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Published: 2011-02-01 00:28:35 +0000 UTC; Views: 1500; Favourites: 18; Downloads: 0
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Description
My first attempt at designing the major characters for a graphic novel idea I’m working on
with Michael and Cory being the main two.(I apologize for the horribly lazy hands and shoes; those are unfinished. Please do not critique the fancy border thing
)Specific questions I have:
Cory has mild rosacea. Do his cheeks suggest a skin condition rather than blushing or whatever? Pockets is supposed to look androgynous. Does she appear more like a boy or a girl, or does she pretty much look in the middle? Does Reese’s face match the others? I struggled with the size of his eyes, since part of his heritage is Korean. Holly is attractive, but not super gorgeous. Does her face need to be prettified at all?General questions:
Do any of the characters look “out of place” in terms of proportions or how they were drawn? Do any of the characters look too formulaic, as in having a design that’s overused? Are any of the colors not working? What would you like to see instead of a certain color used?-----notes-----
-- Cory has no outdoor clothing because he’s very tolerant of cold
-- Cory’s lame tattoos are placeholders until I figure out what they’re gonna be lol
-- Holly is Michael’s sister, her maiden name is in parenthesis
-- Haven't decided on ages, but they’re not all that far apart from each other (except Dustin)
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Comments: 56
Oh wow I forgot about these designs! I should revamp em...
Thanks, good to know, I'm still interested in knowing what people's first impressions are of Pockets!
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My main critique would be to push silhouettes a bit more. The woman has a very nice silhouette in the top row, without her hat, but otherwise the silhouettes all look very similar(I don't know how much you know about silhouettes, but if you have strong silhouettes, it helps to strengthen your character designs quite a bit. It's one of the first things I learned in college about character designs). Anyway, I really like the characters overall though. They all look really cute and have their own personalities. ^^
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Oh dang, I should take the "please critique" thing off this cuz it's so old
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No problem! ^^
Yeah, I know how it is. XD I've left stuff like that up before too.
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Hello!! I have done a portrait of Pockets.. haha.. after so long.. hope you like it!! [link]
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Oh, you remembered our art trade! Thank you so much! 
I had cancelled all my art trades cuz I had too much stuff on my hands. I announced it in a journal, but it didn't occur to me that some of the people I was trading with aren't watching me, so they wouldn't see that journal 
The predicament is I'm working on an intensive project, and on top of that I'm having wrist problems, so I won't be able to do yours for quite some time... So unfortunately it'll be a long wait for you 
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haha.. its alright.. just that this trade has been sitting at the back of my head since a very long time ago.. haha well i am in the process of making good my trades since i got the time in my hands right now..
no hurries.. get well and get started, when you have the time
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Thank you for understanding!
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Heeeey, I’m late to the party.
I really like the look of this group. They all look really different, but not in terms of style, so they fit together well.
Michael comes across as the most ordinary character, but he’s fine the way he is. I can’t think of any improvements aside from increasing the length of his trousers, unless you meant to show off his ankles.
Cory is the least dynamic character out of the whole group. He seems to be lacking something (Oh, I know, outdoor wear! Lol, jk). So here’s a meager suggestion: give him boat shoes and don’t make the socks visible. That’s what Will likes to wear, and it looks good… so somehow, I think that would help Cory’s image as well, lol
I was surprised that Pockets was a girl and not a boy. I kept looking at her again and again, saying to myself “she’s still boyish,” and then, “actually, she passes for a girl.” If you’re concerned about Pockets looking too masculine, I’d say one of the things to work on is probably her shirt collar. I was also going to suggest putting a crease in her shirt to hint at the presence of boobs… but then that would make it too obvious, huh? Aside from that, I think she looks good. I love her orange shirt (since orange is my favorite color), but as someone pointed out, it doesn’t work well with her skin tone… I hope you can keep the orange and just rework its tone, since orange is such an awesome color ya know.
