My characters change clothes as often as they would irl! So usually when it a new day in the comic or if I show them relaxing at home in their pajamas or something. Just whatever the situation calls for, really. I have a few uniforms for when they're at work, so that streamlines some of it, but I'm not at the point yet where my MC gets his uniform anyway. I personally tire of seeing and drawing characters in the same exact thing all the time, and it hammers home that they are, in fact, people. A link to my comic is in my profile!

That isn't to say it's for everyone. It's totally cool to have one main outfit for each character. A lot of comics function this way because it does hammer home character recognition and is easy to stick to. It assigns symbols to characters. Some artists change outfits every arc, some change them only for special occasions--it really varies and it depends what kind of comic you have as to if it makes sense or not.

Clothes are a great way to show who a character is. It's how they would choose to dress, after all, so even the simplest decisions reflect their personality. It's good to at least give each character a different style so it doesn't look copy-paste or bland! And when you change their clothes, you just have to make sure it's still something they, as a person, would wear.

I think the biggest thing that is holding you back in your art is lack of shape diversity. Right now you have to rely on color and hair/outfit styles for them to be recognizable because underneath it all, they're the same basic shape and all have the same face. Their faces are round and the eyes, mouth, and nose are all in the same style. I think if you want to start doing different outfits and hairstyles, your first focus should be on diversifying the actual base of your characters. Even if you just changed up some of the facial features for each person, it would go a long way!

My characters changes clothes all the time. I used to go to fashion design school and I think that really effected how I draw and make characters.. Designing clothes for my characters is a big part of getting to know them and showing their personalities for me. All my characters has their own style and color schemes when it comes to how they dress.
I don't mind comics where characters always have the same clothes. But personally I could never draw a comic like that. The fact that they get new outfits keeps me very inspired while drawing ^_^

My comic here9.

My characters have variations in their clothes for sure but to help keep them identifiable I try and keep the color palettes of the clothes very similar to what they first appear in.

I change Cath's clothes quite often, because yknow, real life and shit. its a good way to indicate time passing, esp in montage-esque sequences. but they always still to a fairly regular scheme - soft butch, practical, baggy, yellow to brown. this is just her personal style, which is more repetitive maybe than most because im autistic, and my personal experience of clothing is very simple and repetitive. maybe caths autistic too, i havent really decided yet.
por ejemplo
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(fetus cath, had more access to resources so she was snazzier. also, it was summer)

balor, on the other hand, kinda has... no clothes. she has the stone armour Thing but any clothes would inevitably get burnt. she has a makeshift cloak cath got her, so she just wears that all the time. in the future, when she has a choice about the matter, shell prolly change clothes very rarely. shes a stinger to the point of self destruction.

a lot of other characters in the comic wear a uniform, hence little/no change in clothes - except when theyre out of uniform, which makes it obvious.

bruv i dont even bother. i mean, if there was a character who was fashionable, then i would... but thatd be a question of drawing actual real clothes people wear in the real world. itd take more effort, bc i dont normally research my clothing choices i just... do it. and i do default to 'x colour top. jeans. done' because im the least fashionable person alive.

hokay?6

i think they can indicate a lot. people cant choose their bodies, but can choose their clothes - and if they cant, that says something, as is how they personalise them (and you always can, be it from sleeves rolling up to badges to legit cutting stuff up)
they dont make a character, but they show the reader a lot of what makes the character, if that makes sense.

Kinda.

I make a comedy comic where most episodes are disconnected from one another, so they supposedly change every episode.

No, their entire wardrobe consists of blank white shirts so no one can tell the difference between different shirts each episode.

It really depends on the character. There's an actual psychological phenomena about how people perceive people based on their clothes (People generally prefer doctors to wear white lab coats over business casual clothes) and if your character has a favorite jacket or similar article of clothing, they might almost always wear that outside and that can become what your audience uses to identify your character.

I'm terrible at consistency in my art style, and I change my characters clothes A LOT in my comic2. Also their hairstyles change from time to time. Yet I think no one has trouble recognizing my characters. Not only because I try to give all my characters different haircuts, eyebrows (lol), colors and heights. I also give them specific taste in clothing.

I think they are easy to recognize because my characters all have very distinguishable styles. My main characters usually wears browns and blues, casual but classy. Most of his clothes are like clothes from shops like H&M.

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I don't think clothes make a character. Ways of reacting to situations is what makes a characters. But I do think clothing style is important to keep in mind, because everyone has a specific taste, and that is part of personality I guess.

So, first off I don't think its always necessary to have characters change clothes in a comic. I think especially when you're doing a comedy, or something that's not supposed to be realistic, it's fine to have your characters just have one outfit.. I understand your concern and I really dont think you need to change your characters wardrobes/hairstyles unless you really want to.

