Need help sprucing up my designs

[Next121]

Hello.

It had been a long time since I posted three of my character designs. I know that I am only a beginner, and I feel that someone needs to let me know if my designs are a little to kiddish or not. I'm going for a thick outline and colorful sort of style similar to "My Life as a Teenage Robot" or something to that effect. I am using Medibang and Krita to create my work with a little help from this thing called a Slate. The Slate basically allows me to draw on paper and at the same time it will be translated digitally. I also completely forgot about my student Photoshop subscription. My problem right now is that I do not fully know my way around these programs.

Here's what I have managed to work on digitally so far, but it's not a whole lot:

I'm sorry if I'm being impatient.

[gh0stcr33p]

the first thing I noticed was that the character's hand was in front of the...( is it a gun? that's what I'm assuming it is) rather than holding it. as for the design itself I think the colors are too repetitive and don't have enough contrast. the dark grey of the shirt could be darker, I think the horns, tail and grey portions of the wings should be black and maybe change the eye color to something that isn't the same as the other greys you use such as a light blue or red. you could also try using different shades of purple rather than the same one over and over. same goes for the lighter grey in everything else. I can't give advice on the programs you use because I have no experience with them.. hope that helps though

[TheGarbager]

It is never too late nor too early to start working on your comics. In all my life span I have filled many notebooks with many stories on them and just recently decided to take them to the next level by posting them on tapas and many other sites, so I'll root for you.

Now regarding the tools you use, there's a ton of Tutorials on youtube and Udemy courses for specific programs, I think you should start from trying to understand the basics like Layers use, Type of layers, Lasso tool, image resolution, dpi, etc. Also Keep in mind the kind of content you do will depend on which software and tools you should rely on, Personally I love using Clip Studio Paint Pro (Which is specifically oriented with the creation of comics), Photoshop and I own a Wacom tablet, by now I'd say what you have at your disposal is good so, you won't have any problem althought it isn't a bad idea to experiment with different softwares and learn which ones you like or find easier to use.

Also, never forget to always keep improving your own ArtStyle, always keep practicing coloring, lineart and Porportions (Even chibi characters have their tricks!), expressions, and writing skills, etc. You are a beginner so... Go at your own pace, there's no rush, have fun with the process.

And remember Tools =/= Talent

[spadesart]

if youre looking to mlaatr for inspo, id suggest looking into the concept art and model sheets to study how they incorporate outfits and shapes in the designs. while its a simple style, they put a lot of thought into it.

to start, id play around more with how an outfit would add balance and shape to the body rather than suction it to the character. even if its mostly skin tight you could play with different body shapes or extra gear. incorporating straight lines to offset curves can also create a really pleasing effect.

[Next121]

I meant to say Illustrator, not Photoshop.

[JRHoch]

Yes, the design aspect is really important.