making your oc not suck (this title is a joke do not panic)

[@LavenderTowne]

also btw the title is just a goof, I'm trying to meme it up a little because this is my 10000th tutorial hehe

[@dfghsjhjkasnjdbs]

Slay 💅

[@snippyhera]

Hey, just letting you know that Jazza actually used your thumbnail from "by the book" in a recent video.

[@oakfishy]

Slay 💅

[@Ghost-ey4id]

Slay 💅

[@shookethdeer4427]

We know Haily. We know. 😂

[@pressedrose1]

For writers, something that helps for me is to give my characters habits. Maybe they say “uh” a lot, or they wrinkle their nose when they’re offended, or they laugh when they’re uncomfortable. It’s esp helpful in roleplays when I want to add more expression to the thing I’m writing.

[@thisperson8441]

YESSS 100% I always note how my characters pull expressions because it changes a lot depending on how they act. A more upkept person will probably have more toned-down expressions and cover their mouth when something happens. Some characters might be really obnoxious so they will pull bigger expressions. Sometimes you'll have a character that smirks and another that smiles and another that tries to hold back from smiling whenever it happens. Knowing stuff like this is good at portraying someone's personality without having to directly point it out

[@lovelycloudyskies]

My Frankenstein OC, Penelope, always sparks when she’s excited, angry, or startled. (Her bolts are on both sides of her head) I’m thinking about making her autistic to add more to her character. (I also have a boy clown OC named Barnaby who is also autistic)

[@zenith613]

Sometime I plan on making two characters with a specific dynamic. One has an unhealthy habit such as smoking and the other tries to get them to stop by gradually hiding/throwing out more of their cigarettes or whatever.

[@AureliaKai]

Yes! As a d&d player these r my favorite ways to give my characters personality. I have a wordy, slightly unsure artificer, a stern, completely serious, monk girl, a cold, disconnected bard, and a happy go lucky, easily excited druid girl. It's so fun trying to add personality to their expression and speaking. They are all so different

[@Actually_its_Ashely]

Absolutely! This channel I watch Abbie Emmons, she has a video about giving you characters “words or phrases” that they use more than other characters do. Like in a book I’m trying to write I only have one character who says y’all, and my main characters all have different versions of the word yes, like MC uses yeah, but her best friend uses yes I was also in a speech and debate class for a while and that reminds me to give my characters imperfections in their speech (saying um or and a lot)

[@LimegreenSnowstorm]

On the subject of history, PLEEEEASE give your OCs parents! Even if they’re dead, *someone* raised them

[@Cerzich]

What if they raised themselves? Edit : Everyone chill, its just a concept💀😭

[@hyzmarie]

Most of my OCs have living parents. I think one has dead parents (my main sona and first OC) and three others (sibs) were raised by canon characters.

[@hyzmarie]

Who adopted them sry I forgot that part

[@dokidoki1574]

Mine was raiced by the orphanage...it makes sense in the full context

[@lovelycloudyskies]

Three of my OCs are vampires, and the two older brothers, Lucius and Stefan, were raised by their father, Dracula, until the youngest, Desmond, was born. Dracula sent his sons to London, England before he was killed by Van Helsing, (who, in my version, was an anti-hero who had a son, Thomas Van Helsing, who grew up obsessed with the idea of torturing Dracula’s sons, making him the main villain). Lucius and Stefan both raised Desmond and kept him away from humans, so he never drank blood in his life. (In my version, vampires don’t become obsessed with blood until they had their first taste of it, so it was hard for Lucius and Stefan to break the addiction, it’s kinda of like how Nezuko from Demon Slayer never ate blood while she’s a demon)

[@melitopiia4730]

Another thing to consider, add imperfections with purpose! Don't just add them randomly, make them affect the character's self-esteem or have it say something about their personality or circumstances! It adds some great extra depth. Using LavenderTowne's character as an example, maybe she's self-conscious about her eyebrow scar, or she's clumsy! Or maybe the scar visualizes the permanent brain damage she has to deal with on her journey to become an entomologist

[@9ightdreamer]

My protagonist's sister has pointy ears because her father is a mythical being but since her mom is a human, the sister was born a human. So that gave me an idea for the sister to be insecure about having pointy ears. And the protagonist is also a mythical being yet she has normal ears. (But they grew not be ashamed of it.)

[@cosmic_ghostbruh]

My character has a few marks on her face from fights she's been in. She's been in them because of her loud mouth and tendency to say harmful things without realizing.

[@lovelycloudyskies]

My main character is a vampire, youngest of the three sons of Dracula, he has long black hair, pointed ears, cracks on the bottom of his eyes (in my version, the men have cracks below their eyes while the women have dark circles around them), and purple eyes, making him a rare vampire species. His love interest is a Frankenstein, she has long blonde hair, a big stitch across her face, and bolts on both sides of her head, and they’re the only life source she has. Her main goal is trying to figure out her past. Their names are Desmond and Penelope.

[@enchantedpotions8922]

I have an oc that has a scar on her eye because of her abusive father,causing that eye to be blind and making it difficult to notice things around her

[@dryelene]

Woah 2 pointy-eared vampires in one reply section Lol my oc has surgically amputated albatross wings though, lil detrimental malformation that started its course after years of functioning normally, permanently ending her role as one of the highly trained genetic flighters of the company, the most successful experiment yet. It also happens that she has weird ears too haha, though they do significantly hinder her hearing ability edit: everyone also has feathered wings in this universe lmao, so the wings wouldn’t be what made her stand out, its the lack thereof Man summarizing stories really does make them sound crappy

[@ambermationss]

At first I thought that maybe having splashes of paint on a character who likes to paint might seem a bit cliche, but then I remembered that every time I left art class, I'd be covered in it lol

[@meixing0789]

I feel that! I think i got paint on every bit of uniform i have lol

[@exceptionallyriso]

I always do my art with graphite so whenever I draw my hands I'd draw black splotches on spots where I usually get them xD

[@AureliaKai]

Yeah i was like "That's a weird stereotype." *Me leaving my art class literally covered head to toe in paint, all of my clothes having paint stains*

[@caritahearts2405]

Yeah I guess if you want to avoid that cliche, get more specific! Dark marks of grapite, clay or chalk dust on their pants where they usually wipe their hands, or maybe they write on themselves with their fancy micron pens because paper is overrated anyway. Or bags under their eyes from staring at their drawing tablet.

