to put that into words, but I think your whole process of working with theme, setting, exploring ideas, and then the final design is still helpful even to someone like me. as for Xul I kinda adore the design you did? There seems to be a lot of versatility to it and it really brings across his character like you said. I think I'd be interested to see how his design works with expressing emotion tho? It didn't look like he had anything equivalent to eyes or something about his mask that he could use to otherwise express emotion(like Zer0 or Wrench with their silly emoji masks?). So I guess i'd be curious to see how he expresses emotions.
That's a great point. I love masks because you can completely reinvent the potential for facial expressions depending on the design of the mask. I think that part of what I want from this helmet is the absence of expression, because when he has it on, he's no longer himself, he's who he wants other people to think he is. That said, I do want to do some finished sketches of him without a mask, because I envision scenes of intense emotion with his mask off. (PS Zer0 has one of my favorite mask designs of any character and I love how he emotes with emoticons)
I like the design. He doesn't seem evil or intimidating though. He seems like a character that helps you throughout that you eventually grow to like, only for him to be killed
Sitting down to solidify character designs for a mini comic, first time watching anything on this channel, and I get called out right at 2:02 lol. I looked up in alarm to see a slow zoom as I was being judged. Then he says "Nice," and I happily go back to what I was doing. Felt good, man.
I liked the idea of him looking kinda kiddish, not in the sense of innocence, but more like, manipulable; his world makes him take on a role he doesn't want to fill, and maybe that he isn't even good at, just like kids get pushed into talents they don't really care about, maybe the government on your world could represent an strict family, someone that really has the best intent in mind but ends up hurting what they were trying to cultivate, maybe he is someone with a bigger role than what is shown to us in the begging, maybe he represents the tragedy of a golden child.
Character design is what got me in to art in the first place, and I always felt my designs were lacking. But thanks to you, and other artists, I feel like I’ve improved a lot ❤
Try to put as little detail as possible, as in, keep the character simple enough for you to draw in different positions. It sucks trying to remember how a certain headpiece looks or how many scars to add and its more remmberable to an audience.
Shape language in character design creates much more clarity to what mood you want coming from your character, if you want him to look a little more intimidating, you might want to exchange the circular round jacket with a much more defined triangular jacket, but you can still make the jacket big if you want😊
The way his coat is rounded and huge almost reminds me of a turtle shell! I can imagine him curling up gloomily inside it. My process is way more scattershot and disorganized than yours, lmao. I've refined it a bit lately--I generally try to start with a few key images/an aesthetic or specific idea in mind, then set up a color palette and build from there until i get a look that feels distinct and fitting. Sometimes the personality and history I imagine for them influences the development of their visual design, sometimes vice versa--sometimes I slap on a prosthetic/scar/tattoo/etc. simply because it looks interesting or cool before i fully decide how/why they have it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Starting with colors is a great idea. Before I graduated high school, I never worked digitally and had little confidence with colors, so for a long time they were an afterthought or omitted entirely. I still have not shaken my habits from my origins as an artist, but practicing working from colors into a design would help me out immensely. I just need to force myself to do it :|
@@Subjectively My colour choice is, at the moment, too literal and unimaginative. I _can_ tell when colours don't quite look right or suitable, but I rarely manage to pull off getting a colour scheme right. It's also a problem when painting, since I don't see the slight hints of other colours and stuff.
Maybe the jacket should've been placed in a manner that implies a skinnier almost non human body underneath it. By implicating a body type that doesn't match the clothing on it, you create a memorable feature for people to latch onto, AND prevent the character from looking too "comfortable" which in this case is bad. Additionally, it seems that the motion of the human eye is kind of shooting you in the foot. Consider setting the highest saturation to the third most common color, and place it almost exclusively above the waist, and decrease saturation in stages the farther a body part is from the "most important" feature.
Okay so first of all I love the overall aesthetic and the helmet is dope. My only issue is that while he seems, in concept, to be a more actiony character, a la Miles Morales or even Faith from Mirror's Edge, the oversized coat makes him seem bulky and ill-suited to action. You may only see it in more dynamic shots, but I think it would work well to see a separation between the coat trying to keep up with him and an indication of his smaller actual frame. The trailing of the coat would add dynamism and the smaller frame may change the overall shape language from sturdy and square to more dynamic and triangular, as for example his helmet demonstrates. Not that I know what I'm talking about, just some thoughts.
When you mentioned that not every personal artwork has to be rendered the same way, i realized that most of my renderings depend on my mood and how much time i want to spend on polishing :D
0:01 to 0:13 your intro alone got me to sub, very curt and short and to the point, while also energetic- enthusiastic- and polite! Please keep up the great work.
I like it because it is unique. A lot of my characters have tech or magic incorporated in their clothing and they are sometimes used to instantly accommodate them in alien environments or deflect magic if they are from a sci fi reality but I always give them strengths and weaknesses. They may have to sacrifice some mobility or they may lose some range attacks ect. And each deflection lightly damages the said clothing or begins o slowly eat away their willpower, so as to not be unlimited protection. His jacket could become a body shield or helps him glide around for a limited time then turns back into what we see. I've seen capes and cloaks used so much I threw a cape over one of my guy's trench coats and I love it. Your character, in my view stands out a lot. I would make the jacket part of your universe's style so as it's unique but not so uncommon other people wouldn't wear one or he would be overly noticed in his world.
I think your character designs are great. I clicked in this video soley cause of the thumbnail, it just has such a stylistic flare to the character. Personally for me I go about designing characters like this: I think about that the character is and I figure out the non negotiables. The things that need to be in the character to keep them being that character. One of my characters was a blacksmith barbarian. His non negotiable was his sketch book, and that he was pink. Cause I wanted him to represent that what we do doesn't define who we are. As a result the pink color and sketchbook have him a much more dainty aspect to his character then his cold blooded barbarian rage. I then begin sketching out characters. I'll have a map of different ideas and how they connect to each other, and after each sketch I update that map to make sure the character has a solid concept. Finally during my finale sketch I see what core concepts from the character map aren't represented, and find ways to respresent them. My Barbarian is naive, and so I gave him a flower crown during the finale sketch to make him more childlike.
I like this process you showed, it's quite compelling. The way I tend to create my characters is to consider their world (which isn't that hard for me after years of doing it, thankfully), think of a character representing an aspect of the theme of said world (like the aspect of mutiny in a world of pirates or something), and go from there, thinking about their actual past experiences, from birth, as much as possible, leading up to the point where they're at now. Those aspects, starting on the genetic level, usually at random (assuming it's humans or some creatures with genetic features), seeing how that'd play out a little bit and see if it fits the theme. If not, I try again. Then I mentally play out their lives in my head to realistically lead to the point of becoming the aspect I'm imagining they'll be, which implies I can create a design based around their past experiences reflected onto their personage, mixed with whatever genetic features I initially drafted them with having. I don't often feel like I have to redesign a character (although I do from time to time) because this process generally gives me a clear enough idea of what the character will look like before I even draw them. Sometimes I fit the backstory to the design, but that's much rarer.
