/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

[Anonymous No.3811601]

Are there any resources out there that explain the logic of character design? I'm not looking for an entire course so much as just a list of fundamental concepts to keep in mind while designing a character. Or a logical order of how to think when designing said character; a process or even just a book to reference.

I'm a total beginner. Here I have my most recent attempt. She's supposed to be a slutty monk warrior widow. I'm not really happy with the design in the end because the silhouette is bland and i feel like she just lacks personality overall.

[Anonymous No.3811616]

>slutty monk warrior widow
>lacks personality over all

first try changing your character design to something that makes literally any kind of sense. I don't think any widows are going to join a monk temple to dress like a stripper and learn kung fu.

[Anonymous No.3811617]

>>3811601
i made this list when i was starting, mayb eit can help you out.

[Anonymous No.3811627]

>>3811616
Hey this is fantasy. Anything can happen.

[Anonymous No.3811632]

>>3811617
Thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.3811635]

>>3811601

Rule of cool

[Anonymous No.3811640]

>>3811601
>hey, teach me how to think
Just drop this, whatever is you do.
>slutty monk warrior widow
Just drop it.

[Anonymous No.3811644]

>>3811640
gee solid advice thanks.

[Anonymous No.3811656]

>>3811601
slutty monk warrior sounds nice
not sure about widow
but keep it up and make my dick proud

[Anonymous No.3811667]

>>3811601

I think the most fundamental question you need to ask yourself what product and userbase are you designing for? I'm assuming your design is for a NSFW game based on your description.

[Anonymous No.3811673]

>>3811601
If the only interesting thing about your character is a bland robe then you need to redo it. Add some character within the outfit

[Anonymous No.3811679]

>>3811644
Alright, think about the actor who plays this character, or any person you know, or you think you know who takes that role. It will make things developing more naturally.
Make the emotions you want experience out of this character's presence outline their part in the story, and go from there, because character not having a meaning for the story, will stay dead checklist of characteristics.
But you making dumb fucking anime anyway so you gonna end up there regardless.

[Anonymous No.3811685]

>>3811616
fuck you, I am going to create my space marine dentists furry women and theres nothing you can do to stop me

[Anonymous No.3811694]

>>3811685
>dentist
nice taste

[Anonymous No.3811709]

>>3811667
How would you go about appealing to different audiences with your designs?
Like how would you appeal to one audience that is different than how you would appeal to another one?

[Anonymous No.3811712]

>>3811679
>meaning for the story
by the story i mean complete product, not nervelessly plot itself.

[Anonymous No.3811713]

>>3811709
Just know what your audience likes. Guess who you would appealing to if you make her a fat, transgendered black woman that is a member of the resistance against an evil empire.

[Anonymous No.3811725]

>>3811713
Makes sense.

[Anonymous No.3811739]

>>3811601
There's no one answer here, you're kind of overthinking it, and approaching it from the wrong angle.

Character design is creative. It's not plug and play - that kind of mechanical creation is what the TV and movie try to churn out, and why so much of their output sucks.

Creating characters is an artform all in itself. There's no way to really teach it, you either have the ideas, and learn to polish them by having an audience to get feedback from, or you don't. I guess you could ask in writing forums about it, but they'll probably tell you the same things.

Your example here is a good place to start.

The only defining features you've invested in her is:
Slutty
Monk
Warrior
Widow

Despite the whole sloot/monk thing being incompatible, ask yourself: why is this character interesting? What's her backstory? Why does she dress a certain way, past "boobies"? What is her story? How has her story influenced her? Why should we, the audience care, if we're expected to look past the porn aspects of boobs? Or is that simply why she exists?

Good characters are good because of multiple aspects - their story, their place in it, their personality, and their actions.

All you're offering up here is a slooty 2D waifu. It's not really a character, because she has no reason to exist.

Work on characters in the context of a story, if you want to drill down into actual character. Otherwise, this is nothing more than waifu material - nothing wrong with that, but it's a different intent.

[Anonymous No.3811757]

>>3811739
This
>Otherwise, this is nothing more than waifu material - nothing wrong with that, but it's a different intent.
and definitely this.

Slutty monk can work in a nsfw setup. But the question is, is that what op wants to go for?

Is she that much of a tease that she just can't help being slutty despite of being a monk and a widow?
It depends on what kind of public you're aiming for, again. Some people won't take that seriously, while others might be intrigued by it.

[Anonymous No.3812431]

>>3811739
I'd say your half right, problem solving creative or not usually have some form of methodology to at minimum reduce time wasted on development.
Op you description so far isn't enough to get a better idea of what "problem" needs be to solve. The idea is to answer what purpose is the character in the story, how do they fit into the tone of the medium, what purpose does the character thinks its supposed to have, what purpose are people supposed to think its for both in story and out.
Is this an echii thing you got going, how serious is the tone?

