LET'S DRAW! A CHARACTER!

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Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
To demonstrate the contrast in ideas you can get with character design, while following the same set of descriptives, I actually sent most of you the same character to draw (that is, two people per one design, as well as myself).
While these stereotypes might come off as one-off ideas to follow, it's really up to you what you put into the character! Without further ado, here are the characters (grouped together for ease of examining) and the design notes for each!

Character A
"An alien bounty hunter who is both greedy and cunning."


Boobledeeboo

-relatively upwards-sloping eyes and steep/thick eyebrows to make him look cunning
-necklace/bracelets/earrings/rings to make him look wealthy/greedy
-smirk to make him look cunning
-weird looking guns and clothes to make him look like an alien bounty hunter
-sharp front bit of hair while the rest is greased-back to make him look somewhat sly
-built, muscular body to make him look like a bounty hunter.



Ketsumio


Skinny = Mischievous, Agile
Glasses = Smart
Big Chin = Power
Large Pointy Nose = Bossy, Unpleasant
Small Physique = Brave
Thick Eyebrows = Distrustworthy
I also looked at a image of a shark when drawing him. Which affected the design.
SHARK
I gave him machine parts because he they're not only extremely expensive which he loves because of his greed but also it makes him more efficient in bounty hunting.
I find that crooked teeth always find give off the impression of a greedy bastard. So do point sun-glasses.
Armored nut-sack shows he doesn't take chances...displays keen insight. LOL



Dudesoft

-monkey features to give him a clever look
-dollar sign targetting sight to give him a greedy air
-crossbow-looking uzi weapon to add to the hunter quality, while staying futuristic. Outfit is unusually alien, but normal enough to be acceptable.
-Wears a utility belt to show his resourcefulness.
-skinny body, to add to his mischevious monkey qualities.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
"A flower creature with a bad attitude and lots of style."


Versalia

"A flower creature" - I'm really best at drawing gorgeous ladies, so I drew on versions of Dryads, Alraunes and Spar from BoF2 for inspiration here. Vines and leaves intertwine every part of this girl; her hair itself is reminiscient of a flower bud. Also, she has a coconut derriere.

"A bad attitude" - Well, hopefully her facial expression reflects this! It's a classic mix of narrow, mischievous, temperamental eyes with a sly, scheming finger to her lips. Villainous women are infamous for their Talons of Evil, so I've given her some sharp nails and made sure that her leaves and petals are angular. Buckles and straps are also common in leather outfits, and leather is often a material associated with the "bad boy" or bad attitude look, so I added some of those to toughen her up.

"Lots of style" - I tried to mix both smooth and angular shapes together in the composition of the image. I wanted her to have fun with her bad attitude and we all know that villains and naughty girls always wear the best outfits ;) Every piece she is wearing is hyperdetailed. Vines and leaves wrap and sprout throughout, providing accessory highlights; the boots, buckles and snaps add a little stylistic flair. I used marks on the visible stitching of her clothing to draw the eye to them - all of the stitch lines are vertically flowing, hopefully making your eyes sweep up and down over her. With her hair meticulously styled into that coif, that expression, and those talons, would YOU tell her to her face that you didn't think she was stylish?



AABattery



Dudesoft

-turtle neck, chain, popped collar, rolled sleeves for attitude and style. Wearing bucked pirate boots for added style, and attitude. Scar across face with eyepatch for badassery
-flower head for flower creature-ness
-tattoo of "Sun" in an arrow'd heart to reinforce the plant nature of this guy.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
"A brand new humanoid android who is innocent and curious."

thernz

-I gave her a roundish head, hair, and childish stature to signify her innocence and youth.
-Harder edged and sharper things like the hair ends and the bows at the back are supposed to hint at her artificial nature.
-There's also the techno-lines on the dress to signify that.
-The flow of the bows and her hair are also supposed to show movement, and in extension, curiosity. I also wanted this sense that they're "probing" hence their spiraling all around her.



