Let's Muse about Character Creation

[Lady_T_Musings]

Hey, Y’all I’m Lady T. and I make the new adult fantasy comic MagicalMashup!

Today I wanted to talk about how we create original characters.

Before I started world-building for my comic I doodled OCs. I started with doing insert characters for my favorite fandoms but then moved past that once I realized I wanted to break out of those premade worlds with their own styles and try my hand at finding my own stylistic voice.

When creating characters I used to just doodle until I went “Yeah…that’s it.” And this worked for a while, but the more I developed as a person and as an artist that started to get outside of my own head and experience more of the world around me, the more thought I started to put into these doodles. The more attention I gave when considering their looks, and the more I started to think about them as characters and the stories I could make using them.

Two of my oldest OCs are two mermen who are helplessly in love with each other. They were inspired by Strawberries (Berry) & Seaweed (weedy) bc at the time I was just getting into Bleach and sushi lol and I had a group of art gal pals that would bounce prompt ideas off of each other. One said merfolk and I ran with it! I drew those two silly merdude dopes for about 5 years. Through those 5 years, I figured out how they met, why they were on land, how they got legs, what their relationship dynamic is like, and shoot even started to experiment with body types as Berry started to gain weight after living on the surface and really getting into desserts. These two also helped me to start developing the world I have created for my comic, but talking about that is a whole other topic tbh.

I digress haha. The point I’m making is that’s how I developed characters for most of my artistic career. I kinda just doodled until something I like spoke to me, but I didn’t put much thought into why they looked the way they did. That wasn't until I started drawing Junah and Kaelen.

Their creation marks a point in my life when I realized I had the power to be the change I wanted to see in the media I consume. I shifted my focus to the lack of representation for my specific interest (plus size/fat charters in leading roles that have stories not revolving around their weight) that's fueled by subverting certain tropes, check out my response, and some others who got the fire in them on subverting tropes and cliches that get them feeling some kind of way post. My plus-size gal would be fully realized to the best of my abilities as a character with thoughts, drive, and feelings, and I also wanted her to be desired (not by everyone, but definitely SOMEones). There are other tropes I’m also working to subvert in my comic when it comes to the type of representation folks get (like mixing up gender norms, relationship status quos, thoughts on sex, normalizing the beauty in all kinds of folks, etc.), but I’m taking my time and trying to do these folk’s justice.

With those thoughts in mind, I started to concept Junah.

(I realized this one was literally a self insert for myself and decided to sideline her for something else)
Though I did a few sketches, it really didn’t take long for me to find her as I knew what I wanted to make when I created her, but I did have a few interpretations of which direction I wanted her to go in. Some of her prototypes are even characters in my current comic bc I liked them so much.

IDK about y’all but I don’t believe in wasting a character sketch. Even if they aren’t what I’m looking for, I store them away bc they can be used for something later, even if it’s filler characters in the background… I will use them XD.

So let me know your thoughts and processes on creating your characters. How have y’all gone about character creation in the past vs how you do it now? Any motivations for why you make the characters you do, or maybe your story's first characters later? Let’s muse about it!

TLDR: I didn’t think much in the past about the characters I made, but over time started to draw characters that I wanted to see more of as I can be the change I want to see using my art and from there I started to develop stories. Tell me about your Character making process!

[Pony_wearing_a_hat]

The process of crafting the characters in my novel is kind of interesting. I wanted them all to fit around the same theme of people who used to advise and teach and preach on things they knew little to nothing about. So I ended up with my columnist, my quack professor, and my parental figure. The last two I did something a little different with. I have someone who used to have that attitude of convicting on what they had little knowledge on, but has managed to work their way out of, and I had a character who was the victim of people accusing him of doing the same to a damaging extent.

I also wanted each characters who clashed against each other and were all very opinionated and outspoken, so each character had to be built on the way in which they interrupt and tick off the others. I have a rude, brash character, a character who overanalyzes others, a moralizer, and an attention seeker.

Eventually they evolved and grew as I explored their personalities, until I had characters who each connotated with an aspect of myself or my life, many of them representing negative things I have done and been and experienced. It was all very therapeutic.

So... yeah.

[Lady_T_Musings]

Oh, that is a pretty interesting way to go about making characters for real. Reading about them sounds like an interesting way to subvert expectations and also provide a different angle of flawed characters that aren't highlighted that much as characters like that usually aren't the leads in stories D:.

They sounded like a group that never had quiet moments XD.

Yooo I love that evolution Pony! Evolving your characters to literally incorporate parts of yourself over time as part of your own development and self-care is baller!