[@nayarimartinez8131]

yea fr every time i paint i always get it on my hands, even if im extra careful

[@jan3leven]

"Don't go into to much detail" that made me go into a whole thought process of what ice cream flavor each of my characters in my story would love

[@jasperdrawings]

I mean an ice cream shop isn’t a bad place for a scene.

[@NeightConnelly]

@@jasperdrawingstrue

[@Sylvainjose-satoyumiyato]

... now I'm stealing that idea! I already have all of my oc's Café orders! Oh God, there's so many things I could add! Favorite flower, favorite song, favorite color, favorite animal, favorite snack, favorite dessert, favorite dinner, favorite weather, favorite season, favorite gemstone, favorite book, favorite movie, favorite TV show, favorite video game, favorite board game, favorite time of day, and favorite scent! Ooo, I also need to give them all political opinions and create politics! Oh God, so much to do!

[@drama_queen3010]

The harsh title with Haley’s soft, beautiful voice is hilarious Edit: misspell

[@renhereofc]

ikr 😂

[@Niyomi_32]

TRUE 💀

[@samaraguillen9684]

SO TRUE HAKSHAJSHA

[@miles5193]

Tile caught me hella off guard 💀

[@catpawz01]

You mean perfect

[@clarawilliams4359]

Damn, Lavender isn’t sugar coating anymore, “Making your oc not suck” OKAY LOL

[@salem-01]

I’m absolutely cackling right now

[@starsnatcher4659]

she has finally succumbed to the ultimate youtuber technique: clickbait

[@tgsmokio]

Ngl some ocs are ugly asf, she got all the right to say that 😭

[@sinscontent]

LMAO DHJSKJS

[@cephnart]

Got tired of everyone complaining about her saying "do's and don'ts" and took matters into her own hands ig 💀

[@paperface.]

I have an OC that I used this template on and she turned out rather well! She's a ghost who's scared of the dark, desperately wants to be scary, but has a huge crush on the person she's haunting and is self conscious about her hair.

[@gaggleshatter]

HOLD ON THAT'S SO CUTE

[@QweAsd-nr8xg]

I love her so much already holyshit

[@paperface.]

​@@QweAsd-nr8xg haha I have a drawing of her as my pfp rn lol I think she's one of my favourite ocs!!

[@kitty.static.p0p]

​@@paperface.That's so cool. Seriously. Would u consider making a video with it? I'd watch it! :D

[@paperface.]

@@kitty.static.p0p oh yeah sure!! it might take a while cause I'm kinda lazy hahah but I'll do it lol it's so cool my oc has a little fan club

[@kingryuuka7018]

I have this theory that the era of art KZbin where grown men would bully children for their “marry sues” ruined how a whole generation of how people look at their oc’s for a while if not still. Like no, giving your character crazy hair and angle wings doesn’t mean it’s a marry sue, maybe they just like extremely extra fashion, or where they come from that’s normal. Oc’s are all about the story you give them through how you design them and how you draw them, and of course, how you write them. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself this 7 years ago. Making a fun interesting design doesn’t make the design bad, if anything it makes the design so much better.

[@do_you_see_banana_man]

THANK YOU for saying this!

[@HeatherHenderson1993]

bro i'm so happy i didn't fall too deep into all that "anti-sue, mary sue" bs. i feel like if i did i wouldn't be writing fanfiction. 😔 i feel bad for the kids who were convinced that they would never be good artists or writers, just because of a overblown character trope.

[@Badartist888]

Ever since I watched the Lindsey Ellis video about Twilight and her comment about how 'society hates things that teenage girls like' I've been noticing the trend. Damn its awful.

[@LegionEagles22]

Yeah, just because a character has an outrageous design, doesn’t mean they are a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is mainly about the character themself, and it also isn’t ok to bully someone for having a Mary Sue.

[@R41ph3a7b6]

True.

[@asamabry]

when i make my ocs, i usually base their personalities on the relationships they have with other characters. different people act and do different things with ppl they are more and less comfortable with.

[@Picking_upY0urPetalZ]

Yes! It’s proven to be very useful to me because how they interact with others tells you a lot about them

[@ihappydawnz]

this is what i do :D its super helpful

[@Asaspecimenyesimextraoddinary]

I love making “basic” characters because they simply feel more real. I also love making school characters too cause there’s something about relationship dynamics in school that I love. Maybe I’m projecting idk 🤷🏻‍♀️ But I do appreciate Lavenders video. (Also the basic drawing on the left in the title looks exactly like me with lighter hair lol)

[@asamabry]

@@Asaspecimenyesimextraoddinary i used to be in love with fantasy characters (maybe because of my middle school love with harry potter). i revamped some old ocs from 7th grade and they are now highschool students which i like. its nice writing abt them in their clubs or working together for a project. i agree totally! (also its easier to project onto them💀)

[@starsnatcher4659]

timestamps because this video is actually really helpful :D 0:24 - give them more verbs (what do they like to do besides their main thing? giving them 2-3 more hobbies makes them feel more like a real person!) 1:49 - give them a history (what were they like in the past? how does it affect them now?) 3:54 - give them imperfections (it makes them less generic and more real and specific) 5:46 - what do they like and dislike? (don't go too overboard!) 7:36 - putting the advice to the test!!

[@sleepy.timaeus.arts.]

yes! i actually think this is gonna be really helpful for me to flesh out my ocs!

[@Messenger-of-Stars]

They should pin this comment

[@Heejinbunny]

So useful and helpful Thx for the timestamps

[@benjaminrobinson3842]

What I find interesting about this tutorial is that it's technically not about visual art, but rather literary advice about character development. It's helpful even if you don't intend to draw anything more elaborate than a stick figure. Incidentally, I'm told that novelists will often go through the exercise of giving their characters a history, even if they don't intend to put this information in the completed story, just to flesh out the characters in their mind.

