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ThirdPotato — Tutorial- Making Unique OCs
Published: 2011-01-22 10:14:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 27403; Favourites: 581; Downloads: 308
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Description
Character Profile FormJust some notes I've been meaning to lay out in a tutorial. This very much applies to humans too!! Don't discredit this as valuable information just because it has "stupid furries." It's just the genre I work easier in. Hope you guys find it helpful!
For more tutorials of mine, see the Reference folder of my gallery: [link]
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Comments: 111
This is a pretty interesting tutorial, though I think it's a bit to superficial as genes, not personality, determine ones looks and it's usually a bad idea to make assumptions on characteristics that the person can't change. From what I've seen doing this often leads to boring and stereotypical characters that are much like an open book, it seems like a better idea to just think of the characters genetic background or simply make a nice and non-standard design before deciding on a character and possibly adding things like scars, accessories and things like dyed hair and tattoos as it fits the character and backstory.
That way there are some hints at his backstory and personality but rather than completely defining him through his physical features you come to associate his appearance with his personality.
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that's usually the style in cartoons they want people to be able to look at the character and understand their personality. In cartoons another important thing is to make things as clear as possible so yes cartoons do tend to use stereotypes as well. That's not necessarily a good thing but it lets people know what the character is all about from looking at them but I do completely agree that using stereotypes isn't always the right way to go either
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may i use this tutorial for my webpage? Under the page of "Useful Tutorials" , of course
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If you do, link back to the original and keep all of the image in tact, including a link to the profile form in the artist's commentary.
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It seems i have to cut the whole tutorial, since it excedes the limited size of the things i can upload to the page...
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Of course i will! Though i will translate it in text since i am a spanish speaker.
thank you!
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sorry, but it seems ill have to cut the image, its too big...
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I want to hug you for making this tutorial. It helped me a huge amount. Just wow thank you.
I finally realized one of the problems with my art thanks to this. It's generic. It needs personalty. It looks like generic Baxter. It needs to look more like life like Baxter.
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You're most welcome! I'm so glad to hear n.n
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thank you thank you for this tutorial!
I want my ics to stand out... i even redesigned some because they looked too similar. ughhh
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Thank you! I'm glad it could help n.n
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This is really good helpful! Now I might be able to draw my airship pirates character
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I really do enjoy reading all these tutorials (yours especially) on how to draw characters. I used to be an RPG player and my first rule when playing- Listen to your character. He/she might surprise you on their outlook. A good character can even challenge the artist!
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I love how universal this tutorial is, it's not just for Anthros it works for humans as well! 
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Usefull, it help cause I'm trying to avoid cliche/mary sue/bland characters.
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This was very clever and original, thanks.
My 'problem' is that I usually make my characters' personallity kinda like mine. I just do not to dislike them.
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Tis a problem many artists and writers face, is being able to seperate themselves at least a bit from their characters to create diversity. I love writing characters that have completely different views from mine. It helps the artist/writer get new perspective on things
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I like making up stories for my characters too!!! Always helps in developing characters, eithr for better or worse.
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My reaction upon reading this:
I have some trouble with making my characters look different from each other, and this is a very helpful step towards that ever-elusive uniqueness I strive for. Thanks! ^^
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how do you know what means what? like the bigger lips means romancer?
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There's no specific definition, really, but certain character traits imply different aspects. The exaggeration of a feature can emphasize an aspect of a character's personality.
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lol i wish there was. i'd love to learn that XD. as you can tell most my chars dont have a diff
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Well there are ways you can start, especially by studying body language, and learning which to emphasize to imply what. A lot of it may come from archetypes or stereotypes, which shouldn't be treated as taboo as one might think.
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im trying to learn expressions and body language along with movement or action. im terribly newbish lol. im trying to find some good tutorials on it
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See the reference folder of my gallery for just such things n.n
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i did an was wondering if you could make a reference sheet of the expressions like u did in the one tutorial. yanno so ppl can get more of an idea. like draw the bushy brows and next to it define what it means XD
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So glad that I found this again! I made my more developed characters a couple years ago by just thinking about what would look cool.XD Thankfully I made them legitimately unique in design, but this tutorial was able to ignite a drive in me to study different traits in people, and I have learned some tips of my own. More people should read this because sadly I see a lot of people who get stuck in design ruts simply because they don't know how to connect story with appearance, and don't really know where to look to learn how.