As for my comic, Stray Cats, it varies by character. Both of my main characters are (now) homeless, so they don't have a very varied wardrobe (though I'm considering giving Grey some sort of rat fur/skin coat or hat because that just sounds terrible). However some of the secondary characters (Skye, Mr. Matthews, Cynthia..) do have a variety of clothes. For Cynthia (who has only been in the comic in one scene so far), it's important that she have a diverse wardrobe as she is from money (and young). Any character that works has work clothes, ect. I don't change hair styles a lot (though Sabot's face is definitely getting furrier), but that's just a preference thing.

And to answer that last question: The clothes don't make the character, the character makes the clothes!.. or something like that.

Quite a lot, Mike changed her clothes a lot of times. Basically like how normal people would with their look

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Pinterest helps a lot with that :'D

Yeah, it's Re:Set1

Yea, they do! Props and clothing can help to emphasise character traits and their background. For example, scruffy clothes can be used for poor characters, and lots of diamonds and bling for tasteless rich ones. Accessories can also be more literal extensions of your character's personality!

I like having characters change their clothes, just like real life. I think fashion choices say a lot about a person, whether they think it does or not. I think it also takes a bit of balance to make sure the clothes don't define the character, that it only adds. I understand, though, why people choose to keep characters in one outfit, since keeping track of multiple outfits that rotate can be a bit daunting (especially for an ensemble cast!).

Honestly, I don't think it's hard to make clothes look fashionable! That's where references come in. Following fashion blogs or OOTD instagrams are great for inspiration. Not every outfit choice for your characters has to be the pinnacle of fashion though, just like real life. Some days I look really put together, other days I've just thrown on jeans and whatever clean shirt I have and call it a day.

There are several outfit changes so far in Heart Hex1, and a lot more to come. Lee's main outfit in the first chapter is something I wish I owned.

I have a bad habit of always drawing my characters in the same outfits—in my first chapter of Aiiro No Kunoichi2, you can see that the characters' outfits don't change (aside from one obvious instance) despite it spanning about three days time. That said, I decided to shake things up a bit by giving them different outfits in the upcoming chapter, and I'm hoping to make a habit of changing their outfits periodically in future comics.

That said, picking interesting new outfits for my characters has always been a challenge for me, maybe because I'm not a very fashion-conscious person myself. I definitely rely on Google for outfit ideas fairly often.

The characters in SPIRE haven't shown any outfit changes yet but they're going to change them as often as they would if it were real life. since most of them are well over a hundred years old they kinda lose track of time easily and in turn tend to change clothes and hair less. they don't usually get dirty by sweating either since their bodies automatically adjust to the temperature outside (which is also why they usually can comfortably wear long sleeved and layered clothes most of the time) as a replacement for that (for like survival you know?)
Blaise is especially a mess and wears the same things for like a week straight usually. also Jack's suit is a uniform technically so he's used to wearing it a lot.

as for fashion, spire has a steampunky/formal kind of aesthetic going on and i always have a lot of fun designing clothes.

I do change the clothes on my characters from time to time, but for long periods they do wear the same thing, but that's because they're traveling and it would be impossible for them to bring enough clothes to have new outfits everyday. Also, a couple of them have armour that doesn't change initially.

I've changed their clothes when they've gotten destroyed or if they're doing something that requires a change of clothes.

I find drawing clothes a challenge sometimes, especially since one of my characters likes frilly things. Most of the clothes that I need to draw for my characters aren't fashionable, they're functional.

comic link

I think clothes can help the reader understand your character's personality, the world they live in, their wealth or lack of it and can help the reader relate to them.

Whenever they're expected to. Change to pajamas at home, change to gym clothes for sports, etc.

Eh, I don't really change the outfits of my characters much at all? I give them outfits that fit their character/personality/backstory and try to make it as iconic as possible vs constantly changing outfits. I don't have a problem against it - I just much rather have them have One Iconic Outfit. Realism be damned.

I'm kinda obsessed with clothing and matching irl that it'd do more harm than good because I'd end up never getting anything done because I'm too preoccupied with deciding if x shoe would pair well with y shirt.

For the main characters, no. Grassblades3 is about a homeless wanderer and the orphan who tags along with them; they literally HAVE no other clothes, and have to make do with washing/mending what they've got.

Some minor characters do get costume changes occasionally, though.

I do have some oneshot comics as well, but they don't have costume changes at all, since they take place over the span of maybe a few hours.

Sometimes, when there's a good reason for it! Like when I flash back to something that happened a long time ago, or if they show up in one scene, and then show up in another that canonically takes place days or weeks or more later.

Grassblades is set in a world where people in general have fewer sets of clothes to change between; it's a fantasy setting with no textile mills. So they change more rarely, and the variation tends to be smaller.