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

great

[@starstickermars]

Dang Haley isn’t playing around, she just said our OCs suck and we’re just agreeing and watching her fix our mistakes lmao-

[@NettieBearDraws]

I know right 😂 why did I actually need this tho Also hi spark

[@AllisonProductions363]

Nobody Like this it's at a cool number!

[@starstickermars]

@@NettieBearDraws Oh haha hey Nettie!! :)

[@sweetmoth1627]

Lol so true

[@MoarteMorrison]

To be frank, people should make their oc however they want. Half of my ocs I'd consider "cringe" in the past gave me inspiration to redesign and recreate new ones, making your own character should be a personal fun experience.

[@febblepebble]

Adding more options to the "imperfections" categories, scars aren't only from injuries! they could be surgery scars, or illness scars, or even stretch marks! A character may have lots of freckles because they spend a lot of time outside, or have weird tan lines, or have faded hair dye and showing roots. Maybe they need glasses but don't like wearing them and are constantly running into things because they can't see. Maybe they have trouble reading and therefore listen to audiobooks, or have sensitive ears or eyes and wear noise-cancelling headphones or sunglasses. There's so many different options aside from the common 'scar across an eyebrow', just think about different people you know or think about yourself and the little quirks that come from particular habits or struggles, and how this can be shown visually/behaviourally

[@MapleheartIguess]

My latest scars are vicious battle scars by a 6 y.o. 💀

[@Emma_The_H0ppin_H00ligan]

Ngl in retrospective, the fact that people got SO heated about this video on twitter is kinda funny to me. Like, i get the feeling that those people wouldn't last 5 seconds in an actual art school lol

[@HeatherHenderson1993]

who the hell would get heated over this video? let me guess, they called lavendertowne a problematic ableist bigot after this? what a shock. there's like 10 youtubers i watch that have been accused of that exact same thing, with no evidence.

[@asianll8060]

Does anyone even know why art Twitter is like this so often about the most meaningless things

[@Dr.Arson_is_on_fire]

WAIT WHAT HAPPENED?!?

[@laura_batatafrita4102]

​@@Dr.Arson_is_on_fire Yes what hapenned?

[@yellotheepiko]

It's Twitter what did you expect

[@K0IBEE]

dude idk why but this video actually made me love myself a little bit more. i’m currently having a little struggle about finding who i am but this made me think about the fact that you can see little parts of myself on my appearance. i have holes in almost all my clothes from chewing, my hair is in an awkward state of long and short where it kinda looks like a mullet. My hair is also unkept and messy most of the time. none of my outfits are put together because i don’t have time in the morning to make myself look nice. my headphones are old and falling apart, the top part is taped with scotch tape to keep it together. I have bad posture from laying in bed all day. idk it made me feel kinda happy to look at myself as if i were a character 😓

[@dryelene]

You go dude, all those little things are a part of you, they all have stories to tell

[@QueensBeans7206]

Looks like the real oc were inside us all along

[@vivienneesmeray8891]

Bro are we the same person my hair looks like an awkward mullet rn as well, my headphones are taped together, and I have horrible posture lol Have a good day doppelganger

[@justchilling1506]

A wholesome post I saw the other day was talking about something similar! It said "remember to love yourself because if you were a character people would love you as you are, flaws and everything."

[@novakitty1619]

big mood man

[@FloatyyBrain]

“Also things like scars and injuries can really build out their stories!” Half of my OCS missing a limb or more: *Don’t give her ideas, please.*

[@Idontlikeanyonehere]

Mine always have a blind scar eye, it’s just fun to draw and definitely now because I suck at drawing pairs of eyes eyes

[@Null.and_Void]

I feel this

[@Mo0n_LighT965]

Me with like majority of my oc’s

[@historyandmusic8646]

My main oc is missing a limb 🥲

[@Mo0n_LighT965]

@@historyandmusic8646 one of my oc’s can’t even walk, and another has a missing arm, and the oc that I’m currently making is blind

[@SomeAcademicValdiationRequired]

I have autism with sensory issues and I genuinely LOVE yours soft voice it’s so calming and just makes my brain buzz with the happy feeling

[@tripwire202]

I'm autistic too -- finding a creator with a wonderful voice makes my day as well! Glad you found a channel that makes your brain buzz ^^

[@lovelycloudyskies]

Her soft voice also makes me happy because I’m autistic. But for some reason when I watch CoryxKenshin, every time he screams it doesn’t even bother me.

[@wiggard]

damn i didnt know there were so many autistic people (not an insult, btw, just being sincere)

[@perrolocoyt]

Yes, because we get a lot mad when we can't do something like: Making a good character

[@SomeAcademicValdiationRequired]

@@perrolocoyt huh?

[@VictoriaMeira7]

Poor girlie has gotten so used to getting criticized for everything that shy can't write a joke-y title without a disclaimer in the title itself

[@kasomosi7145]

Fr and then there's yt ppl putting the exact same thing but ppl call them "funny" Equality is key 💀

[@someguy9256]

@@kasomosi7145 WHY CANT I ESCAPE OMORI

[@CoffeeBnuuy]

​@@someguy9256You cannot.

[@rat10758]

​@@kasomosi7145 I think Lavender Towne is white?

[@sarad2487]

Yeahhh

[@tabithanel1975]

10:03 I love that Haley's version of college-rebellionism isn't smoking or doing dr^gs, but finally being aloud to watch horror movies

[@kyubeyo]

Honestly, that’s so me

[@zanyzantx]

Lavender helping young artists and writers! All my respect goes to her

[@Lindoesart]

LavenderTowne literally just like drew me i think- I am a student (not majoring Entomology even though I am interested in bugs) I dance ballet ( I often stand in a "soft" 1st position) and enjoy video gaming. I once fell down the stairs as a baby with my father and got a scar near my hairline. I have kind of strict parents and werent allowed to watch horror movies (but I still did) and I love plaid-

[@hyzmarie]

SHE READS MINDS GUYS SOMEONE SAVE US

[@FreshCarrotsFinally]

Woah that's a crazy coincidence

[@n.m.dimmick194]

That's one of the cool things about making characters more specific. It also makes them more relatable.

