I feel like my character design is missing something

[aqua03]

Hey guys, I've recently been experimenting with the art style for my webcomic DRGN. I've been trying to hit a good balance between simple and easy to draw repeatedly, while also being detailed enough to look cool. I've been experimenting a bit with textures and shading and I like where I'm going, but I still feel I'm missing something.

I like the character design a lot, but I feel that there's something missing in the details department. Like he needs more shading or texture on his armor or something.

Thank you for your help and advice.

[spadesart]

your design could use more contrast, the value seems all the same despite the wide range of colors.

i tried to make some adjustments to add more contrast, i made the pink yellow since it sticks out more but if you want to keep the pink that's totally fine

it helps to choose one or two main colors for outfits so the character isn't hell to color in. i also like to keep in mind "dark against light" which one of my past art teachers told me that helped me a lot.

the design itself is really neat though! the character is really intriguing

[aqua03]

He looks great! Thanks for the advice! I'm probably gonna keep the pink for the time being though, but I'll definitely look into contrast more and probably use your color palette as an alternate color scheme for maybe a power-up mode or something in the comic proper (if that's okay with you.)

[spadesart]

thats fine!
20 characters

[GesuGesu]

His sword isn't very obvious. I'm also not sure if he's supposed to look "cool" or "strong" since the body shape is pretty skinny, head is round, and eyes are large and cute, but a bit expressionless

[aqua03]

I've actually been trying to find a color for the sword that stands out, yet also fits with his fire theme. Also, the story is kind of supposed to be a slight parody of JPRGs, hence the huge sword. His skinniness despite his strength is actually supposed kind of part of his story arc due to the fact he struggles with body image being so skinny when it seems that everyone else he knows looks far more athletic and stronger than him. He also does try to seem to be serious and straight faced most of the time, but I do get what you mean on his expressions. I really should start working on expression sheets for the characters.

Thanks for the pointer.

[Rhonder]

The blade of the sword is what stood out to me as well. I like the shape but it feels like the thing that could use a little something in the detail department. Namely because it's by far the largest element but doesn't have much to break up the large block of yellow. Perhaps just darkening the center line a bit might do it, or adding something to the flat of the blade, dunno. The character itself has hit a nice point of detail i think

[aqua03]

Thanks. Yeah, the sword is the hardest part to look right. I've experimented a bit with a gradient, but it didn't look right. It does have runes on it, but that part is covered up when placed on his back. Might experiment a bit with the runes idea I had, though.

[hjfsdh2222]

I would say use less colors but more shading. Shading goes a longer way than color I feel. And add highlights to make the armor look metallic

[aqua03]

Thanks. I've actually kind of struggling with where to put the shading and highlights, but I'll keep experimenting to see if I can find something that works.

[amortelito]

Your character design is very good! stnmaren's is right about the contrast. Maybe you don't need to put shades if your style is very "bold color" or color plaster. At times super detailed stuff looks weird around bold plaster simple characters. But you can put some lights. I call them "Dot and coma" XD All you do is add lines an dots in the center of the figure (not in the edges) and it instantly makes it look metallic. It takes very little effort. I hope it helps a little.
(quick example)

[aqua03]

Neat. That's a great idea! Thanks for the tips. I'll probably try to experiment with that style a bit to see how I like it. (Might not make it so shiny because he kind of looks a bit "plasticy" with that many highlights if you know what I'm saying.)

[amortelito]

Sure, It was just an quick example :3 I'm sure you will make it work.

[aqua03]

Thanks for the encouragement.

[Rhonder]

Ahhh even just that little bit of definition to the edge of the blade helps a lot I'll also be stealing this technique because even for a quick example, looks pretty good!

[aqua03]

Indeed, although i was thinking of maybe giving it a bit of a redesign to make it more distinct and unique looking.

[amortelito]

it is a very easy way to make your drawings pop, and metals indeed need sharper lines so that they don't look plastic. The master of the " dot and coma" highlights is Digimon anime!! They almost never use gradients or any complex coloring, thye mostly use very basic highlights. Is very helpful to watch how they solve textures.

[Rhonder]

Ooo I love me some digimon! I'll keep that in mind as study material sometime.

[aqua03]

I've been meaning on watching Digimon sometime. (Fun Fact: Some concepts I saw in Digimon when i watched a retrospective on it actually helped partially inspire some of the concepts in the comic I'm working on.)

[inkythoughts]

i tried to make some adjustments to add more contrast, i made the pink yellow since it sticks out more but if you want to keep the pink that's totally fine

I think the yellow is actually a good idea as it calms the whole design down a bit because I find it very busy with the pink. I also recommend watching a few tutorials that deal with character design on youtube, I found them very helpful. Here are some that I consider quite good/eye-opening:

1 2 3

I also would say to take just 1-2 focal points in the design that kind of lead the eye. Think about what is the most important feature in your design and built it from there. If you want the sword to stand out more, give it more attention by giving the rest less instead of randomly adding details that compete again with the rest.
It might also help to have a more neutral background as your character is already very bright, with the orange I personally find it a bit difficult to see what belongs to the character and what is background. It's also easier on the eye.