Rhyme

-a lightbulb! i think this symbolizes curiosity? i don't know but it fits... i guess
-Big eyes, Innocence?
-Small body: bravery?
when you are new to everything everything is foreign you need courage to stand (hover) and discover everything yourself.



Dudesoft

-New, polished shell
-Innocent big roud eyes, and small wonderous mouth.
-Round features to give it a cute innocent/friendly look.
-telescopic lens eyes so it can focus in, zoom in on it's surroundings.
-gave him odd sized eyes to make him look a bit confused by all the things around him.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
An obese dog-man who is very drunk and sloppy

NewBlack

Design choices:
* Obviously he is fat. His t-shirt fails miserably to cover his bulging weight. Also there is a hint of moobs.
* I chose a scruffy dog to convey unkempt-ness
* His eyes are narrow and he has an almost pained but non-threatening expression as he is barely conscious in his drunken stupor.
* He is brandishing a bottle of strong liquor.
* He has a plastic bag full of bargain booze.
* His clothes are scruffy and tattered, his trousers are tied with a length of rope tied in a knot to add to his sloppy appearance.
* He's meant to be hiccuping due to drunkenness.
* He wears no shoes because he can't be bothered with shoes.
* His "NASPOD" T shirt is meant to be a futuristic pun on NASCAR - jokingly considered by many to be a very mindless form of sports entertainment - emphasizing a sedentary lifestyle mostly spent watching TV and eating junk and drinking booze.



Dudesoft

-physically obese, this is obviously a dog man who eats too much.
-big round nose to symbolise drunkeness
-popping bubbles above his head to symbolise drunkeness
-Friendly smile and eyes as he is a silly drunk
-gave him track pants and a mustard stained beater shirt, because he's a slob who can barely take care of himself.
-Long dog cheeks, ears and a tail for the dogness.
-Also the body hair is human-like for added grotesqueness. This is a character to be laughed at, not made friends with.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
"A brave cactus alien, who is penniless and depressed."

yuhikaru

Antennae and tubular mouth: Alien (There was going to be a laser gun, also. I forgot to draw it xD)
Droopy antennae: Depressed
Badge and hat: It's a cactus, which reminds me of desert>WildWest>Sheriff, and a sheriff is someone brave xD
Inside out pockets: (Could be more evident) penniless.
Worn out hat: Penniless, poor
Kicking can: Depressed
Curved back, facing down: Depressed
Small build(Somewhat): Brave
Somewhat muted color scheme: Depressed
Shadowed face: Depressed
Cactus color(Blue, instead of green): Alien
Yellow background: Mainly for contrast, but also sun/desert



Dudesoft

-depressed, hunched posture, sad forlorn mouth, uptilted eyes and eyebrows... all depressed.
-squinty eyes for brave, as well as her small physique.
-tattered clothes for being poor
-gave her a flower on her head to add to the feminine quality of this character.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
Left overs, without counterparts...


"A detective cat-person, both egotistical and stupid."

alterego
"Of course I know what I'm talking about. I've got it all here in my notes..."

Angora Cat. One of the most disliked kinds of cats, Often portrayed as stuck up and dumb.
Body build. Obese, short and has big feet, characteristics that makes him even less likable.
Posture & Look. Leaning away, like taking a distance, and looking down on somebody.
Unfit for his job. Can't dress properly. Mistakes the use of things. Is prone to accidents.