[@jessezigg]

That's so funny! I was thinking that I've never known a ballerina GAMER - that maybe they were too incongruous - but perhaps not! 🤔 😉

[@charliekarsh8905]

I felt pretty called out too! Past competitive ballet dancer, horror movie/game buff and now a tattoo artist with a special interest in bugs and i've always loved plaid lol. (Literally i also play DBD all the time...)

[@Nothing-id8br]

For imperfections, it doesn’t exactly have to be ONLY physical imperfections, it can be mental as well, developing imperfections in their personality can REALLY add a lot to a character, and can even be the entire conflict in the story. It also adds a lot of depth into your oc’s, and makes them feel *human*, though of course this can be added to non-human oc’s, depending on what the oc is.

[@lil_goofy-rb7jq]

I always do mental traits first to flesh out my ocs a lot faster

[@lotuscherri529]

Also some behavioral imperfections. Like, for example, one of my characters talks super fast while stuttering, making it hard for people to understand what they’re saying. Another one is to give them stems! Like they play with their hair to calm them down or fidget with some rings on their hands. It adds a lot to how a character comes off.

[@jucchishepherd3241]

LavenderTowne is probably one of the least offensive or problematic channels out there and it saddens me, that people still manage to misunderstand her intention and be offended. Keep doing what you love, Hailey! ♡

[@froghaven]

Welp, the internet will be the internet. You can't make everyone happy.

[@fuzzyeyes6]

This is honestly terrific advice. As a writer I pride myself in the ability to create developed, fleshed out characters that feel like real people with lives and problems and pasts, but as an artist I struggle incredibly with showing anything of that besides the surface level or immediately obvious. I have an OC I've been struggling to design a "look" for the past couple of years, and listening to your various tips and steps, I started to rearrange facts and tidbits I already knew about the character in my head into comprehensible categories. Now feel inspired to try and draw his various life stages, even though I usually shy away from drawing anyone but adults, simply because I want to try and emphasize his journey through life and see what that "redrawn current day" stage will take shape as.

[@aleeshagilbert1009]

I am writing a comic about an oc I made, and I knew that he was going to massacre everyone in a tavern after his plans go wrong. For context, he always wears white gloves, so I think now that after that incident, there’ll be light bloodstains on one of his gloves like he tried to wash them but couldn’t get the stains out. Thank you for inspiring me, Lavender.

[@lemurkatta]

oh that's so powerful !! That visual imagery is so poetic I like how it subtly reminds the audience

[@VanNessy97]

Out, damned spot.

[@cousinmajin]

I'm a wildlife biologist with a lot of entomology friends and lemme just say I definitely met this OC on an entomology class trip lol

[@carolfeldschreiber1025]

A motif is a good idea and it could either be a thing, abstract concept, trait or a symbol. Also historical influences help with shape, style and maybe even a part of their story.

[@carolfeldschreiber1025]

@@Wishtelle that's a great idea to add a reason for the motif

[@raincandy1653]

My favorite motif to use for my OCs are usually animals or foods. My favorite use of a motif is having my OC wear a cat hair clip and a purse in the shape of a cat. Plus it's ironic because she's allergic to cats too

[@warmishice7948]

Can’t believe the backlash over the original title… guys she wasn’t talking about anyone specifically, it was clearly a joke.

[@TheGlowingBeansGuy]

“Also things like scars and injuries can really build out their stories!” My sadistic character designs: I see this as an absolute win!

[@puppydogs68]

Me who has a character who’s face literally got mauled by a dead friend whose death literally drove him and his friends to insanity even 7 years later: *perfect*

[@Lalo-uu4dg]

​@@puppydogs68 And then there is me who wants to redesign an existing character who is pure and sweet, but I want to drive that character to depression, cruelty, and madness. Additionally, the left side of her face would be covered with rough, damaged skin and flesh (meaning the left eye would not be visible because it is buried beneath the flesh). Thankfully, I will at least cover that side of the face with long hair. As of now, I am learning how to draw a great recognizable character that matches his or her role in the story, and boy I feel overwhelmed with the amount of things I need to check on. Hopefully, I will eventually get my character right, and that I will love it just as much as others will.

[@august6760]

@@Lalo-uu4dgThat sounds awesome. Are you making a webtoon or smth? If so what’s the title? I’d love to read it

[@Lalo-uu4dg]

@@august6760 Sorry, I don't know what webtoon or smth is; I am still stuck in the old days of drawing in paper nor do I have a electronic pencil yet. Additionally, this fallen character I am making is for a secret ambitious project that I want to do in the future, though I don't have the tools to start on that yet; hopefully in the future. Despite that, thank you for the interest you have on my character.

[@Isla.M.W]

My oc which is a literal walking corpse with a pumpkin for a head, and severe anger issues So I see this as an absolute win

[@salem-01]

That title is SAVAGE, amazing job as always Lavender!! These tips are really gonna help me when it comes to the comic I’m trying to make!

[@YourWorstNightmare.....]

ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT

[@gumm1w0rmz_error17]

Not even gonna lie im still in that phase where i adore the "too much" OC HAHZNSHXH

[@1kaz1]

You can make overdetailed look good! There are a lot of aesthetics based on that and they can really work if they're cohesive and make sense, I think you would like kandi, kidcore and scene Specifically

[@gumm1w0rmz_error17]

@@1kaz1 Those are actually all 3 the ways i draw and aesthetics / subcultures i absolutely love !!

[@1kaz1]

@@gumm1w0rmz_error17 Do you know rococo?? It's a very good example of overdetailed looking cohesive, and it uses muted-pastel colours!

[@invertez3483]

@@1kaz1 YESS YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK OUT HARAJUKU DECORA KEI ITS SOOO EXTRA OMG IT WOULD REALLY FIT THE “too much” TYPE OF CHARACTER

[@1kaz1]

@@invertez3483 tysm for the info!!

[@ShishkinaOlga]

I would not say I am an entomologist but I study genetics and work with insects, and the amount of people around me with novelty earrings, pins and even insect tattoos is quite impressive

[@cornbabylaughter]

a tip i like to remember is that for each strength your character has, add a weakness as well. however, make sure the weakness works well with the strength. for example, say a character is smart. thats a strength. if you make the character a bit narcissistic due to this, thats a weakness that fits.