When thinking of character designs I really like, I always remember there's a specific component or part of the visual design that draws my eye, or tells me more about the character, or really encapsulates the world. For an example I'll use nightcrawler, Aang, and (spoiler warning for Trollhunters) Troll Jim. All of these characters have specific things or aspects of them I remember and can point to as a means of further explaining who they are or the world they live in. Nightcrawler is demonlike and blue. But he's just a mutant, and his appearance is a part of his personality, in that his entire behavior and how he acts is built around how people have treated him; in that, he's used to being called a monster and has becoming amazingly kind to prove them wrong. Aang is the only character we see in the present day wearing clothes of his color scheme, that is bald, or has airbending tattoos. While the tattoos, wardrobe, bald head and color scheme set his theme as an airbender, it also sets him apart playing into the theme of 'the last airbender' As for troll Jim, his form is partly humanoid and partly troll, making him stand out as not troll but not human. His other characterizing feautures (horns, teeth, ears, blue hair/skin) are all commonly seen among the other trolls so we don't think too much of it. But seeing these features on a human form points out how much he's changed from being human.
The one thing that leaves me think is that the final design to me looks like he is a robot, because of the mask that does not let any humanity show, and also the glowing parts and the fact that the rest of his body fully covered in something that could look like plastic metal or rubber. This would probably be a good thing if in the story the thing he is trying to hide was his humanity though
I like your style! It works very well and your process has obviously been developed and thought out over a long about of time. Although I have a few questions... 1.What if you can’t think of a first idea or quote? Like art block but with characters or character design. 2. How do you know a style, ideal, etc fits the story? Like it doesn’t quite fit and you can’t quite work. 3. Does your animation, art, or creative style ever limit you to certain genres at times? How do you break free from that? Sorry if this bombards anybody or something I’m kinda just spitting out random art and design questions I have...
When he asked if I was listening to this in the background while I was going something else I looked to my phone and just went: H E K N O W S I'm doing laundry man I gotta listen to something.
I feel like you can get more out of the idea of the change and deception with the clothing here, that would give you a more interesting silhouette and add character to the composition as a whole. The jacket could be much more multi-functional, with inflation valves hanging off, concertina sleeves, buttons, speakers, lights and gadgets could all be present as well as unusual shapes straining at pockets, suggesting at further surprises in store. The other elements similarly could be expanded upon. Hydraulic/telescopic legs, shoes with springs and gadgets, light sources escaping from under the shirt or within the jacket or from open pockets, creatures or mini robots climbing out of a pocket could also be a fun way to say "there is more than the surface is showing". Finally, I'd say it's also important to have something on the chest (near the heart, obvs) that gives a hint at who is really under it all. Maybe a flower, a medal or just a badge, just something that tells us the real person underneath isn't lost in the character he's playing. Incredible artwork, though. Sorry for such a late response, I just found the channel. Wonderful content. Really useful to hear other peoples process.
Not Subjectively saying "Listening to this while doing something in the background" while i'm listening to it in the background and drawing a D&D character at the same time
I really dig the colour palette and the way you've rendered the reds :) That slight a-symmetry in the jacked and right leg gives that feeling of imperfection that your character is trying to hide. I think the left knee is a little off in position and doesn't feel as connected as the right. Despite what others have said I think the oversized torso really sells the feeling the character is trying to over-compensate while giving them a recognizable silhouette. The only think that would concern me is what type of medium the story is going to be told in, comics may work well but that jacket and clothing underneath are going to be a nightmare to pose, same with 2D and especially 3D animation. The character is not over-designed which I appreciate, but the elements at play will be interesting but difficult to move effectively in space. I really enjoyed your process and where you grabbed ideas from :)
I think most of the genre has helped me with thinking about the designs of characters, and multiple different ways of trying to tie characters together. My character designs are more mutual, and detailed not really suited for manga- but at the same time, they are bold and fierce, much or less depending on the characters personality. Examples of what I do are add Complementary colors to ranges of using animals as Ideas and furthermore, even using rainbow palettes, (Though I make it muted, because bright colors... they kind of burn your eyes sometimes if not used properly if you know you know or this is personal preference.) Most of my ideas come based off of different magic types, and rabbits. Spiritual Rabbits. I make a lot off of those undead characters, but I also have living characters too! I know when I looked into my own character designs, my characters either had a color palette that was complementary with black and white, or driven away to colors near each other (Like leaf, who is driven to more greens and greenish-blues.) I also like to give my characters 25% tints of a color (Most often purple), because they live in shady, small neighborhoods and cities that are brightly yellow and orange. I know back in old preferences, I used a LOT of black and white because I didn't like color, and I've been more or less trying to steer away from that. Another thing, I might start taking glow from designs too, it was one of the highlighted parts I saw back when I was watching your design process for the spirits, since Most supernatural things (ghosts in specifics) love glowing. Your characters design overall is great, though Im not deep into robotic designs yet.
I'm like "Oh I want a undead dragon" and then I design it xD. I based his character and story on the design. Or sometimes the other way around it really depends. My newest project I am doing the character based off sims 4 creation to kinda forced me out of my comfort zone and then redraw them with changes. It's really fun and something different! (I also suck at drawing clothes so yeah this helpstoo)
I have a character named Val who I use in a variety of universes because he's very versatile. His original story, a sci-fi drama/thriller that has come a long way from where I started it, he's an alien in. I have changed his design probably 7 times now. I'm still not fully committed to it. There's features I like, there's features I don't. He used to be practically human looking, just a bald, pink cyclops; now he's embraced much more of the species' bug anatomy. He has skinny, segmented legs, unnaturally long arms, no nose and strange chitin-like hair. Hell, I'm throwing around some redesigns again right now. Character design is a long and complex process. I love, LOVE looking back at the first sketch of Val I have and seeing what he's become.
the silhouette is also important when you are making a character shapes that stands out the most plays a big role in your character and also story telling
I took some inspiration from the way you start with the body frame sketch and it really helps. My drawings are actually looking how i want them to now!
I realize that meaning is important for character design in order to be more "recognized". I sometimes give a meaning before creating a character and i come with some pretty good stuff, but sometimes i also just randomly create a character and i also have a good design , but yet, it doesn´t mean that it can be meaningless and be better that the other ones, even, a character with a meaning is usually "stronger" that any other that doesn´t (stronger = more likeable for others, more outstanding, etc). Also, for Xul, the concept is perfect and really cool, but the over-sized jacket, killed it. the mask and the thin legs had fit perfectly in the character, and the bullet head design is great and unique, but the jacket makes it look more silly and derpy, it fits more for a second character that is the typical protagonist silly friend, but not as the character you tried to represent. in your place, i would just grab and make the legs look more like a extension and not a protesis, and make the character little (Peridot from steven universe has come to my mind while writing this so, it's an example). so it looks serious with the mask and taller, but when it removes both, the extensions and the mask, it looks funnier that with them.
I've been listening to other people and how they say to create an aesthetic board and a reference board but that theme trick blew my mind. Trying to come up with one word that describes or is close to describing my OC's life/description really helps alot!