I think that the character who needs the most work is Holly. She looks kinda funky. For example, I think her shoulders are a bit too broad. As others have stated, her face is off as well… You can’t give her eyebrows which are thicker than her brother’s! XD Her chin and nose are also weird, but I think you only need to work on one or the other, not both, in order to improve her image and make her look more feminine.
I have nuthin constructive to say about either Reese or Dustin. I like them as they are. Reese looks really cool, and Dustin is a cute kid.
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Hurray, Spatty!
I don't necessarily want Michael to look ordinary... He's wearing his work clothes, since he's a teacher he has to dress nice. BUT I want him to be a snazzy dresser in the first place, so he seems like he's wearing work clothes 24/7
A lot of people have been pointing out Cory... in all honesty, I can't see it, cuz he's supposed to be a really simple, laid back, kinda gritty guy, but I suppose if everyone sees him as boring, I should do something about it. I do agree that he needs different shoes. I'm not sure what I could do for the rest of his clothes though...
I'd would rather Pockets look more masculine than feminine, but I don't want her to look like she CAN'T pass as a girl, so I'm glad you said she does. I thought about hinting at boobs too, but the second you do that, she becomes an obvious girl
Yeah, as I told you IRL, I'm totally changing Holly lol. When I drew her I didn't really have an image in my head for how she should look, but I wanted to finish the character sheets!
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Oh, hmmm... I didn't mean to say anything like "ordinary as in boring," but "ordinary as in the everyday working man." But now that I know he's a snazzy dresser... Hm, there's something about his tie. Like, it needs to be a little slimmer, with a smaller knot. I also think he could try going for more simple designs in his tie, unless that design you have on him now is significant someway.
On the other hand, if he likes having unique patterns, he should have a dozen different ties.
Oh, and I would definitely recommend the longer slacks, since his pants are a lil nerdy right now
Everyone's outfits have something going on, like layering or a more obvious pattern, and Cory doesn't have that. I think that's why everyone is pointing him out. He's missing something.
But you shouldn't have to force a pattern on him or whatever (I suppose you wouldn't wanna do that anyway if it clashes with his tattoos). Just try changing one thing at a time. For example, if you give him different shoes, that may help to bring his image together. You may not need to touch the rest of his clothes.
I think that knowing that Pockets is a girl, that idea grows on you. Eventually, I just saw her as a girl, not a boy, even though she doesn't have such a female figure. Her face is pretty, so that helps, lol. If you've been reading The Meek and taken a look at Soli, you shouldn't be too afraid of trying to find the perfect balance of androgyny... I think I had more trouble seeing Soli as a girl than I did Pockets
If it doesn't work to make her shirt more yellowish, you could try going the opposite direction and make it more reddish.
I think her pants are fine the way they are, but you should experiment with her look if you want to.
Oooops, I fergot what you said about Holly cus I was tryin to be as constructive as possible 
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Oh no, now I feel clueless about tie shapes lol... But yeah, I want him to own exciting ties--leaning more towards artistic designs than ridiculous ones though. (I got that snowflake pattern idea from Sarah's pajama pants
Yeah, I'll change Cory's shoes and see how that goes. But I've always kinda not liked his shorts--I like the color but not how I drew them--so maybe that should be adjusted too. Like if you cover up the bottom half of him and just look at him waist up, he looks fine. So I think I need to work on the bottom half
Oops, Meek...
I didn't think of making the shirt more red... I'll try that too
Yeah!
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Nooo, it's not that you got the tie shape wrong, it's just that (to me) it looks more snazzy if the tie is slimmer. It might not matter much
Oh yeah, I guess you're right about his pants... I just didn't want you to think, "Oh, I guess everyone thinks he's boring... time to change EVERYTHINGGG"
Read The Meek '_'
Yaaay, based on what you said, it sounds like Pockets' image is nearly finalized.