[@sepiasmith5065]

Because I'm familiar with LavenderTowne I knew the title was intentionally dramatic to draw attention but she would just give genuine advice for designing characters lol that note about "don't make them basically perfect unless that's a character trait" is very good!!! be intentional wherever you can! that trial at the end was really neat. the way you reasoned your way through the answers, especially in the imperfections part, made a huge difference in how solid they started to feel

[@TheUnhappyporky69]

i like the concept of adding a history to characters, because when you think about it, we all go through many, many stages in life, some we may not even like too much when we're through with them. But we take pieces of each stage, a token, perhaps, something meaningful we got from that stage that meant something to us. Your character, for example, isn't super emo, or super extreme for dinosaurs anymore, but she appreciates that she still likes certain aspects of those stages, and keeps them as tokens on her person. I find that really cool, and it just makes it really real.

[@VanNessy97]

Still knows a fact about dinosaurs that makes her wonder "why do I know this?"

[@GeeKielle]

The history affecting the character in subtle ways really resonates with me--especially since you used ballet as an example. I used to do ballet as a kid, but hadn't been in yeeaaaaars, but when I was teaching a group (counseling), one of the clients asked if I ever did ballet. I was shocked but said yes, and she said she knew it because of how my feet are positioned, a slightly looser 3rd position stance, which was my favorite position as a kid since it was used to teach 5th position lol

[@-.-Zero-.-]

Dang! Lavender is really becoming straightforward now 😂 "Make your oc not suck." Alrighty then!

[@kylieskinner9315]

If anyone is looking for realistic but oddly specific things for OCs take from my life. For the first 24 years of my life I couldn't fully smile, it looked like a smirk. I had a paralyzed muscle in my cheek on one side, and no matter how hard i smiled it was uneven. I had to learn to smile for photos with a smirk, or I had to purposely lower the other side into a small smile, or I had to smile with my teeth showing to make it less noticeable of a height difference. My point is, something seemingly small that doesn't affect my actual important functioning, it is a conscious thing I had bugging me and affecting an expression every day of my life

[@AlphaHaze]

I want to add the nationality for the characters because it's quite fun to see them experience their cultures and traditions. I know their race and ethnicity doesn't always have to apply to the plot or their backstory but it helps designing the character based on their race much easier and it's also easy to name them.

[@kiaheat1920]

💯💯💯💯💯 my OC is from the Border between Europe and Asia. Her (human) mother is Armenian, her (hellhound) father is a Caucasian Ovcharka

[@use-your-imagination]

@@kiaheat1920 hold up, her father is a _what_

[@kiaheat1920]

@@use-your-imagination Hellhound! Basically a werewolf but various anthropomorphic dog breeds with firebending and a human disguise Edit: I updated my Character. She’s now an overpowered human resurrected by Death

[@Benoudasofwane]

REAL

[@sakiyaki-sashimi]

Is it weird that I like the “too much” OC in the thumbnail? The hair so so pretty!

[@DolltheFool]

Nah, it's just a preference thing.

[@dryelene]

That’s the cool lavendertowne style for ya

[@BlackDogsAndLadybugs]

If you want a character to look like that but with a good reason- you could make them into "decora kei" fashion! ꓷ:

[@paratsuki]

NAH I WANT OCS LIKE THIS

[@destructionadvocate7122]

Yeah bro its epic actually

[@cpmcomics8335]

I really needed this video! My friend and I are planning to make a short series, and we are in the “making the characters and their backstory” phase, so this will be a great video to watch :]

[@W-EYE.O]

Nice! Best of luck on your series! I also wanna make a series/books but I’m not good at drawing digitally so I’m still practicing :)

[@forestsprite6764]

Me and my friend are too! Good luck with your story!!

[@eleanorflory9914]

I’d love to see your take on the four horsemen of the apocalypse as character designs!

[@raiy3171]

Idc why everyone hates this video I think it’s pretty helpful cuz I’ve been having sooo much trouble fleshing out my ocs

[@Chia_Mochia]

I'm glad I watched this video. At first I was a bit skeptical due to the title and thumbnail, but I gave in and I'm glad I did! This video was very helpful, way more helpful than I thought! Next time I design a character, instead of going straight to the design phase, I'll sit down to write about them. Thank you for your awesome tutorials/too videos, they are very, very helpful for artists like me!

[@cathackzz]

honestly at first when i saw the title and thumbnail i thought it was gonna be like one of those videos saying ' if you do this your character is bad you have to do it this way blah blah blah' but like, these tips are genuinely helpful i was so worried 😭😭

[@tommasomaruffi1306]

I love how she makes a sketch in 3 minutes and it looks like the most beautiful thing I've seen

[@thisperson8441]

pretty sure that's a speedpaint so it definitely took longer than shown. She talks over her already drawn stuff and even though you can see her think through when she writes the traits, there is a little pause and then it speeds up

[@tommasomaruffi1306]

@@thisperson8441 yeah I know, but there were some sketches that were made in mere seconds there in the video, so I assume they took 3 or so minutes

[@tommasomaruffi1306]

@@Wishtelle thanks for believing in me, I guess

[@thisperson8441]

@@tommasomaruffi1306 touchee

[@EchosongVA]

I needed this for my my hero oc. My friends keep hyping it up because it’s unique and I’m writing her story but I’m stuck because I want to develop her before I continue writing her story. This will help so much!!

[@pluckieclover]

I don't know why people were hating, this is a valid tutorial. I loved the character you designed at the end. She's so cute!

[@yuri_nori]

I have my own tip and it's my favorite give them problems and struggles makes them feel a lot more human and relatable because we human struggles with many things in life!

