(TLDR: My character designs are boring and I need tips for spicing things up.)
Hi! I'm a aspiring webcomic creator, and one thing I've noticed is that I seem to have a limited palate when it comes to designing unique characters, whenever I design a character to their archetype, I end up with something very… Trope-y and uninspired. A lot of my conventionally attractive characters look similar as well as their clothing being plain or similar to one another.
I've always envied people who could design like Rinotuna, OneBadNoodle, or even like the designs out of the franchise Guilty Gear (sorry, don't know how to post images on discussions), so I'm asking, are there any tips for this struggle?
small wave hi. Idk what you make your characters look or act like, but what I like to do is (try) to give them actual human qualities. Like mental illness, physical illnesses, disorders and phobias, different races and ethnicities and stuff like that. I like to try to think "Ok how would this person react to this scenario?" Then compare that with existing characters. Think about what they like to do. Do research on different religions.
And most of all if you're an artist, try to draw different features. Like a straighter or larger nose, or plump or thin lips. Look for cool eye colors and shapes. See how thick or thin (or shaved) their eyebrows are.
Maybe give them more depth. What's their reason for waking up in the morning? Do they have a reason? Maybe its their younger sibling. Who do they look up to? Do they reference their idol a lot? Who do they strive to be? Do they have a need for a phone? Why or why not? Do they like technology? Are they a conspiracy theorist? What's their political views? Are they right? Left? Did they switch at one point? Why?
What's best. Give them a big flaw. Example:
Maybe they're a bit biased towards people of color? Maybe they were raised badly, understand they need to change and work to achieve that change. Pull a Saka and make them sexist. Women can think men are useless same as men do for women. Spice things up. Heck maybe they're nonbinary and hate everyone. Then maybe give them a reason to hate everyone. If they don't have a reason, maybe its subconscious.
Anywho hope that helped TvT