[GamerPrincessXI]

Super Cuteeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

[TheGentleArtist]

In the past, I just created characters from: a random idea, amalgamation of ideas, inspiration from things I like and etc., Then I would just draw them because I liked them; but they were heavily anime inspired. A change came about when I became more invested with the characters I drew when I started thinking about making a comic and thought a lot about the protag and the world he lived in. This thinking process expanded as I wonder how my other characters would act, look, how they live in the world, what their world would be like and such; that was when I moved from anime-esque to semi-realism, constantly practicing (on and off XD) until I got it. My creativity was going off with stories.

The art change tied in well with my perception and observant self as I notice a lot of detail and incorporated in my drawings that caused my characters to be more life-like, in a sense, and distinct to each other. I'm still learning of course as I am getting used to adding in hair strands and flow pattern. This is where my love for colors come in as I wanted to try different color combinations and see how they look; plus see how far they can be stretched.

When I go about making a character, I go for the personality first (sometimes I go for concepts first) and work off with that either by expanding on it or just put one aspect of my own personality and just blow it up. Then, I follow it up with a design that best suits them; then I make the world around them, though this is interchangeable as I can start worldbuilding first then character creation, I digress though ^__^;. After the design, I just draw them and with each drawing the design might change as I notice any mistakes and whatnot by second nature. This is how the cast for Tokyo Star Memories changed drastically compared to their earlier designs and one of them got a recent, minor change to their hair. Cool thing is that my style is still evolving, so my character creation from now will change a lot.

I do agree about the unused character sketches. I still have my old sketchbooks with old character sketches that I want to go back and try and draw them in my current style.

[Lady_T_Musings]

Anime was my first big motivation for getting me to start drawing seriously at first too. Good old DBZ. We share a lot in common in that regard and to how we originally made characters. that's what's up!

Yeah for sure. looking out to the world around you for inspiration is what's up. My grasp on being able to draw a body definitely started to improve once I started drawing actual people.

Ok then personality first then looks come later, got chu! Yeah being the creator or said world gives you all the freedom to mold and shape around the characters you build until you lock it in and make it cannon. I mean there are still retcons, but yeah. That's always a neat thing to witness over the course of working on your story. Seeing how your characters evolve over time to where they are now. It's always neat to look back at and one of the main reason I don't delete my DA page, been though it definitely makes me cringe some days haha.

That could be a fun exercise to do, just dig out the old book and redraw a character and compare the then to now.

[Lady_T_Musings]

Ty Princess! I've been working on my darlings for such a long time and I can't wait to see how they change as I continue my journey as a comic creator and artist!

[Inspector_Spinda]

I've actually redraw a lot of my original OCs from 2013 fairly recently (2017). Character design is differently my favorite part of drawing and I've changed a lot about how I approach it over the years. Part of this is a change in my interests of genre (from fantasy to slice of life) and part of it is just me getting better generally.

This one was my first OC for my first comic. I really didn't have much in my head for her when I did the design. Most of my designs back then were just based on what would look "cool". I think I knew about things like having your character designs be based on what the character was, but I just wasn't very good at coming up with ideas, so most of my designs were a bit generic or random.

The design for my main character of my current comic was done originally in 2017. This time I had a really clear idea about what I wanted from the beginning so his original design is more or less exactly the same as it is right now. I pretty much had everything from how I wanted his body language to be to his general attitude and voice. Some of the details were not totally fleshed out, but I more or less thought about the archetype of the kind of character I wanted.

He is also kind of a "break the stereotypes" character, but not as deep as yours. He is a vampire, but I wanted to write a vampire character with a very detailed human life who's vampirism wasn't so much a gift or curse, but just kind of a bummer. It is very much a parody of things that might happen if an average joe was a vampire.

Jan 2019

August 2020

[joannekwan]

When I was a kid, all the characters I made were simply emulations of cartoons and books I consumed.
Now I put a bit more thought into it. xDD

For Demon House, I specifically wanted my protagonist to stand out a little from the humans of other series that involved demons at the time, so I made her a chubby Filipina. Filipina since that is an ethnicity I don't see much of in media. She is also chubby because her initial inspiration for her personality and such was based on my irl friend who is plus-sized.

(her during finals lol)

Also since I grew up in a city with a large Muslim population, I felt compelled to include characters of that faith into my stories, particularly after 9/11. It's my own way to combat discrimination. So I designed Tula's best friend Faiza, and later Hadi for my story Sarota Springs thusly.

I also have a spot in my heart for Asian male protagonists seen through a western lens. So I made these two dudes (from my series Erie Waters and At Ease respectively.)

Going back to wanting my protagonist to stand out among others in similarly themed stories. That was my whole thought process with Patience in Secunda. In a lot of the monster x girl couples I'd seen online, the human girl was nearly always white, pretty, and innocent. I flipped that entirely with Patience's design.