No, not really! I have a metric ton of reference photos saved that I can go dig through and find inspiration, so it's not that challenging. It's like with anything else you learn to draw; you have to find out what it looks like first. You wouldn't expect to be able to draw a bicycle without looking at a picture of one first - it's the same with fashionable clothing.

It's a matter of practise, really. Just keep trying until you learn how.

It's right up there ^ but if you don't wanna scroll up - here's a link to all of my series.

Not as such, no, but distinctive fashion and colour choices will make your character stand out, and help your readers remember them.

I do give my characters a new outfit for each new day. I sort of do it for a sense of "realism". Plus it helps show the passing of time. Coming up with new outfits is difficult tho.

My MC however always wears the same outfit even as a child. I did this for two reasons, 1) his name is Crow and his outfit looks like a crow, and 2) he is weird and stubborn. He's suppose to be childish, he's content with just doing what he wants even if that means not changing and growing up.

Here's my comic: Crow's Worth

To be able to change your characters' clothes you really need to have their face recognizable every time, so I'd suggest not to make them change until they're consistent. You can anyway try keeping their hair and main color always the same, and changing the shape of the clothes!

Changing their clothes often also requires that you remember and/or check exactly how they're dressed page after page, and this is another reason why most popular characters don't change at all: it's easier for the artist to avoid mistakes.

I layed out a set of outfits for my main characters based on their different activities: the school in DAWN OF THE DAD1 requires a uniform, so they must change when they're out chilling with friends, or at home, or they just woke up. I set a series of outfit that's roughly the same everytime, so for example the main character always wears dark jeans and a purple sweater when she's at home.
In short, they change but I don't need to decide how they're dressed everytime

That's a super interesting question. I have thought about it but not too much until now.

do you change their clothes?
The main character is a robot from another planet so he is naked for the most part. So are all the animals that come and go.

But there are four kids... I guess I do change them a little but mostly just the colour.

(yes) how often do you do it and why?

Off the top of my head, they all have about two outfits (not counting times when they are in their pajamas or school uniform or something) which I swap about. This has mostly got to do with the fact that the clothes might clash with the background.

I did used to get annoyed when I watched Cartoon Network and they never changed clothes though so maybe this has affected me on some level.

do you find hard to make clothes look fashionable?

I haven't been trying but... Now you mention it, one girl has an over-sized top and leggings and this is all my little students wear.

can you leave a link to your comic?

https://tapas.io/series/Gombik-Comics1

Not all of them have made their way from my desktop computer to Tapas yet. I wanted a buffer for when work dumps an intensive course or a pile of paperwork in my lap. Updates are Wednesdays and Sundays.

do you think clothes make the character?

I think the clothes help to differentiate the characters and often tell you a little something about them. Even in a more realistically drawn comic, I'd try to keep either the colour scheme or the clothes themselves the same.

My character is a stick-man, they are practically naked lol.

My main character changes her clothes quite a lot. The others don't. It's kinda part of a "joke".

I guess it always depends on the context of the story.

If the story is set in a regular city or town and your characters are more or less normal folks whom doesn't wear an uniform everyday, it's good to change clothing like almost everyone does. You know, not wearing the same thing you wore yesterday, dressing acordingly to the occasion, wearing proper stuff for the climate, just to mention some examples.

But I think that when the story is set in a more fantastic realm it's fair if the characters don't change their clothes that often. I mean, I'm sure that Frodo only took three white shirts and two pants in his quest to destroy the ring.

I change their clothes every time it's a new day XD
What I do is I make a wardrobe for them. Something like this:
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Usually when a new chapter starts. The story jumps between different realities so it helps show that the characters are in a different realm.

My characters usually change clothes whenever a real person would change clothes… so day-to-day, in and out of pajamas, etc. There are exceptions, of course…. one of my characters only owns two (almost identical) pairs of pants and one pair of shoes, for example, so those elements of his clothing never change. Sometimes I'll have a character wear the same shirt two days in a row, especially if they're a minor character and it's obvious from context that time has passed. But for the most part, I'll change their clothes whenever it makes sense from a time-passage standpoint!

I love fashion design and I think clothes help flesh out a character a lot… it can tell you about their hygiene, how they want to be perceived by others, their interests, their financial status, etc. etc. It's one of my very favorite parts of storytelling and design. (Too bad my comic is peopled almost entirely with goofy teenagers on summer vacation… I end up designing a lot of t-shirts when I'd rather be coming up with fancy dresses HAHA)

these are a couple of old turnaround/outfit ideas that i did for my comic. I change my characters clothes from day to day, but they tend to stick to certain colour schemes which help reinforce the character, I guess? They tend to wear similar things most days - like with Archer, the first, usually in an off-white shirt with darker pantaloons, (which also says a lot about his character as he hasn't got a lot of cash for much else) but I like changing the cut subtly and just adding interesting details to make each outfit different.