"An introverted mechanic who is secretly a hero by night. He is mysterious, and friendly."
(request by Captin Alien Arsenal)

Dudesoft

This one was really hard, so I had to make sacrefices because of the controdicting themes. Introverted, mysterious and friendly just don't mesh. So, I made it that his hero persona is friendly perhaps, but the overall theme is muted.
-Round lenses for friendly
-Square shoulders and goggle frames and welders apron for his reliable nature as both a mechanic and hero.
-he has a defined chest beneath his apron, and his chin is squared off and strong for more heroism.
-Covering his eyes in lenses makes him mysterious
-The overall muted expression and lack of facial expression gives him an introverted and mysterious look. You just don't know what he's thinking.
Over all, I really enjoyed designing this guy, and his full body shot, not shown here is hunched over to further emphasize the introversion.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
I'm going to quickly touch on Character Turn Arounds (or Character Sheets), since we're covering all of comics. If you all need more information on this, I will gladly delve further into the matter, but it's rather simple.

When you design your character and are happy with the result, draw your character at a 3/4 view...just facing away to the side of the camera. Then draw horizontal lines across the page from every possible point on the drawing... Top of the head, bottom of the head, where the nose ends, where the nose archs, where the eyes are, where the mouth is... ETC.
Then draw a side-view and front view (and option back view, and back 3/4 view) using the lines you drew as a guide line to exactly replicate where the mouth should go, where the eyes should go, how big the head will be, etc.

For example (piss poor sketch example, but an example!)


This is an industry standard. You actually NEED to have a copy of a character sheet, or draw one yourself before drawing a comic out. Otherwise your characters will be random or misshapen, or you will have nothing to go by. It is absolutely VITAL that you do this for every character you are going to be drawing.
In the last comic we did, I merely gave you a single image of each character, this was both from laziness and because we haven't got that far yet. Next time we draw a comic, we will have character turn arounds of all major characters.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
LASTLY!!!
Send me via PM your votes for the BEST in each catagory, except for the ones with only 1 vote. Mine do not exist, do not vote for Dudesoft plz thnx!

Vote for the BEST in each catagory via PM to me!
I never got very far into my dogman. Except on the conceptual level "so how would I do this?"

I was going for a slight Disney look. Combining something like Rocky with a fat Goofy.

The idea was to have long downward pearshaped ears. Showing a kind of "lower center of gravity". Similarily the snout was supposed to be shortish to make the head as round as possible. Clothing indicated sloppiness. A sleeveless shirt and shorts as well as a pair of slippers. Also the eyese would be perpetually half-closed signifying a kind of constant tiredness/hangover. (with the obligatory bubbles around the head too of course)

But yeah no. I couldn't draw what I had in mind :D
Ketsumio
I guess he's an Xbox and I'm more Atari
1020
Ah MAN! I wish I had a little more time for this, going up against
Boobledeeboo is like a one hit KO. LOL

Great work everybody! I thoroughly enjoy alterego's detective cat-person. :D

"...Meeeoooowwwwww...Miss Mouse did it in the kitchen with the candlestick."
I can't draw worth a penny but this is interesting stuff. Enjoyed them all!
Wow, they all turned out pretty good. I absolutely loved the sunglasses flower!
Versalia
must be all that rtp in your diet
1405
Sunglasses Flower is ADORABLE.
Oh my gosh Versalia your drawing is really good! XD I loved all three of the flower entries
awesome!
so much love for the cactus :D
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
It turns out the next comics we do will be about these characters! Our new cast of protagonists in the Explorer's Guild are.......

BOOBLE - HUNTER!

RHYME - ANDROID!

VERSALIA - FLOWER!

NEWBLACK - DOG!

YUHIKARU - CACTUS!

ALTEREGO - CAT!

DUDESOFT - MECHANIC!

Later, when we start covering writing, and story bibles, we'll expand on these characters more. For now, familiarize yourself with their appearances.

(The remaining characters will appear in the future comics, however as cameos or pedestrians, shop owners etc)
If you enjoyed this Let's Draw, we could also try it again, just for fun and to continue building our universe. Though, next time someone else will do the requesting!


TO CLARIFY!
no character design will be left out. They may even become important to the plot! However, for time ease, and focus clarity, we will be using the above 7 as the main crew.
We will continue Let's Draw....HERE!
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