Who knows, maybe I'll make a tutorial sometime. *shrug*
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thank you so much for the in depth comment! I agree!!! People get stuck in those ruts cuz they're just learning how to copy another style they like (like Disney, or anime), without studying facial structure right from the real source! People, and animals, have such beautiful variety that no two people look alike, and yet many artists draw, essentially, twins XDDD with different hairstyles.
You should do a tutorial! You have a wonderfully toony style, yet your characters have variety. Your work is a good example of how you don't have to draw hyper realism to make characters look unique. If you do one, please write back and I'll be glad to link to it on this deviation!
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*stopyou'remakingmeblush* Okay, fo' reals, I started my day off reading your comment on my phone, and today I had the raddest day ever. Great way to end the week.
I actually wrote the script for the first part of the "tutorial" (it's more of a tip list) immediately after reading your reply (you inspire me, man). The first part deals with "knowing the limits of your style" and the second part deals more with what we've talked about here. I'll definitely link back in mine when I post it. Oooh, this is gonna be fun!
By the way, thank you for taking the time to look at my gallery. It really shows that, like me, you prefer seeing art and not being better than everyone else, and I for one really appreciate that!
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The honor's all mine! thankye kindly n.n I look forward to seeing it finished!
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Since the comments section is not just a literary 'Like' bar, I feel free to be a black sheep and post some negative thoughts and criticism that may or may not have been posted before. Please don't take my bluntness for rudeness, I'd rather be blunt than play word games.
I already have a method for creating OCs, so when I saw this, I couldn't help but compare yours to mine. I like and agree with everything... except how you determine what your character's genetic physical features directly by his personality. It's a lazy method, not to mention unrealistic and restrictive of your creativity. Here's an example of one of my characters, who has an extreme personality aspect: he's a confident, snobby, put-off, bossy, begrudged intellectual. He has regular-sized chin that even slopes inward, an Irish/English-influenced nose, and medium cheekbones. Since he's only in the making, I haven't finalized his body yet, but my point still stands. The only physical trait he has that hints at snobbery is his neatly styled hair, and that was his doing, not his genetics. I'd have come up with completely different, stereotypical features had I followed this tutorial.
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Howdy, thanks for the C&C, bud. I appreciate it! I don't mind a proper critique but next time avoid subjective words like "lazy." Everyone had different methods. I in no way, claim this to be the only way to design a character. These are ways to aid your design process. It restricts no creativity, and if you feel as such, perhaps you need to step out of your comfort zones and try something new. You'll also find that many professional artists from ~davidsdoodles to current concept artists at Disney and other studios, use similar methods. So I don't know that it's unrealistic or restrictive at all. Give it a shot; put yourself out of your comfort zone and perhaps you can find you're capable of drawing more than familiar anime styled doodles
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I assumed you looked at my gallery. That was me stepping out of my comfort zone. My styles vary; I started out drawing Disney and Looney Tunes. Then I went on to realistic, and am currently trying out several different comic styles. I paint pottery. I design jewelery. I use watercolors, colored pencils, finger paint, etc. But I digress, because this conversation and my original accusation have absolutely nothing to do with art styles. This everything to do, however, with character creation. I am and forever will be against using the same old repetitive stereotypes to design your characters physical features.
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Not to mention that when not styled with gel, his hair speaks of hay and old brooms.
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Useful. I tend to stick to realism/semi-realism, but I'm sure I can work out a way to incorporate this <333
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All of your tutorials are so helpful when it comes to creating characters.
All the other tutorials I see just mouth-off about how much everyone
hates mary-sues and 'tips' on how not to be one.
But yours actually help with creation of the character.
Bravo!
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like the recent DD, pure crap, in exchange this is brilliant
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thank you so much! 8D I'm so glad to hear!
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This is great! Do you think you'll ever do more of these for various personality traits?
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