I change the clothing and hairstyles a lot, probably more often than I should. Like a lot of people have already mentioned, each of my characters have a set colour palette so hopefully it doesn't throw people off too much.

Life of an Aspie1 has for the most part had my characters wear the same old clothes that is school uniforms given the high school setting. On weekends though or in Susan's case in the most recent chapter where she was still suspended for beating up the resident Alpha Bitch, I've drawn the appropriate characters in casual clothing that speaks to their personality or tastes. i.e Susan's a tomboy and therefore doesn't dress girly where Mizuki does because well...she's a girly girl.

That's an interesting question. I usually have my characters change their clothes if a day passes. But I do have some characters wear the same clothing all the time because they are supposed to represent certain archetypes. That happens in my horror/comedy Slash in Love1 here. I haven't gotten to these characters yet in the first few pages I've posted, but there are some characters in my comic who represent the traditional stereotypes of '80s slasher movies: the brainy girl, the party girl, the punk girl. They always wear the same clothes because they are supposed to be stuck in their stereotypes.

So, it does depend on the characters and what their roles are in a comic.

Dan

how often do you do it and why?
Change them every day - so almost every new scenne. Because I try to make the story as realistic as possible

do you find hard to make clothes look fashionable?
Uhm...not really. It´s more like having a certain style of clothing. I sometimes look clothes up online ans figure out which would fit a certain characters....but then again, I honestly make more statement with the colour they are wearing (the boy, for example wears more red/purple than the girl, which actually stands for his confidience).

can you leave a link to your comic?
No. Haven´t figured out how to.
do you think clothes make the character?
NO! haha. The can suport certain characteristics and shurely are a very sublte way to give of a vibe. The certainly don´t make them. If I had a comic with only naked people in them, would they have no character?

Interesting topic tough...

My characters change clothes from arc to arc.
The reason behind it is simple...I love drawing different clothes (especially dresses and all that overly girly stuff XD)
And since I don't have the money to buy a new outfit every week (or don't look good in some clothing styles) I might as well enjoy those styles on my characters. Besides that I think it might be exciting for the audience to see a new outfit with every story

H:3llo, I'm Ghost. Nice to meet you all. I noticed in some animes that people do change their clothes, unless it's a school uniform anime. I personally do half and half, basically when I feel like it I will change the clothes.

My character doesn't have clothes except in the winter. So.....

I love this question! Clothes, clothes, clothes, my favourite thing!

In my current comic3, the clothing of the two main characters are incorporated into part of the storyline. They time travel, and the one character makes a point of changing his clothes to suit the time period (but he's a hipster, so he always dresses a century or a two later, to be an 'early adopter'). My other character makes a strict point of only wearing his country suit (casual) and his Victorian tux (formal), as he sees these as the only two appropriate forms of dress, no matter what time period he is in.

In past comics, I frequently changed the outfits of my characters. I love fashion and clothing is one of my favourite things to draw <3 Comics also give me the freedom of making some truly unrealistic and impractical fashion choices. How I love beautiful, impractical things.

The characters in my comic change clothes whenever it's realistic and what's realistic depends greatly on the character. For example I have military personnel in my comic, so it's realistic for them to always keep their uniform on when on duty. Civilian characters on the other hand change outfits quite often with the exception of a few characters, like an android who doesn't sweat, so the clothes stay cleaner for longer.

I think clothes are a great way to show passage of time and I try to use that to my advantage as often as I can. My comic is set in space most of the time with no visible signs of time passing, so the best way to show that it's a new day is to put some clean new clothes on people. I also really enjoy designing lots of different outfits, so it's not a problem for me to design a whole bunch of outfits every chapter.

I know changing outfits often can cause some trouble with character recognition but I think it's a great character design practise to make sure your characters stay recognizable even when they change clothes. Personally I've tried to give all my characters specific styles, which helps making them look similar from chapter to chapter. One character always has shoulder pads, one character likes baggy trousers, one wears only warm colours etc. When there's a style to aim for it's so much easier to design a whole wardrobe and it helps keep the characters look consistent.

I recently did a whole chapter of my comic2 with my two main characters wearing different clothes than their main ones do to a plot change. The problem I had was when I switched them back in my current chapter I've almost forgot little details about my characters clothes. However, I will say when I went back to drawing their old clothes, it almost seemed like I was drawing something new again. I personally don't think that clothes MAKE the character per se, but they can definitely add or take away from a potential strong character.

Only when it's neccessary. Like my character Garias changes from his armor to his formal uniform when attending summits or things like that, otherwise he's mostly in armor.