I like it! It’s interesting but I do feel the design of the clothing can go more towards the futuristic robotic look that the mask and body looks like. This was pretty good for me to listen to since I’m writing a comic. It was helpful in finding new ways to do design. The way I design my characters is I start with the overall idea of my character and what I’m trying to get across. Who is this character, what’s his theme and his personality and is there a inspiration? The reason I do this is to have a starting point. Next I go into writing about the character I made and the world around it. This is one of the most important parts of the characters design and where things can change. Characters are built around a world, the design of clothing or even body parts should be influenced by the world they live in, but they should still be able to stand out. This is what I find to be the hardest step. There have been many times I’ve designed the world around a character and then completely thrown away the original concept of the character and started it again... and again! It’s where the personality and the story of the character, and what he is after can change completely. I design multiple versions of the character and I choose what I like from those designs. When it comes to color, I try many different color palettes but instead of making copy and pastes to view them from side to side, I put them all in different folders on the same 1 line art of the design I was going with and flip flop, looking at all the details. The reason I do that is because it gives me an idea of what colors I like in what areas of the character. This is one thing I may change after watching your video. Sometimes things change as a story goes along as well but that is basically how I go at making characters. Now I will continue to shamelessly plug my work into the end of this comment. Feel free to check it out if you’d like. I liked the video. It gives me a insight on how some people design and how unique some peoples processes are to others. You sir have obtained a new follower. Keep it up 👍 www.deviantart.com/psychorodent/gallery/
aw man, thank you! I was feeing super overwhelmed about my characters designs and I didnt wanna mess it up cause I care a lot, but this helped me feel a lot better. I like being able to break it down into steps and chunks like you did, rock on
To be honest, I believe in the principle of using character design to showcase character growth, kinda like in anime when a character changes it's hairstyle after an important part, that's why I don't like experimenting much with the original design, aside form unchangeable physical features, so I'll often stick a character in whatever I feel is fit, then if my character ends up growing or having development potential without being forced, I'd be inclined to change their design, leaving only the features I find more important. That being said, I also design the characters and give them a simple personality based on that, and then I might extend everything further to traits that their outside cannot convey visually. I also skip on complex symbolism myself, but that might be just me.
My favourite design was honestly the first, but from what you described the final one fits in way better with the story and setting. The skinny legs look kinda laughable tho
They might be too skinny! I tend to exaggerate physical features like that, and that might change depending on how I decide to design other characters in this world.
I personally, really like your deep analysis of the setting and or theme of the story element. That how a character dresses should coincide with that, it really made me think about my own story. What is the general theme? What is the POINT? Why does this story exist, or what is it trying to say? That this should be illustrated not only in the writing, but in the personalities and looks of a character. I really appreciated that you were able to challenge the critical thinking of an artist and writer such as myself, I really and genuinely enjoyed this video! Thank you, Subjectively.
Gold Distance ”overused” is never a good reasoning, people can give any trope a new twist or they can embrace the cliche and make it good. but yes, just giving a serial killer character a dark hoodie is at first glance bland and edgy.
Just having the glow with no further explanation as to where it's coming other than the idea /reasoning for it stands out as a last-minute detail that needs further work. I think adding more thought into where the glow is exactly coming from will help it look better and make more sense. You said it was coming from under his clothes? or is it his skin? if it's from under his skin maybe show the illuminated shadow of his ribs. Maybe it's coming from lights within the robotic parts or within the rim of his gloves or even the inside of his coat has strings of light. It also be good to think about if your character was in a completely dark room what could you do with the internal lights to make parts of his silhouette stand out?
I'm not a professional artist, but I love designing characters, and one thing I do specifically for the concepting stage is that I draw in a sketchbook, exclusively in pen. I don't erase anything and instead leave notes like "weird eyes" or "hair is too plain", or even just checks or X marks, or ???. I think it's really valuable to be able to look back on previous ideas--sometimes you go too deep down the rabbit hole on one element and have a hard time stepping back. I don't usually do digital until I've got a general design in mind, that way it's easier to make smaller adjustments or color changes.
Thank you for these steps. It's literally the base for a story and I find character design so so hard. But breaking it down to this process really helps
I think that you did this very well! The character very much emulates the feel you can get from a character specifically in a sci-fi dystopian sort of setting, and the colors contrast very nicely with the setting in a concept of not looking exactly like the color themes around it. I’m not really an experienced artist to say, but I still do very much like the over design, story, and creativeness that goes behind this character and many others that you have! It’s very inspiring to be completely honest, and I personally would love more tip videos on how to create character designs and such.
I usually get myself tired, and whenever I’m really exhausted, my art kind of boosts. I start doodling faces and noses and then clothes, and then poses, and it all comes together
My problems I keep getting myself into when drawing a character is that new ideas spark when I’m working on one character, and use what I get when I decide to work on another character. The issue here is that IT KEEPS HAPPENING. I began this project idea back in 2012, getting notes, doing research, and finding ways to make my character unique in his own way (roughly 160 at this point), so by the end on my high school year, I had roughly 8 characters. Now it’s 2019, and I now have way too many characters, but it’s hard to decide if I should trash them because of all the time I put into getting down their personality, ideal design, and abilities for the project. I’ve done a few sketches here and there on a few characters, but I feel burdened of my creativity and just don’t know where to draw the line and actually start this thing.
I don’t have massive experience designing characters, but I’d say you could add some sort of glowing pattern beneath his shirt, to show that something is actually under there and it’s not just his shirt that’s just casually glowing.
I've been struggling with character design for a while and almost baled on a personal project of mine, but this really gave me a boost of understanding! Thanks for the video! I hope to see more great videos from you soon :)
I love this character. The bulky clothes gives potential for a dramatic reveal scene at some point. I would only change the inside of the collar to match the three gold stripes (that look like button flaps?). That would give the t shirt something to glow against to make the glow pop more. I love this design so much I want to read your story as well.
my usual way of designing a character usually revolves around what kind of item, power, or personality trait they have, followed by their setting. I recently had a great idea for a character from this idea of a sword that could split atoms and how cool that would be. First of all where do I want my characters to be, going with the atom splitting theme of the sword I chose a kind of cyberpunk dystopia kind of a mixture between fallout, fist of the north star, and blade runner. Secondly I thought to myself "who would use this sword?" so I was left at an impasse either either a dedicated master swordsman, or perhaps a more hotshot character who is more of a powerhouse. I went with the more explosive (pun intended) personality and so we had a hotshot with a sword, but with such heat you must temper it somehow which is why I designed a second character to accompany this one and I was at another choice "will they be an opposite to my first character or more of a responsibility?" I preferred to make a little brother to my first character perhaps not related by blood but still something my first character cherishes and is willing to restrain himself, or fly completely off of the handle to protect. Lastly I introduce the the characters, Toka (the little boy), and Mak (sword guy) I'll probably work on designs later
I absolutely love this video! I always have thousands of ideas for characters swarming around in my head, unfortunately, having so many ideas make it sometimes difficult to really know what kind of character I actually want to make. Basically, your video really helped me focus and remember to slow down, use the different steps and let it take it’s time, thank you.
One of my first steps to creating a character is isolating his attributes and showing it in a visual way by writing everything that comes to mind. Like a jittery happy character would be small and skinny, and a angry character would be big and bulky.
When undertaking a character design, I usually start with the personality and backstory first. Then, I run through a whole bunch of basic ideas surrounding the main concept. So, in a way, our styles are similar. But I like that you go more in depth about it. I can really take that into how I go about it.
This might sound cheesy but ever sense i was like 5 i’ve wanted to be a programmer/game designer and i’ve been drawing and making story’s for along time and just today i came across this channel i watched a bit into the video and instantly subbed and i can’t wait to watch more!