I made her a shade of brown, light enough so that her background is ambiguous and people in her historically-based setting of 1900's Maryland wouldn't raise their eyebrows too high, but dark enough that she knows she's not white. I gave her some serious burn scars, something that would really detract from most people's vision of 'beauty', so that it turned the notion of 'beauty and the beast' around. And I made her not that innocent: once she experiences good sex, she loves it. I also went out of my way to avoid describing her as pretty, petite, delicate, slender, fair, and so forth because she is hardly any of those things.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

For me, character creation is all about doing new stuff I've never done before, and more stuff I don't see very often. I'm trying to expand my repertoire, make unique characters, and explore underrepresented demographics at the same time.

Often this means making characters who are older than average, younger than average, have "ethnic" names or features, and most importantly, rarely meet neurotypical expectations. I have NO desire to purposefully create 'normal' characters; if it turned out that all my MCs exhibited some degree of neurodivergence, I'd give myself a pat on the back for a job well done. ^^

Anyway, one strategy I use to diversify my casts is something I call 'leaving holes': if I can't decide on a certain character trait, I omit it entirely, and find a way to make up the difference. Like, if I can't decide if a character should be a boy or a girl: surprise! They're neither!

To give a better, more recent example: for the life of me, I couldn't decide what this character's voice should sound like. I'd try to imagine her speaking in my head and nothing would stick. So I recently decided to make her mute.

And it's exciting, 'cause "woah, a mute magical girl"! Uncharted territory, y'know? And it adds some nuance to her established personality as an introvert (it's difficult for her to communicate with others...fortunately she doesn't mind) and opens up new possibilities for some of her established character traits (maybe she likes wearing bright, unusual clothes as a nonverbal way to express herself?).

A lot of my disabled characters result from similar thought processes...I had a character who used to be a cyborg, and when I translated her to a human I really wanted to keep a certain design element on the side of her head...so it became a hearing aid.
I have another character with a sort of goth-punk aesthetic, and I envisioned his legs being covered with metal accessories...which became leg braces. ^^ I haven't actually drawn him yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Stuff like this makes creating characters even more fun than it already is, and it's hard to resist the temptation to make new ones all the time...which is why I've gotten back into novel-writing, I guess. It's less of an investment than starting comics, but gives more room to work creatively than random OC drawings posted on social media. ^^

[Inspector_Spinda]

your yellow magical girl is so fun! it reminds me of some old french costumes

[MeltingCORE]

I love the two mermen aww. And I love that you talked about wanting to be the representation you needed. I've done this myself with characters who suffer from mental illness. Far too often we get crappy characters that "tee hee hear voices and are crazy killers!" ...which is lazy and gross. It always comes from people who have never experienced these disorders and as such, reduce us into archetypes. It's offensive. As someone who actually has one of these conditions, I've always have refracted myself into all of my characters. My "Red Shift" ocs are all different facets of the mind personified into living, breathing... well, aliens lol.

Tilde is anxiety and wants freedom.

Stellar is pain against the wrongdoings of her world.

Marraxa is uncontrollable rage.

Una is bravery against fear-

etc!

[Lady_T_Musings]

Yooooo that evolution is wild You been working hard out there!

Yo it be like that at the start sometimes. Cool, Cooler, Coolest was the motto back in the day at the drawing table so I feel you there.

Yeah having an idea for how you want to build a character over free-balling it totally works on so many levels of storytelling and in design too. Neat that you also brought up the voice bc that's something I only recently started to think more about, but it's totally a part of the character and really helps me get in the headspace for when I'm thinking dialogue.

I actually love that reversal a ton! Vampire just trying to live in these modern times with the it is what it is outlook XD. I'm a fan of cryptids in general being casual though too.

[Lady_T_Musings]

We had to get started somewhere hahah!

I love her face and posture in that pic haha XD! Like I feel every bit if tension and exhaustion from her right there. Yassss inspiration from those around you a I love it!

I'm sipping some warm tea right now and just nodding my head. Yes, Yes, Mnhmnn. Get that posi rep!

Flip the dang thang! You right though I'm always a fan of seeing more women in romantic/relationship centered stories being more open to their wants and down to do a little somethin-something when the mood arises over all bashful all the time. Like it happens, but c'mon y'all it's ok to change it up. She allowed to know what she is doing and what she wants. This doesn't diminish her as a fully realized character at ALL.

Ok, she is beautiful though and I love the detail you did for her burn scars

Gawsh I have so much reading to get caught up on and your stories are some I'm looking forward to reaching!
Yeah, those words can go sit in time out for a few decades :V.

[Lady_T_Musings]

All things I live for and all things that can go together and make amazing works of art and tell awesome stories with

I'll give you a pat on the back too! I love the degree of conscious thought you have when trying to make sure you are diversifying your characters through not only looks but also mentally and emotionally. That's pretty baller and I'm here for it!