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dude and i have an idea emmm why dont you give an a personality to the blond guy kinda weird like
ok he is old he works an a office so boring but
despite beeing adult he keeps its soul young like a kid
he is a day-dreamer,and when not working he likes to follow hes instincts
another character i like is the kid,with that expressions and if you draw his arms crossed he would look very confident ,he could be confident,he likes to tell what he thinks and break rules that he thinks they opressed the free expression of human kind ,he is a free spirit almost a libertine in a good way.
wich will contrast with its mom that is strict,very calculator she thinks that the rules never have to be braked and be followd by your brain and not your heart not your feellings
uff i was kinda inspired i think,,hope this serves you
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I'm happy that you're trying to help with their development, I've already got them fleshed out though.
The blonde guy (Michael) is a high school math teacher for a low-income school, where the majority of the students aren't doing well. He's one of the few teachers that are very successful with the students, because of how much he involves them in his classroom and how much time he devotes to making sure they stay out of trouble. His personality seems abrasive at first because of what he's gone through in his life, but he really cares about his students succeeding (among other things).
As for the kid (Dustin), he has autism. He speaks very energetically and intelligently, and seems like a genius when it comes to sharks and ocean life. But his autism causes him social difficulties and coping problems, and his mother has to deal with that and the fact that society looks at her child as less capable (Michael also deals with this, since Dustin is his nephew).
Haha, so you can see this story has a more realistic theme, though there is a major event that takes place that causes things to happen... which I can't reveal lol.
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wellllllllllllllllllllll
their ok then xd
and i kinda tried to make-up their personality not the things they go trugh their lives xd
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The reason I told you some of their background info is to show that they already have backgrounds and personalities 
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oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
right k
wellll damn xd
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sorry for all the comments haha
its because im writting or tryng to write a comic
just now i have the history and some characters and personalitys
and i kinda hemmmmm over reacted xd
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Don't worry about it
That's cool, are you gonna put any of your comic on deviantart?
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maybe later xd
i also want to do a pokemon comic
i have writted some ideas
do you wanna see what i have writted about KURUKU´S HAT? xxd
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Poses of who? You told me before that their poses lack personality
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i did?
well not remember xd
well i remember i liked their posses since the start xd
i said the other ones i didnt like
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dude the lil guy in the middle is very good
actually it looks like it could be an a starring character
i like its attitude and all,he looks cool
and the japanese guy is very good too
both look interesting and they show something(i dont know if im explaning)
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Haha... Okay, I gotta let you know that the person in the middle is a girl (if you read the writing below her, you'll see her real name is Cassandra, her nickname is Pockets). But I think you're right, out of all of them, Pockets looks the most interesting. I like how you suggested she could be a starring character, cuz that really changes the dynamic of the story when I think of it...
Also, the one with the glasses is part Korean and part Italian
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YO! no offense but i tought it was inspired in you phisicaly i mean
inspired in the drawing you made of you
cuz it looks like a male and brown skin as your drawing
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No worries!
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they all lack of personality,the one in the middle lol i think is you? xd it looks like
well the guy in the middle,the glasses one and the kid they kinda have some,but he seems gayish xd
but the others dont,the others seem so plane, and together they dont fit
if it is a comic,they seem lame the ones i didnt pointed out
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Well, as far as them looking plain, my goal is to make them look like everyday people that you could see in real life. The story is based in modern times, it's not fantasy or adventure, the characters face real-life challenges. I don't want them to look amazing or unusual
But I want to know what you mean by they lack personality. Is it because of their poses, expressions, clothes?
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Ooooh, it took me some time to get to see this. o:
I guess Cory needs a bit more fur, if you know what I mean.
Well, Pockets seems more like a boy as many people said there.
I THINK you made her shoulders too large for her hips, so, as in this sheet most of the characters are males and their shoulders are always larger than the hips, people might take it that Pocket has a male body or something like that.
BUT, androgynous girls aren't supposed to have a body like Holly that would tottaly suggest she's a girl, right?
And Holly needs more grooming, I guess.
But the rest is all okay, I like the style you used.
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For Cory, do you mean more facial hair, or more body hair like on his arms and legs?