In all honesty, your process seems to be flawless. I do the same process with all of my characters. The one difference I think is that I don't do color. I plan on doing color soon though. I think you did a great job making this video and you had a few tips that helped me make my characters even better. Thank you. :)
Holy...cow...i came here looking for tips because im making a ligh novel and want to insert some art here and there especially for the covers of each volume...but man this dude opened my eyes to thing that id never thought about while trying to do my character designs...thanks so much. This is going to help ALOT.
I know the mask /bullet helmet is supposed to be intimidating but with the addition of that oversized jacket, all I could see while looking at him is a friendly creature from another planet who just wants to hang out and give you life advice while being goofy playing video games on a Sunday morning
so Korg
Lol
@@maxcy2890 yes
@@maxcy2890 but with a mix of like, Sans
Yes he's not looking menacing, but not really goofy either, especially because the jacket seems kinda more mature leather like. Just my impressions
me: just chilling on pinterest, half drawing
"Listening to this in the background while doing something else?"
Me: *guiltily switches tabs to look at him*
no cap was doing exactly the same thing, and on pinterest too.
Me too!
Felt.
I unintentionally saw ur comment and read it while he was saying what u said
I get what you were going for with the oversized jacket, but... It just misses the mark for me. Instead of 'serious thief at war with self and outward image', I got 'dorky comic relief that never grew up past the 90's'. Were I to design it, I'd've incorporated some tech aspects to aid in his 'bulking up', rather than just puff-jacketing him. Jackets or cloaks can hang loose/long to improve the silhouette, giving him a more intimidating presence from the shadows. The jacket makes him look top-heavy and (as a result) easier to overtake. If someone isn't actually good at fighting or intimidating, appearance is how you compensate. If you're physically weak, you want an appearance that makes you seem stronger or heavier. Puffy jackets make you look like a marshmallow on a stick. Perhaps wide pants that don't quite cover the ankles, so the skinny ankles are visible to the keen-eyed?
That said, interpretation is everything. A still, unmoving, plainly-posed character rarely tells a full story. By all means, the characters in that world may interpret silhouettes differently. Maybe puffy jackets are feared in that universe because 'who knows what he's got stuffed in there' or something, idk. That's my take on it. I find cloaks and broad shoulders far more intimidating than bulky torsos.
Well it's not just an oversized coat. If you look at the drawing, his character is just fat or 'beer belly' esque. Bc the red shirt, as you can see, lays over his belly. Its not laying straight down. Be better if he was more thin.
My first thought was a long cloak that would conceal his image
YOU IN THE WRONG HOUSE
For me that was the idea... I mean, looking big and bulky, so when people see that you´re faster than they thought, they would immediately fear you.
I thought more like the prosthetics legs being like robotic legs which makes the character faster than a normal human and that´s why he choose to look like a fat guy, so the effect is more impressive even if he can only run because it´s unable to fight for some reason, like not knowing how or simply because it´s too weak to fight.
But, it´s all subjective haha.
the cloak is probably the better approach to the Dark Sci-fi Underworld aesthetic while the oversized coat would fight a wannabe gangster better, honestly the Original worked quite well in the world concept. Sometimes you get it right the first time and overlook it because you want to explore your options, if anything he made four perfectly usable characters.
Idk why, but I really really reaaaaaaally LOVED! The first design!
Same, it was so good.
Me too.
You mean star wars Sasuke
@@silverissick7732 i got general grevious vibes haha
Yeah i love the first one
Xul's first design looks more like a character in a more desert apocalyptic environment
God agreed
The first one inspired the design of the "time guardians" in a series im making. Its fantasy but their technology is a lot more advanced because they can travel to most time periods.
Or borderlands
i was thinking more of a steampunk setting.
Give him a laser sword and he's from Hyper Light Drifter :D
I'll be honest. that original design looked very dark steampunk for a high fantasy
Yeah, maybe even a victorian era fantasy world
all of the side-characters, especially the plague doctor, also fit that
I understand where you're coming from with adding the more industrial colors of the outfit for better sneaking in the dark, but you also mentioned how this would pop out more against the mainly white, utopian city that xul resides in. If he is truly trying to put up a facade, and respesenting the theme of changing yourself for the perceived interest of others, then I feel his design could feel better integrated into the daytime of the world, rather than simply the night and shadowy parts; of course, he could simply live in a more rundown part of the city, but you didn't specifically state that, so I assume that isn't accurate. I love the aspect of integrating the white in his design to show him scavenging together parts of his disguise, showing him as resourceful, but u feel you could push this more for the sake of the theme and allowing him the chance to blend in even more, being just another face in the crowd; either that or have him have an alternative outfit for day life. Love the design, Jack, and this story and character seem very intriguing, gives me some V for Vendetta vibes. Amazing work!
Lemme just say that this is a fantastic critique and it gives me a ton to think about. I did go back and forth on whether or not he should blend in more with the city as opposed to stand out, but I think I need to bang out some designs for other characters to get a better feel of what the rest of the world looks like first. Thank you so much for your ideas!
Now, an idea would be for him integrate himself in the enviroment around him, in a way that he looks like he fits but is still recgonizable by people who know him.
Excellent point, this being a futuristic city though, perhaps the outfit can change colors at will, switching between the two forms? Although that could cause some problems with how recognizable the character is
@@Subjectively for me personally, the feel of the character really made me feel irritated. The contrast of his rigid head to his really organic, round figure and back to a rigid skinny legs, made me feel uncomfortable. i cant connect to this character at all, i don't feel any sympathy, even knowing his story. honestly i think he would stand out way too much if he wore an intimidating mask. people would be less friendly if they cant connect to the person they are interacting, then again it is utopia so i dont know. I love the first design so much, he looks so mysterious and has a lone wolf vibe about him
@@Subjectively Maybe a daytime and nighttime change of aesthetic. From the viewers perception he almost transforms at night to match how he changes with the world around him and I think that plays into the theme and his aesthetic to be different yet still be affected by the environment around him. A bad example of this fire force and how at night their uniforms glow, it was a simple change but to me as a viewer it felt like they were a part of the city but in a way still felt like they had a feel to them that showed they were unique in comparison to their environment and how their uniform in the day time reflects their social standing in the setting as a fire force members in a steam punk like environment. Its strange how just a glow of their coat in neon blue and the color change in their eyes made me feel these 2 ways of blending(i.e. uniform) in yet standing out. In the day he is looks to others like he is mostly a part of this world or trying to be but at night he seems to oppose the world before the day starts again and that contrast to me would add to his character yet take nothing away from his origin and your theme. I hope this helps.
2:47 - *step one* identifying theme’s
3:12 - *step two* deciding a setting
4:15 - *step three* applying theme’s and setting to visual’s
8:09 - *step four* final rendering
You're a hero
6:50 "Your ideas deserve this time and energy." I love that advice. Often times I find myself not drawing something just simply because I don't think it's worth it. And that's simply not true. Like you said, you might create something amazing based of a sketch that was initially horrible. You never know if you don't try
I've been working on designs for elemental creatures: Angels that represent order and rigidity relating to the element of earth, Faeries that represent balance and fluidity relating to water, and Demons of chaos and entropy related to air. These tips help a lot!
To add onto the character that you created Jack I would also design something underneath the coat as well; I really like the robotic aspect of this design as well so I’d probably focus more on the mechanics of how this character was made, maybe make him more robotic than human in a mixed-race setting? Love the idea!
That's a good idea! I was kinda thinking some mechanized part that resembles organs or maybe bones? Something further exaggerating the vulnerability of the character underneath his disguise.