[Anonymous No.3812439]

>>3811601
Everything there is to read about character design is utter trash
>muh skillful huntsman
Trash.
The only things that work for character design are
>Story
>Research
>Reiteration
The character needs to belong to a setting and a plot, people don't exist in a vacuum. Make research based on what the character should look like, look at tons of stuff to get inspired with clothes and equipment, of course according to the setting.
Draw/sculpt the character until you know it at such a level he or she is like a real person you know. There you go, you have your character.

You can do some random shape shit or do what people in videogames do, and you'll have a character but it will be shit.

[Anonymous No.3812455]

>>3811617
could you explain the first 5 a little better pls?

[Anonymous No.3812456]

>>3811601
>Please give me a shortcut, I want the benefits of learning without actually having to do it.

Spend a second to accept the fact that what you're saying is retarded. Once you're able to get past that point and accept that, figure out WHY is it that it's retarded.

[Anonymous No.3813422]

>>3812455
they're basics of art you should look up, or learn english better before trying to ask for help.

[Anonymous No.3815504]

>>3811685
>space marine furry dentist

[Anonymous No.3817009]

>>3811601
She looks like she fucks black guys

[Anonymous No.3817145]

Skillful Huntsman

You can use the same process to iterate concepts for literally anything.

[Anonymous No.3817634]

>>3811617
Really useful. Thanks, anon.

[Anonymous No.3818463]

>>3811601
Dumping some stuff about basic shapes.

[Anonymous No.3818465]

>>3818463

[Anonymous No.3818468]

>>3818465

[Anonymous No.3818473]

>>3818468
Integrate these shapes into your character design based on the personality of said character. You can express these shapes with body type, clothes, hair, accessories and other design elements. Combine them too if appropriate.

[Anonymous No.3818537]

>>3813422
I assumed you there was more going on with them like it was actually some super deep way of how the concepts connect to character design lmao.

[Anonymous No.3818553]

>>3812439
Thanks anon for the reminder that I should work on the looks of some military badges.

[Anonymous No.3818640]

>>3811617
This image is fantastic anon.
I'm always happy when I see such useful information such concise terms.

[Anonymous No.3818926]

Random /tg/ autist wandering through
Rate my character designs I guess
OmO is a robot that’s optimistic, full of energy and likes helping people. She’s Lightblade’s bodyguard and childhood friend. Her primary colors are purple and grey.
Gwenanastas is a fruity sorcerer that acts kind of like Light’s manager. His primary colors are red and tiny green accents maybe. He is comically evil but helps Light be a good person because it will stir more shit in the long run.
Lightblade is a prince that wants to avoid his destiny of being evil. He has a dark golden mask and white robes with a writhing mass of black flesh eating serpents underneath. If the serpents leave his actual flesh regenerates and he looks like a cross between a young Griffith and Kaiser Reinhardt.
Biatrice is a tulpa acting as a guardian angel to guide Lightblade on his destiny, she has the enthusiasm of someone who’s been a middle school janitor for 50 years though and Light rejecting it makes her job more of a pain in the ass than it needs to be.

>>3811601
My recommendation is to make her a sort of drunken master type of monk. Clearly disheveled and retired. That will have visual storytelling by people going “oh she’s a drunk mess now because her husband died,” has more personality to it and justifies her sluttiness.
I can’t draw it because I’m in bed with a cat on me but here’s what I’d do
>Add some stray hairs to that bun.
>Make her face slightly more haggard, but still hot
>mismatched layers of monk beads
>Breasts wrapped to show that she was once pretty serious, but you can still see that she’s stacked.
>Robe is open in a way that you could see nipples if her breasts weren’t wrapped. This is hot and adds to the messy appearance.
>Skirt reaches past the knee and maybe further in, this makes it more feminine and attractive imo even though it covers more. Still split though.
>If you want to get juicy then add a cracked or broken mandela looking thing on her design.

[Anonymous No.3818928]

>>3818926
Fuck I thought if I took the picture in hotdog mode it wouldn’t randomly turn sideways.

[Anonymous No.3819512]

>>3811601
aren't monks suppose to be wholesome?

[Anonymous No.3820016]

>>3819512
Aren't all female characters supposed to be sexy?

[Anonymous No.3820020]

>>3820016
Yes

[Anonymous No.3821460]

>>3820016
no agreement there they can be.

[Anonymous No.3821465]

>>3820016
Wise words from Arakawa

There is a place for flaws though, I think in a plot/character driven thing you should always make your characters a little flawed, flaws make them unique (I'm talking small things, not those Tumblr abortions). If you make them all look perfect with perfect proportions they just look bland, like mannequins. That's for a story at least, if you're writing something like action there's no reason not to make them pretty.

[Anonymous No.3821532]

>>3821465
>vavoom!!