[@GrubbsyGoop420]

a steam punk OC of mine lost their legs at 5 years old because there was a war and their village got bombed, and their family thought they were dead but nah he survived because the heat from the explosive cauterized the wounds. he also lost his right forearm but that was only revealed later because he always wore gloves and long poofy sleeves. his barely alive body is found by Bertram, The robot who was designed to be a butler but deemed too intelligent and human like to be released. the bombing released him and he patched up Charlie (the OC) and Charlie grew up with Bertram, learning how to fix and make machines so he could repair Bertram, and ended up making his own legs and arm. going through the years as he grew more skilled and upgraded his legs and biomechanics/prostetics was very fun and refreshing, and he made the "Bun-Whale" which was basically a giant mechanical bunny with chest cavity for passengers (four plus a driver), and the drivers seat was specifically designed so Charlie could just get out of his legs and fit into the drivers seat where he could then with the help of Bertram (who he put into the Bun-Whale) drive the bunny to either run or hop large distances and heights, and when they needed to go underwater, the ears of the bunny twisted and turned to become fins and the legs melded to become a whale tail, as the head flipped upside down and the drivers seat was turned into a cockpit. Charlie built it because he met up with his brother (a friend of mine made an OC and we collabed) and wanted to travel the world with him. he ended up drowning when the Bun-whale malfunctioned while submerged and he refused to leave Bertram, and ejected his brother and their companion. the brother and companion lived and Charlie drowned. Bertram then switched his AI back to his robot form, and realized what happend. but what he didnt realize is that Charlie kind of expected his death and didnt want to leave bertram alone, so he built a Charlie-Bot. a bot programmed to act just like charlie. it even had a mini version of charlies legs, and was much smaller and younger looking because it was made a while ago. Charlie legs deactivate when they can no longer feel Charlies heart beat, and if both the legs, and arms sense he is dead, they send a signal to Charlie-Bot and it wakes up. also charlie was an innocent lil boi and wanted to fit in when he went to the pub so he drank apple juice in a beer bottle so it looked like he was actually drinking lmao. Charlie-Bot and Bertram lived peacfully together until Bertram shut down due to lack of maintenance, and Charlie-Bot followed suite. also Charlie had a little top hat and a mechanical eye because he lost it the first time he tried to fix bertram. this was long but if you read it I hope you enjoyed it. :)

[@iaMexIstiNgTerribly]

YOU KILLED THEM ALL???

[@kiaheat1920]

Woah….. this is awesome!

[@crowthebro]

i'm in the process of writing a comic with my characters where they're interviewed about their lives, and i've found that it has helped me develop the characters greatly! not only do i get to explore their stories more, but i get to do so from their point of view and i get to see how they would behave with someone outside of their base stories who asks them so many personal questions, and how that ties into their story and characterization (for example; the murderer is defensive and irritable with the interviewer and his questions since she has so much to hide). plus, it gives me something to do with the characters and their stories aside from daydreaming about them 💀 in summary: even if you don't plan on making a comic about it, "interviewing" your characters is a fun exercise and can help build your character and how they would respond to their story :D

[@kathrynryanclancy8437]

I'm working on one of my OCs here I guess Name: Esther Verbs: Student (high school), loves to read, and also hike (she lives north of Yellowstone) History: Her family moved from some place in Norway to Chicago when she was a baby, when she was a kid her family moved to Montana where she got interested in wolves, when she was a younger teen she and her friends had a weird incident with some magic rocks that turn them into wolves, her friends either forgot about it or think it was some weird dream Imperfections: Scar on her neck and a scar on her face from that wolf thing, has a slight limp ALSO from that wolf thing Favs: Favorite animal is still wolves, favorite song is Runaway by Aurora, and likes winter hats and stuff This was actually sort of helpful

[@aqui0]

When you said Norway and wolves I immediately thought of aurora lol

[@NuteGunray]

Interesting 🙂

[@Faunadude]

That’s epic

[@lobotomy4zombii]

My oc ((made like a long time ago xD)) Name: Fang About: a young adult who lives with there childhood friends, all roommates living in a apartment. History: in Middle School she came back from homeschooling. She met her friends, then her parents moved so she lived with her aunt. (She was born as a half cat) her friends went with more risky things however her aunt let her roam free. However one day she got an hand/claw infection from her and her friends adventures. Imperfections: she gets mentioned for being to “bubbly”- and she is VERY careful about germs.

[@Blackflower-siggy]

8:05 kk heres mine - mcdonalds worker - art - hiking ---- - as a baby they had a very big interest in eating crayons - kid/toddler went to a museum and found interest in art - as a teen they were the a+ kid in school -------- - eyes (colorful wonky) - imperfect teeth --------- - chocolate milk - cheetah print - documentarys --------- HEHE DONE!

[@conflictinmybrain2019]

One thing i try to remember for my characters that exist in a story is what their character represents within the story and what their character arc is. I find this character arc approach really helps me discover their hobbies and job and history and really everything else!

[@attractivecrayon7579]

overall lovely video!!! BUT feel the need to say that if you are making an oc without intention of using them in a story, go crazy!! no rules apply!! as long as you are having fun :)

[@REIN-carnation]

I think that my main rule of thumb when it comes to giving a character a certain trait, is to make it intentional. If the character doesn’t have many verbs, maybe they’re a robotic and emotionless seeming character, and you learn more about them as time goes on. As she said in the video, if they look perfect, maybe they were trained to be that way. If their past didn’t affect them, maybe they’ve been trying to pretty much erase and forget about their past. I think that all of these can make an interesting character, but only if they’re canonical facts about that character.

[@maninanikittycat4238]

When I’m making a character design I always feared making a character design look to basic. I don’t want my characters to look generic when I have a story that’s set in a fantasy world.

[@KURENANI]

Just dream and steal a character from that dream,works every time.

[@Chivecookies_domain]

@@KURENANI Oh for sure, I made 5 characters because of my dreams and snatched them

[@maninanikittycat4238]

@@KURENANI one small problem I can’t remember my dreams

[@Jothsal]

@@maninanikittycat4238 Me too, especially people

[@ladno1342]

​@@KURENANII rarely have dreams which have interesting characters in them and not just regular people 😢

[@Pxp3rCl1pTh3Cl0wn]

No because I could actually fall alseep with lavender towne’s voice it’s so cute and calming

[@LeoGreenfeild]

1:07 this! I am doing the opposite. She has always only studied due to her mothers pressure and it ment to show how she feels like she has no identity if she doesn’t study and stay smart and useful to her empire

[@PHIGHTER_]

when I looked at Lavender's video title I was like: "Did she change personalities..?"