Subjectively A glass-like window that reveals the inside working of his organs would be a very neat thing to conceal!
Then you would be definitely ripping off ideas from Fl4k. I mean His first drawing resembles Fl4k and Fl4k concept art. He said its all from this so called dream. So easily w.o knowing, it's possible to copy or rip off multiple characters, w.o realizing.
Ryno Art This video came out before the Borderlands 3 character releases I believe
@@humphreybiggins8295 in March there were images and concept art and by April they were all over. But he may not have gotten any ideas or even knew. But his first drawing does look similar. But the idea of half robot/half human is a sick idea and can be interpreted many different ways.
That first character sketch with the triangular sword and rounded mask WAS IT! That was such a good design! He would totally fit in a clockwork SciFi world.
Imma start off by saying that I don't have a lot of experience drawing. But if you want your character to fit into a creepily perfect utopia that forces him to be someone he isn't I think he would need a palette swap. Make him the same colours and tones as the city. To show his individuality you could let the light he is emanating be slightly off colour from the colours of the city or have it be exact opposite (reds and darker tones as opposed to blues and whites). This would allow you to see the true colours of your character at night when it's dark and there is nobody else around thus showing your ''true colours''.
I really like that visible metaphor of "showing your true colors". You're not the only person to suggest that his main color scheme should match more with the rest of the city, and I'm starting to like that idea. I'm definitely going to try swapping around his palette some more, and I need to spend some time sketching out this city too, to get a better idea of how it will look in contrast with Xul.
Behomie nice idea about true colours. Might use for Oc one day :P
@@Subjectively Maybe you could flip that around and match the city to your preferred palette for Xul?
Thing is, I agree with you, but in my opinion I would “leak” his colors into it. Like, if it’s a start white backdrop, I would go for some cold, techy whites and grays, but have his yellows and reds, maybe even some orange and brown, his “true colors” if you will, leaking through on some small areas on his design, appearing as highlights
@@irrevenant3 having a supposedly utopian-ish city in a dark color doesn't sound fit tbh
The art you made called “also not my art” was amazing
Lol
I mainly follow hirohiko araki's (the creator of jojo) process for creating and designing characters, its really interesting how he does it
Because of Araki, I always find a pose first before anything else. And man oh man, I give them such wierd articles of clothing
『 B e n j i 』 could you describe his process?
『 B e n j i 』
Ah a fellow man of culture
Same!
CrazyLikeUhFox search it up, you can find a lot of videos and forums about it, including the sheet he uses itself. If u dm me on discord i can just give you the sheet?
Fat izanagi isn't real, and he can't hurt you.
Fat izanagi:
He can't hurt you but he can *hug* you
Myriad foods
LOL
I don’t think chad Narukami can really use that persona anymore. If he’s too fat, izanagi wont be as fit.
Wait can personas get fit? What tf am I on about?? XD
SUPER INSPIRED TO WORK ON CHARACTER IDEAS! Now to figure out the drawing thing more...
I’ve realized I have absolutely no process to how I design characters really. The only examples of good character design I have is some cartoon villains and an old group of kinda fantasy oc’s. All my story’s now are just people in the same brining human outfits, they don’t have any real rhyme or reason to what they wear, just tshirts, hoodies, jackets, and tank tops. And it’s mostly that the men look like recolored versions of each other. They all have different eyes but their hair is just a softener swoop or two. I hope I can make all my characters feel very unique eventually and convey who they are as people. This was a good video and it helped give some insight thank you! (Damn this was longer than I thought)
This video was really cool to watch even as someone who isn't an artist? I'm a writer with basically no art skills, so it's sometimes a little hard to design character when all I have to go off of is what I picture in my head and then trying to put that into words, but I think your whole process of working with theme, setting, exploring ideas, and then the final design is still helpful even to someone like me.
as for Xul I kinda adore the design you did? There seems to be a lot of versatility to it and it really brings across his character like you said. I think I'd be interested to see how his design works with expressing emotion tho? It didn't look like he had anything equivalent to eyes or something about his mask that he could use to otherwise express emotion(like Zer0 or Wrench with their silly emoji masks?). So I guess i'd be curious to see how he expresses emotions.
That's a great point. I love masks because you can completely reinvent the potential for facial expressions depending on the design of the mask. I think that part of what I want from this helmet is the absence of expression, because when he has it on, he's no longer himself, he's who he wants other people to think he is. That said, I do want to do some finished sketches of him without a mask, because I envision scenes of intense emotion with his mask off. (PS Zer0 has one of my favorite mask designs of any character and I love how he emotes with emoticons)
Maybe he could make the eyes move kinda like Spider-Man and make him express emotion through movement. Sort of a bouncy way of moving perhaps.
I like the design. He doesn't seem evil or intimidating though. He seems like a character that helps you throughout that you eventually grow to like, only for him to be killed
4:35 Finally some one who shares my love for that type of aesthetic!
Ikr it looks cool and unique and beside you dont have to worry about the character having a ugly face or something XD
@Mom Thanks Mom!
@Mom Yes Mom, can I go play outside now?
Sitting down to solidify character designs for a mini comic, first time watching anything on this channel, and I get called out right at 2:02 lol. I looked up in alarm to see a slow zoom as I was being judged. Then he says "Nice," and I happily go back to what I was doing. Felt good, man.
I liked the idea of him looking kinda kiddish, not in the sense of innocence, but more like, manipulable; his world makes him take on a role he doesn't want to fill, and maybe that he isn't even good at, just like kids get pushed into talents they don't really care about, maybe the government on your world could represent an strict family, someone that really has the best intent in mind but ends up hurting what they were trying to cultivate, maybe he is someone with a bigger role than what is shown to us in the begging, maybe he represents the tragedy of a golden child.
Character design is what got me in to art in the first place, and I always felt my designs were lacking. But thanks to you, and other artists, I feel like I’ve improved a lot ❤
Try to put as little detail as possible, as in, keep the character simple enough for you to draw in different positions. It sucks trying to remember how a certain headpiece looks or how many scars to add and its more remmberable to an audience.
@Mom WoW I didn't know that my mom love to draw
Shape language in character design creates much more clarity to what mood you want coming from your character, if you want him to look a little more intimidating, you might want to exchange the circular round jacket with a much more defined triangular jacket, but you can still make the jacket big if you want😊
wow,this helps a lot ,since I am starting as a concept artist.
"Listening to this in the background while doing something else"
I feel called out.
The way his coat is rounded and huge almost reminds me of a turtle shell! I can imagine him curling up gloomily inside it.
My process is way more scattershot and disorganized than yours, lmao. I've refined it a bit lately--I generally try to start with a few key images/an aesthetic or specific idea in mind, then set up a color palette and build from there until i get a look that feels distinct and fitting. Sometimes the personality and history I imagine for them influences the development of their visual design, sometimes vice versa--sometimes I slap on a prosthetic/scar/tattoo/etc. simply because it looks interesting or cool before i fully decide how/why they have it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Starting with colors is a great idea. Before I graduated high school, I never worked digitally and had little confidence with colors, so for a long time they were an afterthought or omitted entirely. I still have not shaken my habits from my origins as an artist, but practicing working from colors into a design would help me out immensely. I just need to force myself to do it :|
@@Subjectively My colour choice is, at the moment, too literal and unimaginative. I _can_ tell when colours don't quite look right or suitable, but I rarely manage to pull off getting a colour scheme right. It's also a problem when painting, since I don't see the slight hints of other colours and stuff.