You're right about Pockets' shoulders, I meant to do that
I agree about Holly
Thank you for the input!
P.S. This is actually my real style for humans. I've haven't really shown it until now
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Nah, I meant body hair... But he's looking good anyway.
And yeah, I guess Pocket's clothes are those kind of clothes that anyone would wear. XD
Maybe that is why she looks a bit too maleish
And you have a nice style. ^~^
I wish I had a style that would make my drawing recognizable for anyone... Like something you'll see around and say "hey, this is Ai's art"
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Yeah I definitely agree with him needing body hair. I wanted to put some on him originally, but I wasn't sure how to render that in a cartoony style!
Thank you! 
You should try lots of different styles to see which one is funnest for you!
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The holy references... *-*
Maybe in the end every artist already has their own style, that only will show up if it works with skills and improve... :/
That's a good thing, though. o.o'
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Yeah, I think that's how styles work too
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Ack! The message sent before I was done!
I think it wouldn't hurt to pretty Holly's face a little bit. A beauty mark wouldn't hurt, and probably would be the right amount added.
I think that's all I can think of. Hope it helps!
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Thanks for the critique!
I'm glad the skin condition is readable; I had a hard time translating rosacea into a cartoony style. I see what you mean about making it look less painted on!
Cool, while I don't want Pockets to seem totally like a boy, androgyny seems to work better if it's slightly more masculine.
I see what you mean about Reese's mouth... Compared to the others I always thought something was off, so I'll try that. I also suspected Holly needed to be prettied up a little too!
Thanks again for the input! It really helps to get other people's perspective on these guys, cuz I've spent way too much time looking at them lol. Also, thank you for the compliments 
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Let me know if you want other things to crit, I'll happily do so.
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Alrighty!
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I will crit and crit away!
First off, these designs are wonderful. They are interesting and pleasing to look at. They are unique, and very well-made. It'll be hard to crit XD but I will try.
At first, I thought Cory was sick instead of blushing, so I would say that your desire for his to have a skin condition was pulled off perfectly. I would probably blend it a little more, make the tone blend to his skin around the edges instead of looking like they were just painted on.
I thought Pockets was a boy at first, and on second glance, I still thought she was a boy. She looks very androgynous with her outside clothes, I think the goal is accomplished.
Reese's face does look a little strange compared to the others. I think it's the shape of his mouth, it looks a little... stubby. Widen it by a hair perhaps?
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Dang nice! Love the way you draw cartoon anatomy, especially the legs.
My only suggest would be to change Cory's (the one with the white socks) legs, as in; give hime something more interesting
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Thank you very much
Hm, I'm not quite sure what you mean. Are you saying you'd rather see him with pants as well, or that you think his shorts should look more interesting?
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Yea
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Ahhh, I see now
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Cory looks pretty fine. But it might do you well to add the rosacea like on his hand?
Pockets looks a little too masculine.
Reese's face is perfect. It suggests asian descent while keeping with the same style as the others.
Holly has the same chin as Micheal, and it looks very awkward. Might I suggest rounding it more to make it more feminine? Her eyebrows are a tad thick for a well-groomed woman, too.
As for the colours, the only thing I'd change is Pockets' shirt. The orange blends in a little too much with the orange tones in her skin. Her blue coat is such a nice set-off, but the orange is just lost on her skin.
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First of all, thank you so much for the specific input!
Very good point about adding rosacea in other areas. I overlooked that completely!
Haha, Pockets started out too feminine, so I think I over-compensated a bit
I'm glad you think Reese's face matches the rest. I spent too much time on those eyes, so I got burnt out on them and couldn't look at them objectively anymore lol
While I do want Michael and Holly to have a family resemblance, I definitely don't want her chin to look awkward
Pockets' color scheme gave me the most trouble, so I'm not surprised it has problems lol! I'll try putting more yellow tones in the shirt, but if that doesn't work, I'll venture into other colors... nervously
Thanks again!
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Sure thing! You don't have to follow all my advice to a t if you don't want but that's just what I notice.
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