[@jvgreendarmok]

Her latest creepydrawsta does suggest she's going in an edgier direction.

[@RubykonCubes3668]

someone's been watching ethan becker's content lol

[@n00bplayer72]

For my OC's favourite things, I actually list three or four of their favourite songs, but not exclusively as just random likes but to specifically give an idea of their personality/character arc. ie: Wholesome cinnamon bun OC: very upbeat and clean songs like Mr. Blue Sky, Walking on Sunshine, etc. Gloomy wallflower OC: To the Moon and Back, What's Up, Bittersweet Symphony

[@aret_]

i feel like another thing you should consider in a character are features that have a purpose !! for example, when i made characters in the past, i would make them have bunny or cat ears, and while that isn’t necessarily wrong, there was little to no difference in the storyline when i decided to remove them :’D

[@OswaldHemair]

Ik a lot of people say NOT to go overboared with every detail but sometimes it really helps me when wrting to think about the stuff that won't even matter as part of their story...it just helps me get a better idea on the person they are. Which then makes them easier to write. their fave ice cream flavour wont matter in the long run but it still helps me get to know the characters and think about those small things and what life is like for them OUTSIDE the main story

[@MushieKat]

you know while listening to your tips I thought how helpful a game like sims can be for just this!

[@a.w.4708]

Really good advices, especially the history one reminded me about giving some of my (written) characters a background. I also want to add: not every scar counts as imperfection when it comes to character design. There are a bunch of aesthetically pleasing scars: thin vertical cut on the eyebrow, side of the mouth or cheek and currently also horizontal one on the nose, which if included in character design don't add to imperfections, but rather to aesthetics, on par with different eye colors, freckles, earrings etc. So the character with their only imperfections being these thin cut scars would not gain this relatable and real look, it can even be the other way around.

[@ellapennington4179]

making ur oc not suck, straight to the point, we love truthful lav

[@TheStar_babe]

3:49 its something that i did with my fork oc and its really mind blowing how i turned a fork into the victim of some witchcraft !

[@Sunnyfam-ql5vv]

As a person who used to be obsessed with ballet (but never took classes) I am still affected by that phase. I definitely stand with my feet in that ballerina style. I also still know how to do recognize specific ballets of of their music.

[@TotallyNotAToastOrAnything]

BRO, YOU IMPROVED SO MUCH SINCE I LAST WATCHED YOU'RE CHANNEL-

[@Imjustkendall]

these tips are great! My story is abt a awkward teen making awful ocs, like mary sues, edgy wolf boisss, kawaii furrys, ect. Then they come to life and get mad at her for putting them thru hell and back

[@itsgirlcraft5842]

I'd totally read it ngl

[@Sammeye]

​@@itsgirlcraft5842same! It sounds really cool :D

[@strangefishman7635]

this is actually a really interesting idea

[@Faunadude]

Comic when

[@huntforbigfloptober1333]

So… I don’t actually really draw but I really like adult coloring books. Tbh this channel kinda helps me think of what colors to choose so they won’t look off, along with ideas on shading to give the colors more depth. I do a lot of writing so I would like to draw my own original characters. Anyway just wanted to say I love this channel. It’s pretty cozy 🥰

[@nightfallnoir]

LavenderTowne, you‘ve ALWAYS been someone I absolutely look up to and adore, but this is beyond what I could have wished for. CHARACTER DESIGN?! Are you serious? This is EXACTLY what I need! I have ideas in how I want them to look like, but personality is what lacks with my characters… so this helps endlessly! I‘m serious, I‘ll definitely try your super helpful method and will absolutely love to do so!! Thank you so endlessly for all the aid you give all of us!💗🥰

[@wisvai279]

Most instant help I’ve ever gotten. Most of the time when I watch tip videos it takes a while to implement suggestions and make sure they work for me, but the first two characters I designed with this in mind had much more dynamic and interesting designs without feeling too crowded. Thanks a lot, this one was really helpful

[@ryttyr14]

Actually very helpful advice. I try to think of some of these things to some extent when I make OCs but all of it combined really makes everything come together a lot better and now I kinda want to redesign a couple of my OCs.

[@jestersudz6085]

6:07 small details like this are good but ONLY if they are relevant. Example: in better call saul, jimmy is seen eating mint ice cream before an event that caused a major turning point in his character. after the event has been seemingly settled, jimmy has ice cream but debates what flavor to choose, eventually deciding against mint. His favorite ice cream flavor, while a small detail, shows change in his character. Its a prop used to show his change in character instead of having someone just outright say 'jimmy, you're different now' or whatever. Its not nessicary to have stuff like this, like i didnt even notice it until someone in a videoessay mentioned it lol but i still think its cool

[@hyzmarie]

All my OCs are dragons but this should still apply… Btw that one video where you did a turnaround of planchette, there was a part about keeping your character consistent and not like a mood ring “unless you were going for that. That might be kind of cool.” And I laughed SO HARD! Didn’t have a channel yet but my sona is a hybrid dragon (NightWing/RainWing if that means anything to you). RainWings change their scale color like chameleons and it reflects their mood and I literally made her part RainWing for that! So yeah i totally got called out! She has a few “mood scales” on her snout and ear frill.

[@itsgirlcraft5842]

That sounds cool!! Heh, I have a few too many "mood ring" type OCs that I'm slowly getting a consistent look for finally- their whole thing IS looking like chaotic-looking lil creetures, heh

[@CerberusVT-ug1du]

I get so happy when you post! This really does help with everything! I'm glad you spend your time helping artists learn!

[@Urufu_Production]

I really like your tutorials like this one because it helps me when I am drawing my ocs or when I am creating one. I also like how you split things up so people can understand the things a bit at a time before doing the actual thing.

[@averyark]

My favourite way to develop characters is drawing them directly from those meme pictures of a group of people doing random things, its really fun (and funny) figuring out who'd be who and helps develop your understanding of them

[@fork1695]

Just remember that it’s okay to make bad ocs too! If you’re just making them for fun then who cares if they aren’t interesting to other people

[@Blipy]

Here's an interesting way I've found to see if your character can fit into a story. If you're making an oc based off an existing pic of media like an anime, take into consideration how easy they would be to animate. I sounds weird but it actually helps them fit in more.