"this is xul"
i already love him, i'm sorry but i can't critique to save my life
Maybe the jacket should've been placed in a manner that implies a skinnier almost non human body underneath it. By implicating a body type that doesn't match the clothing on it, you create a memorable feature for people to latch onto, AND prevent the character from looking too "comfortable" which in this case is bad.
Additionally, it seems that the motion of the human eye is kind of shooting you in the foot.
Consider setting the highest saturation to the third most common color, and place it almost exclusively above the waist, and decrease saturation in stages the farther a body part is from the "most important" feature.
The very fist concept of Xul was so sick I don't even think he needed to change, he looked mysterious enough.
Okay so first of all I love the overall aesthetic and the helmet is dope. My only issue is that while he seems, in concept, to be a more actiony character, a la Miles Morales or even Faith from Mirror's Edge, the oversized coat makes him seem bulky and ill-suited to action. You may only see it in more dynamic shots, but I think it would work well to see a separation between the coat trying to keep up with him and an indication of his smaller actual frame. The trailing of the coat would add dynamism and the smaller frame may change the overall shape language from sturdy and square to more dynamic and triangular, as for example his helmet demonstrates.
Not that I know what I'm talking about, just some thoughts.
When you mentioned that not every personal artwork has to be rendered the same way, i realized that most of my renderings depend on my mood and how much time i want to spend on polishing :D
honestly, my favorite thing in the world are characters with biiig upper bodies (like with coats or hoodies) and long skinny legs. Perfection.
0:01 to 0:13 your intro alone got me to sub, very curt and short and to the point, while also energetic- enthusiastic- and polite! Please keep up the great work.
i usually focus on getting a unique silhouette then refining it.
Bardolphers that’s a great strategy! Silhouette design is super important
the first sketch is so much better
I'm going to draw characters in different styles from now on. I think being stuck in one style really holds back on creativity. Thanks for the tip!
I like it because it is unique. A lot of my characters have tech or magic incorporated in their clothing and they are sometimes used to instantly accommodate them in alien environments or deflect magic if they are from a sci fi reality but I always give them strengths and weaknesses. They may have to sacrifice some mobility or they may lose some range attacks ect. And each deflection lightly damages the said clothing or begins o slowly eat away their willpower, so as to not be unlimited protection. His jacket could become a body shield or helps him glide around for a limited time then turns back into what we see. I've seen capes and cloaks used so much I threw a cape over one of my guy's trench coats and I love it. Your character, in my view stands out a lot. I would make the jacket part of your universe's style so as it's unique but not so uncommon other people wouldn't wear one or he would be overly noticed in his world.
This video legitimately made me tinker with the way my character looks and now she looks a lot different than my og design, man I need to draw lol
I think your character designs are great. I clicked in this video soley cause of the thumbnail, it just has such a stylistic flare to the character.
Personally for me I go about designing characters like this: I think about that the character is and I figure out the non negotiables. The things that need to be in the character to keep them being that character. One of my characters was a blacksmith barbarian. His non negotiable was his sketch book, and that he was pink. Cause I wanted him to represent that what we do doesn't define who we are. As a result the pink color and sketchbook have him a much more dainty aspect to his character then his cold blooded barbarian rage. I then begin sketching out characters. I'll have a map of different ideas and how they connect to each other, and after each sketch I update that map to make sure the character has a solid concept.
Finally during my finale sketch I see what core concepts from the character map aren't represented, and find ways to respresent them. My Barbarian is naive, and so I gave him a flower crown during the finale sketch to make him more childlike.
Is
Is that a funky electric guitar cover of Kirby’s Gourmet Race in the background
I’m in love
I like this process you showed, it's quite compelling. The way I tend to create my characters is to consider their world (which isn't that hard for me after years of doing it, thankfully), think of a character representing an aspect of the theme of said world (like the aspect of mutiny in a world of pirates or something), and go from there, thinking about their actual past experiences, from birth, as much as possible, leading up to the point where they're at now. Those aspects, starting on the genetic level, usually at random (assuming it's humans or some creatures with genetic features), seeing how that'd play out a little bit and see if it fits the theme. If not, I try again. Then I mentally play out their lives in my head to realistically lead to the point of becoming the aspect I'm imagining they'll be, which implies I can create a design based around their past experiences reflected onto their personage, mixed with whatever genetic features I initially drafted them with having.
I don't often feel like I have to redesign a character (although I do from time to time) because this process generally gives me a clear enough idea of what the character will look like before I even draw them. Sometimes I fit the backstory to the design, but that's much rarer.
"Forced utopia, a city so perfect it was almost creepy"...
Google City!
Or to be unique Googol city, like the actual number googol
When thinking of character designs I really like, I always remember there's a specific component or part of the visual design that draws my eye, or tells me more about the character, or really encapsulates the world. For an example I'll use nightcrawler, Aang, and (spoiler warning for Trollhunters) Troll Jim.
All of these characters have specific things or aspects of them I remember and can point to as a means of further explaining who they are or the world they live in.
Nightcrawler is demonlike and blue. But he's just a mutant, and his appearance is a part of his personality, in that his entire behavior and how he acts is built around how people have treated him; in that, he's used to being called a monster and has becoming amazingly kind to prove them wrong.
Aang is the only character we see in the present day wearing clothes of his color scheme, that is bald, or has airbending tattoos. While the tattoos, wardrobe, bald head and color scheme set his theme as an airbender, it also sets him apart playing into the theme of 'the last airbender'
As for troll Jim, his form is partly humanoid and partly troll, making him stand out as not troll but not human. His other characterizing feautures (horns, teeth, ears, blue hair/skin) are all commonly seen among the other trolls so we don't think too much of it. But seeing these features on a human form points out how much he's changed from being human.
The one thing that leaves me think is that the final design to me looks like he is a robot, because of the mask that does not let any humanity show, and also the glowing parts and the fact that the rest of his body fully covered in something that could look like plastic metal or rubber.
This would probably be a good thing if in the story the thing he is trying to hide was his humanity though
“Listening to this in the background while your doing something else?”
*“Yep”*
this video made me want to remake all my characters but following this steps
I like your style! It works very well and your process has obviously been developed and thought out over a long about of time. Although I have a few questions...
1.What if you can’t think of a first idea or quote? Like art block but with characters or character design.
2. How do you know a style, ideal, etc fits the story? Like it doesn’t quite fit and you can’t quite work.
3. Does your animation, art, or creative style ever limit you to certain genres at times? How do you break free from that?
Sorry if this bombards anybody or something I’m kinda just spitting out random art and design questions I have...
When he asked if I was listening to this in the background while I was going something else I looked to my phone and just went: H E K N O W S
I'm doing laundry man I gotta listen to something.
I feel like you can get more out of the idea of the change and deception with the clothing here, that would give you a more interesting silhouette and add character to the composition as a whole.
The jacket could be much more multi-functional, with inflation valves hanging off, concertina sleeves, buttons, speakers, lights and gadgets could all be present as well as unusual shapes straining at pockets, suggesting at further surprises in store.
The other elements similarly could be expanded upon. Hydraulic/telescopic legs, shoes with springs and gadgets, light sources escaping from under the shirt or within the jacket or from open pockets, creatures or mini robots climbing out of a pocket could also be a fun way to say "there is more than the surface is showing".
