Same-face and Non-same-face

Inspector_Spinda 2016-09-06 21:48:59 UTC #1

Share your examples of same-face and non-same-face. I just want to get some ideas on character diversity.

Edit: Probably should've done this earlier, but here it is now. From my hero Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys manga.

Among this different works there are examples of same-face, but it is an intentional method used based on the "actor" he envisions in the role. However, within a manga, everyone looks different.

joannekwan 2016-09-06 21:59:54 UTC #2

Like the diversity within our own casts?

spadesart 2016-09-06 22:27:52 UTC #3

The biggest offender of same face is probably anime

Another I'd say is Honey Lemon from Big Hero 6 being pretty much indistinguishable from Rapunzel

As for non same face I'd say Steven Universe is super good with diverse characters

it's the biggest influence/inspiration for me when it comes to designing diverse characters so it's the first that came to mind.

Inspector_Spinda 2016-09-06 23:47:53 UTC #4

Yes, but not racial or sexual. I mean character designs. Do all your characters look like those adoptables where the same base is used and it is pretty much the same thing except hairstyle and eye color, or is there variation in design

Inspector_Spinda 2016-09-06 23:49:10 UTC #5

though steven universe seems to really like that neon blue color for some reason. lol. you're right though it is really good.

joannekwan 2016-09-07 00:02:46 UTC #6

Here's a drawing I did a while ago stripping my male characters from three separate series of their hair and facial hair showing the difference in their faces.

I try my best to make everyone different and unique when without clothes/color.

Inspector_Spinda 2016-09-07 01:35:50 UTC #7

yes. I follow Demon House. Your faces are very good

joannekwan 2016-09-07 01:44:25 UTC #8

Thanks!

NickRowler 2016-09-07 04:27:20 UTC #9

Same face...

Sailor Moon...they also have the same bodies

The Care Bears...

Strawberry Shortcake

Tho personally I don't think I should be too judgemental...a lot of my characters have very similar faces.

joannekwan 2016-09-07 04:37:33 UTC #10

Okay, the Care Bears one cracked me up! XD

Can't really blame shows that were just meant to sell merchandise though, it's cheaper to use the same molds and patterns for toys.

shazzbaa 2016-09-07 04:48:28 UTC #11

People keep talkin like anime is the epitome of sameface but like

america is not immune

As for my own characters --
I did that Character Variety Meme not too long ago! I've done this one a few times before and it's really helped me notice when my characters were too similar in ways I didn't realise. Relevant excerpt:

I definitely have a tendency towards scrawny guys, but I try my best to make everyone distinct even when my preferences are showing. :>

MidZM 2016-09-07 04:56:17 UTC #12

It can be difficult at times but I do try to keep a bit of diversity in how my characters look from one another, especially in the chin and jaw region. (Some of these characters are drawn in the older way and some are drawn in the newer way if some of the clothes/hair look a little odd)

Though sometimes characters will take on the appearance of others if I make a slight line failure

AnnaLandin 2016-09-07 05:24:37 UTC #13

As someone who struggles with partial face-blindness - I can recognise people when I meet them, and I know what people look like, but if I try to visualise the face of someone who is not right there in front of me at the time, I find I can only visualise their face as individual features, and am unable to assemble those into a coherent face; it's a bit like alphabet soup, only with facial features - I am constantly fighting to make sure I don't get stuck in the same-face swamp.

The first example that sprang to mind from someone else is Junjou Romantica:

I know you won't believe me, but there are actually six different individual characters on that page, and not just colour-swapped repeats of the same guy over and over again.

But as I said, because of that partial face blindness, I push my own characters' faces into being as different from one another as I can manage:

Inspector_Spinda 2016-09-07 05:39:22 UTC #14

maybe it gets easier if you practice drawing some people from life first? has anyone tried this successfully?

jennula 2016-09-07 05:46:07 UTC #15

I really love all the examples here <3

I really like looking at people's facial features, and sometimes, I need to just stop looking at them because I get weird ^^; I really like constructing faces and make cool ones (but I hate drawing portraits of people I know, haha).

For SPEJS, I've tried my best to make the four main characters as diverse in faces, silhouettes, heights, body types and so on, to make them easy to recognize from each other, even if I drew them in just black and white.

mintycanoodles 2016-09-07 05:53:30 UTC #16

i mean i could keep going but

tbh tho same face syndrome doesn't usually stop me from enjoying something. sailor moon, adventure time, plenty of disney movies - they've got sfs pretty bad. still enjoyable.

StrangeVision 2016-09-07 05:55:42 UTC #17

Aw man, I gotta show a non-same-face anime after all those examples to balance it out! Good ole' Cowboy Bebop. Quality anime don't suffer so painfully from the same-face situation. At least not as blatantly.

Mharz 2016-09-07 10:21:54 UTC #18

Well I gotta site a same face comic that is not anime, so here:

I'm a fan of Archie don't get me wrong. Sure there are some characters that are unique but most of the time they look the same especially the eyes. Heck I'd even confuse Alexandra Cabot (7C) from Veronica if it weren't for that white highlight on her hair.

On a side note, a non same face I could site albeit not comics is Professor Layton series.

Some girl characters might look the same but most of the time the have many variations.

As for my own drawings. I try to make them to look as different and recognizable from each other as possible but I admit that I'm totally guilty of not having variations of noses... and chin... and mouth. XD Please forgive me.

Kayke 2016-09-07 15:35:51 UTC #19

Even though the art in the show isn't always the best (depending on the series) Scooby Doo is a good example of characters with distinct faces.

Even though the style is simple it manages to avoid the whole 'all the girls look the same' thing that Josie and the Pussycats definitely fell victim to.

Since my style is really simple, I try to give everyone different noses so at least that's something... I also do more subtle stuff, like giving them each expressions that the other characters don't make. The first two faces are siblings, so they have same face on purpose hahah.

(also excuse how sketchy these are, I did them with ballpoint pen on a break at work)

shazzbaa 2016-09-07 17:52:57 UTC #20

Ooo, the humanæ tumblr might be a good resource for this? You could scroll through and pick people to draw, or go to http://humanae.tumblr.com/random to get a random entry!