'Leaving Holes" I love that. I totally agree with it bc I feel it's totally legit to not have every little thing about a character completely figured out and that it's ok to have ambiguity bc it be like that in life so why not in fiction. To quote a tweet I read the other day "Be ok with not knowing." Somethings just aren't everyone's business to know so boom. In regards to character creation, this just adds another layer to a character and it can be just that and that's pretty cool.

Well isn't she dashing! Thanks for showing a practical application for what you mean bc Leaving Holes can really be used in various areas of character development. I love how having no voice increased her expression and that's just swoon-worthy character detailing right there.

Ahh, those are some exciting character concepts you got brewing!!

Yo, I totally feel you there. I've been working on my writing quite a bit and it's defiantly faster to write my comic than drawing it, but I'm sticking to drawing it, but doing illustrated prose is defiantly something I want to do more for short story ideas in such.

[Lady_T_Musings]

Awee ty, I Still have a fondness for them and haven't thrown them away, just put them to rest for a while XD. You know how it is out here in these comic/novel streets . If you can make it you have to be the rep you want to see out here. I'm just glad that there are folks like us who can and do make the rep we want.

Ugh that is gross, tiered a-f, and lazy

Ohh I adore how you've broken down these aspects of yourself into your characters!

I also really like how you paint with a blended aesthetic that makes every look like it's moving when static, that's really cool, shoot even the drawing in black and white captures this feel with eh inclusion of all the lines overlayed. Keep making in your truth!

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I mostly just create characters to fill a need in the story. Don't really put a whole lot into them beyond what the story needs.

Though, I do love writing villains. The more unredeemable they are, the better. Something I like about classic storytelling is that not everything has to be explained, a villain doesn't have to have a tragic past, they could just be...rotten to the core.

When it comes to designing them, I usually have an idea in mind for a while, and then I wait until the last minute before a character appears in the comic to try and draw them. XD
Other times characters just pop into existence after a doodle and I realize, crap, this guy is a character now.
And finally, I do base quite a few characters off of mythologies but then I change them drastically until they no longer resemble they're original forms.

[Lady_T_Musings]

It be like that sometimes XD.

I can see the fun in being able to make characters that just are what they seem. There is space for all kinds of stories to be told and that's what's up! It's nice to read something sometimes and be able to just really not like a character bc they are .

hahaha, necessity begets progress and through history, we can learn innovation.

[OffBased]

It looks like you already had a lot of Junah and Kaelan’s personalities down even in these older sketches. The more things change, the more they stay the same I guess. Great to see them finally meet in MagicalMashup!

I tend to think of story first. Many of my characters are made to serve some purpose in the plot. Maybe I’ll make an engineer character building something for the villains and then I’m like, “how did this guy get into this profession? Are their friends the same line of work? How did they land at this job they’re doing right now? Are they okay with it?” The questions keep on coming, and soon enough, I’ve got a good base. I can mold it later (especially because of my pantser tendencies) but it’s something to start with.

Once I got that, I start designing. Pages and pages of face and body sketches are made until I find some ideas that feel like that character. Any standout features like a scar or tattoo? Then I figure out what would this guy like to wear, or be allowed to wear? Loooots of fun reference hunting ensues.

This is my general process right now, because I don’t remember what went through my head designing characters years ago. Many of them were derivative anyway.
I made this demon fighting guy with a giant sword and I based his outfit off of Kirito (SAO was regrettably one of my gateway anime...) Earlier than that, I made a house cat who became a villain but she was pretty much just Mojo Jojo since I loved Powerpuff Girls. I like going through old ideas like those though—sometimes they can be inspiration for a new thing!

[Lady_T_Musings]

Once I got my girl down everything else flowed. Kaelen's hair is the biggest change he's had over the years. Gave him all the volume (had to act like he was trying to catch up bc Junah had it all haha). True that, true that. Hehehehheeee

I love the train of though you have going for when your developing characters. Sounds like a might fine start if I do say so myself. I'm still pretty superficial when designing as I tend to revamp old characters to give them new purpose. BUT once I started drawing the my comic things started to change as I ran through all my old ocs and had to design new folks. That's when I started thinking more and more about personality, occupation and even species when designing folks. Mainly support cast and in background peeps since I done went and made a magical world with magical beings all over it hanging out together pft.

You see, all that preliminary sketching and fine tuning characters is why all ya dragons look so unique and have so much life even though they are on a static page. Not just them but your character designs period, just

Ayyyyeee we all start somewhere, mine was DBZ lol. hahahah mojo evil kitty jojo sounds hilarious though!. You know I agree on finding inspo in the past XD!