Finally, I'd say it's also important to have something on the chest (near the heart, obvs) that gives a hint at who is really under it all. Maybe a flower, a medal or just a badge, just something that tells us the real person underneath isn't lost in the character he's playing.
Incredible artwork, though. Sorry for such a late response, I just found the channel. Wonderful content. Really useful to hear other peoples process.
A character created from a dream and soon turned into a story...
Thats how i made almost all my stories i have in my head!
Not Subjectively saying "Listening to this while doing something in the background" while i'm listening to it in the background and drawing a D&D character at the same time
"Listening to this in the background while you're doing something else"
*HAS LEAGUE OF LEGENDS OPEN*
Me: You don't know me.
Ngl the story you set up for this could easily be a good video game tbh
Real talk for a sec, is that a jazz version of Kirby's theme playing in the background???
I really dig the colour palette and the way you've rendered the reds :) That slight a-symmetry in the jacked and right leg gives that feeling of imperfection that your character is trying to hide.
I think the left knee is a little off in position and doesn't feel as connected as the right. Despite what others have said I think the oversized torso really sells the feeling the character is trying to over-compensate while giving them a recognizable silhouette. The only think that would concern me is what type of medium the story is going to be told in, comics may work well but that jacket and clothing underneath are going to be a nightmare to pose, same with 2D and especially 3D animation.
The character is not over-designed which I appreciate, but the elements at play will be interesting but difficult to move effectively in space.
I really enjoyed your process and where you grabbed ideas from :)
2:03 listening to this on the background while designing a creature after coming from your creature design video 😂
I was playing smash against my bro lmao
I think most of the genre has helped me with thinking about the designs of characters, and multiple different ways of trying to tie characters together. My character designs are more mutual, and detailed not really suited for manga- but at the same time, they are bold and fierce, much or less depending on the characters personality. Examples of what I do are add Complementary colors to ranges of using animals as Ideas and furthermore, even using rainbow palettes, (Though I make it muted, because bright colors... they kind of burn your eyes sometimes if not used properly if you know you know or this is personal preference.) Most of my ideas come based off of different magic types, and rabbits. Spiritual Rabbits. I make a lot off of those undead characters, but I also have living characters too! I know when I looked into my own character designs, my characters either had a color palette that was complementary with black and white, or driven away to colors near each other (Like leaf, who is driven to more greens and greenish-blues.) I also like to give my characters 25% tints of a color (Most often purple), because they live in shady, small neighborhoods and cities that are brightly yellow and orange. I know back in old preferences, I used a LOT of black and white because I didn't like color, and I've been more or less trying to steer away from that. Another thing, I might start taking glow from designs too, it was one of the highlighted parts I saw back when I was watching your design process for the spirits, since Most supernatural things (ghosts in specifics) love glowing. Your characters design overall is great, though Im not deep into robotic designs yet.
I'm like "Oh I want a undead dragon" and then I design it xD. I based his character and story on the design. Or sometimes the other way around it really depends.
My newest project I am doing the character based off sims 4 creation to kinda forced me out of my comfort zone and then redraw them with changes. It's really fun and something different! (I also suck at drawing clothes so yeah this helpstoo)
I have a character named Val who I use in a variety of universes because he's very versatile. His original story, a sci-fi drama/thriller that has come a long way from where I started it, he's an alien in. I have changed his design probably 7 times now. I'm still not fully committed to it. There's features I like, there's features I don't. He used to be practically human looking, just a bald, pink cyclops; now he's embraced much more of the species' bug anatomy. He has skinny, segmented legs, unnaturally long arms, no nose and strange chitin-like hair. Hell, I'm throwing around some redesigns again right now. Character design is a long and complex process. I love, LOVE looking back at the first sketch of Val I have and seeing what he's become.
That Hearthome City background music tho 👌🏼
the silhouette is also important when you are making a character shapes that stands out the most plays a big role in your character and also story telling
it begins at 2:10
Thank you
I took some inspiration from the way you start with the body frame sketch and it really helps. My drawings are actually looking how i want them to now!
My process for making an oc is draw eyes then everything just falls in afterwards
From where you get your ideas? Do you like give your oc's random features or something?
The eyes are the windows to the soul
the borderlands background music with a Loader looking character, amazing! Thanks for the tips
I realize that meaning is important for character design in order to be more "recognized".
I sometimes give a meaning before creating a character and i come with some pretty good stuff, but sometimes i also just randomly create a character and i also have a good design , but yet, it doesn´t mean that it can be meaningless and be better that the other ones, even, a character with a meaning is usually "stronger" that any other that doesn´t (stronger = more likeable for others, more outstanding, etc).
Also, for Xul, the concept is perfect and really cool, but the over-sized jacket, killed it.
the mask and the thin legs had fit perfectly in the character, and the bullet head design is great and unique, but the jacket makes it look more silly and derpy, it fits more for a second character that is the typical protagonist silly friend, but not as the character you tried to represent. in your place, i would just grab and make the legs look more like a extension and not a protesis, and make the character little (Peridot from steven universe has come to my mind while writing this so, it's an example).
so it looks serious with the mask and taller, but when it removes both, the extensions and the mask, it looks funnier that with them.
I've been listening to other people and how they say to create an aesthetic board and a reference board but that theme trick blew my mind. Trying to come up with one word that describes or is close to describing my OC's life/description really helps alot!
May I ask What software you use to create your designs?
Procreate! It's an app for the iPad
Ahh Procreate! It’s what I use all the time. Such a great app.
I like it! It’s interesting but I do feel the design of the clothing can go more towards the futuristic robotic look that the mask and body looks like. This was pretty good for me to listen to since I’m writing a comic. It was helpful in finding new ways to do design.
The way I design my characters is I start with the overall idea of my character and what I’m trying to get across. Who is this character, what’s his theme and his personality and is there a inspiration? The reason I do this is to have a starting point.
Next I go into writing about the character I made and the world around it. This is one of the most important parts of the characters design and where things can change. Characters are built around a world, the design of clothing or even body parts should be influenced by the world they live in, but they should still be able to stand out. This is what I find to be the hardest step. There have been many times I’ve designed the world around a character and then completely thrown away the original concept of the character and started it again... and again! It’s where the personality and the story of the character, and what he is after can change completely. I design multiple versions of the character and I choose what I like from those designs.
When it comes to color, I try many different color palettes but instead of making copy and pastes to view them from side to side, I put them all in different folders on the same 1 line art of the design I was going with and flip flop, looking at all the details. The reason I do that is because it gives me an idea of what colors I like in what areas of the character. This is one thing I may change after watching your video.
Sometimes things change as a story goes along as well but that is basically how I go at making characters.
Now I will continue to shamelessly plug my work into the end of this comment. Feel free to check it out if you’d like.
I liked the video. It gives me a insight on how some people design and how unique some peoples processes are to others. You sir have obtained a new follower. Keep it up 👍
www.deviantart.com/psychorodent/gallery/
my method of character design:
Put a load of graphite on a page and call it gud
aw man, thank you! I was feeing super overwhelmed about my characters designs and I didnt wanna mess it up cause I care a lot, but this helped me feel a lot better. I like being able to break it down into steps and chunks like you did, rock on
A problem I have with one of my characters is that aesthetically; He looks too much like a Spartan from Halo.. As shown in my avatar thumbnail.
@Mom That sounds cool though!
@Mom Makes me think of Raiden from the Metal Gear games, that's frikkin *dope* !!
To be honest, I believe in the principle of using character design to showcase character growth, kinda like in anime when a character changes it's hairstyle after an important part, that's why I don't like experimenting much with the original design, aside form unchangeable physical features, so I'll often stick a character in whatever I feel is fit, then if my character ends up growing or having development potential without being forced, I'd be inclined to change their design, leaving only the features I find more important.
That being said, I also design the characters and give them a simple personality based on that, and then I might extend everything further to traits that their outside cannot convey visually.
I also skip on complex symbolism myself, but that might be just me.
My favourite design was honestly the first, but from what you described the final one fits in way better with the story and setting. The skinny legs look kinda laughable tho
They might be too skinny! I tend to exaggerate physical features like that, and that might change depending on how I decide to design other characters in this world.
I personally, really like your deep analysis of the setting and or theme of the story element. That how a character dresses should coincide with that, it really made me think about my own story. What is the general theme? What is the POINT? Why does this story exist, or what is it trying to say? That this should be illustrated not only in the writing, but in the personalities and looks of a character. I really appreciated that you were able to challenge the critical thinking of an artist and writer such as myself, I really and genuinely enjoyed this video! Thank you, Subjectively.
UNPOPULAR opinion
Never make a character wear hoodie and make it an edgy killer its just so overused
Depends on the hoodie, I think.
Gold Distance ”overused” is never a good reasoning, people can give any trope a new twist or they can embrace the cliche and make it good. but yes, just giving a serial killer character a dark hoodie is at first glance bland and edgy.
I always see the MC from Assassin's Creed, when I see this kind of a hoodie xD
Plus, depending on the size of the hood, it can really affect peripheral vision.
Just having the glow with no further explanation as to where it's coming other than the idea /reasoning for it stands out as a last-minute detail that needs further work. I think adding more thought into where the glow is exactly coming from will help it look better and make more sense. You said it was coming from under his clothes? or is it his skin? if it's from under his skin maybe show the illuminated shadow of his ribs. Maybe it's coming from lights within the robotic parts or within the rim of his gloves or even the inside of his coat has strings of light. It also be good to think about if your character was in a completely dark room what could you do with the internal lights to make parts of his silhouette stand out?
I'm not a professional artist, but I love designing characters, and one thing I do specifically for the concepting stage is that I draw in a sketchbook, exclusively in pen. I don't erase anything and instead leave notes like "weird eyes" or "hair is too plain", or even just checks or X marks, or ???. I think it's really valuable to be able to look back on previous ideas--sometimes you go too deep down the rabbit hole on one element and have a hard time stepping back. I don't usually do digital until I've got a general design in mind, that way it's easier to make smaller adjustments or color changes.
that pokemon music hit me right in the heart
Thank you for these steps. It's literally the base for a story and I find character design so so hard. But breaking it down to this process really helps
I think that you did this very well! The character very much emulates the feel you can get from a character specifically in a sci-fi dystopian sort of setting, and the colors contrast very nicely with the setting in a concept of not looking exactly like the color themes around it. I’m not really an experienced artist to say, but I still do very much like the over design, story, and creativeness that goes behind this character and many others that you have! It’s very inspiring to be completely honest, and I personally would love more tip videos on how to create character designs and such.
I usually get myself tired, and whenever I’m really exhausted, my art kind of boosts. I start doodling faces and noses and then clothes, and then poses, and it all comes together
My problems I keep getting myself into when drawing a character is that new ideas spark when I’m working on one character, and use what I get when I decide to work on another character. The issue here is that IT KEEPS HAPPENING. I began this project idea back in 2012, getting notes, doing research, and finding ways to make my character unique in his own way (roughly 160 at this point), so by the end on my high school year, I had roughly 8 characters. Now it’s 2019, and I now have way too many characters, but it’s hard to decide if I should trash them because of all the time I put into getting down their personality, ideal design, and abilities for the project. I’ve done a few sketches here and there on a few characters, but I feel burdened of my creativity and just don’t know where to draw the line and actually start this thing.
I've been struggling with designing characters for a long time, but this helped a lot!! Thanks!
I don’t have massive experience designing characters, but I’d say you could add some sort of glowing pattern beneath his shirt, to show that something is actually under there and it’s not just his shirt that’s just casually glowing.
I've been struggling with character design for a while and almost baled on a personal project of mine, but this really gave me a boost of understanding! Thanks for the video! I hope to see more great videos from you soon :)
Finally a channel with creative and original content!
I love this character. The bulky clothes gives potential for a dramatic reveal scene at some point. I would only change the inside of the collar to match the three gold stripes (that look like button flaps?). That would give the t shirt something to glow against to make the glow pop more. I love this design so much I want to read your story as well.
Thank you! Designing character is a process that I look forward to and this is very helpful. Thank you so much!
my usual way of designing a character usually revolves around what kind of item, power, or personality trait they have, followed by their setting. I recently had a great idea for a character from this idea of a sword that could split atoms and how cool that would be. First of all where do I want my characters to be, going with the atom splitting theme of the sword I chose a kind of cyberpunk dystopia kind of a mixture between fallout, fist of the north star, and blade runner.
Secondly I thought to myself "who would use this sword?" so I was left at an impasse either either a dedicated master swordsman, or perhaps a more hotshot character who is more of a powerhouse. I went with the more explosive (pun intended) personality and so we had a hotshot with a sword, but with such heat you must temper it somehow which is why I designed a second character to accompany this one and I was at another choice "will they be an opposite to my first character or more of a responsibility?" I preferred to make a little brother to my first character perhaps not related by blood but still something my first character cherishes and is willing to restrain himself, or fly completely off of the handle to protect.
Lastly I introduce the the characters, Toka (the little boy), and Mak (sword guy) I'll probably work on designs later
I absolutely love this video!
I always have thousands of ideas for characters swarming around in my head,
unfortunately, having so many ideas make it sometimes difficult to really know
what kind of character I actually want to make. Basically, your video really
helped me focus and remember to slow down, use the different steps and let it
take it’s time, thank you.
One of my first steps to creating a character is isolating his attributes and showing it in a visual way by writing everything that comes to mind. Like a jittery happy character would be small and skinny, and a angry character would be big and bulky.
When undertaking a character design, I usually start with the personality and backstory first. Then, I run through a whole bunch of basic ideas surrounding the main concept. So, in a way, our styles are similar. But I like that you go more in depth about it. I can really take that into how I go about it.
This might sound cheesy but ever sense i was like 5 i’ve wanted to be a programmer/game designer and i’ve been drawing and making story’s for along time and just today i came across this channel i watched a bit into the video and instantly subbed and i can’t wait to watch more!
In all honesty, your process seems to be flawless. I do the same process with all of my characters. The one difference I think is that I don't do color. I plan on doing color soon though. I think you did a great job making this video and you had a few tips that helped me make my characters even better. Thank you. :)
Yeaay I'm not the only one who takes ideas for art from my dreams!😄🙈 the video appeared very useful for me. Thank you for sharing it!
Holy...cow...i came here looking for tips because im making a ligh novel and want to insert some art here and there especially for the covers of each volume...but man this dude opened my eyes to thing that id never thought about while trying to do my character designs...thanks so much. This is going to help ALOT.