[@crybaby_puppeteer]

True! You also gotta make like, their style also fit in, like their color has to match the overall color scheme! Or trends in cloth styles in said anime.

[@itsgirlcraft5842]

That actually sounds really helpful! Thinking about it in context of the media itself would probably fix some of my problems!

[@ddetra]

i know im a little late to this video, but I found that oc's became MUCH easier for me when I use dnd 5e character sheets to figure them out before!! ig any personality sheet works too but the reason I use dnd sheets bc it makes you pick so many things you wouldn't normally think of!!

[@crybaby_puppeteer]

I might have to find a DND character sheet now lol

[@arkanimation9833]

I've noticed being in school everyone wants to make these oc's for their animations with no vulnerability. tender spots whether they be physical like the girl covering up a scar with bangs or mental, like someone gets hurt when someone betrays them, but giving us that empathy factor draws us in to the character. I love this, I recently did a character design course similar to what you did. Keep up the awesome.👏👏

[@theinsanitysystem]

I actually managed to teach this to myself along the process of being an artist too! Just never really laid it out like this. Once I started thinking "how do I make this a person, not a character" my designs not only got better, but a lot less repetitive between different stories and a lot more inclusive! Also if I had a preference chart drawn out for myself as a character, 'alternative characters from bad homes' would be top of the list. Forever my go-to, the trauma is good for backstory. And therapy

[@princmaxim]

twitter users dont take a title seriously and personally challenge (IMPOSSIBLE 2022)

[@ifckinlovemcr]

Wow, designing a character has never looked more easy! Thank you so much, if I ever decide I want to make another oc I will definitely be using these tips :D

[@chea.ee_]

Haley’s angelic voice and offensive title 🥰

[@coelhaacapivara1532]

I'm happy that usually I do all of these things while creating a character, sometimes I even get a bit too invested in giving them a background and I end up complicating things too much haha (like making up stories of their grandparents and building up characteristics for every single friend they have)

[@_Kamura_]

Your ending words made me think about how I'm gonna design oc or design for fandoms and stuff! So thank you! I'll definitely think about this the next time I'm designing something!

[@Sunshine.Moonbeam]

As a dancer watching her create the oc was interesting, especially when she was talking about the stance.

[@atlasha9883]

For people drawing manga or comics that take place over a medium to long amount of time, a cool idea is to make their hair slightly grow week by week. Its realistic and it makes it so those slice of life haircutting chapters makes sense instead of their hair suddenly growing in a day. Also means u can gradually change their hairstyle without ppl noticing

[@H.u.m.a.n.]

This is SO helpful When drawing, I enjoy doing character, oc, or persona design the most, usually accompanied by (and 9 time outta 10, drawn after making) a google doc with stuff written like personality, backstory/origins, abilities, hobbies, etc I'm not the greatest with writing most times though, so nothing ever quite feels right when I get to the point of actually drawing - but following this for at least noting down likes/dislikes, hobbies, imperfections, etc, is definitely gonna make the drawing portion of my process a whole lot easier :D - also side note, kinda advice/tip to anyone learning to draw (not that I don't have anything to learn, I do alright but I've still got a lot I can learn): Listen to music as you draw, but not just any music. Find a song or songs that sound like they fit the vibe or feeling of whatever you're making; maybe even put the song on loop if it's perfect and nothing else really fits. I've found that helps, like, a lot

[@H.u.m.a.n.]

Damn I wrote way WAY more than I meant to lol Is it obvious I really really like doin art stuff, considering how much I just typed about all that? Lol

[@minabasejderha5972]

Fun dance fact that can help differentiate how different styles of dance affect posture. You can broadly divide dance forms into 4 types, movements that originate from... -the chest/sternum, -the waist/hips, -the pelvis/thighs, and -the outside forces acting on the body. (There are some people who nickname them shape, swing, thrust, and hang respectively, but a lot of those people also pack into it a lot of parapsychology that is... frankly unnecessary for the purposes here, and usually only distracts or repells non-hippies. I will use the terms provisionally, but I mostly want to ignore the psychological stuff.) Shape emphasizes control, organization, and symmetrical balance. The best examples are the fox trot and very traditional ballet. The asanas of Raja Yoga are also generally shape movements. Swing emphasizes interaction, flourishes, and asymmetrical balance. Traditional swing dancing (nothing fancy) is *an* example, but hula probably is better. Thrust emphasizes dynamism, diagonals, and force. Tango is the best example in dance. Isshin-Ryū Karate is an example outside dance. Hang emphasizes improvisation, naturalism, and the flow of what's around you. Isadora Duncan's dance is the most well known example, I suppose. But being the follow in a loose waltz is easier to visualize and I would say skating uses this modality in a way that is more likely to be easy to remember. Now, for the record, this is all rule of thumb stuff. And experienced dancers can dance in styles they don't find most natural. But all this to say, I found it interesting that you intuitively posed the ballet dancer in a 'shape' pose that that leads and originates from the sternum.

[@samuelwaterhouse9343]

I’ve just started drawing/writing, And this video genuinely gave me good advice! In particular, the imperfections part. Thanks a lot!

[@bellabluecreates5058]

You can see how she gets louder and more confident the more she talks- you can see that she is louder at the end of one part (3:50) and when she starts the next part (3:55) she is quieter.

[@do_you_see_banana_man]

I just thought it was an audio balancing issue

[@rubyfarr8831]

Who saw this video and was like “ hey that wasn’t in the title before “

[@LittleCupcakeOfMemories]

Twitter attacked

[@rubyfarr8831]

@@LittleCupcakeOfMemories Twitter must be sensitive… I can’t wait to get it!

[@sunnyy-YAYYYY]

thanks you for this!! I've really been struggling to make a certain character for my book so perfect timing :)

[@chingchong12kp]

I love how Lavendertowne is so sweet abt everything, even in the title making sure ppl knew it was a joke, then there’s Kooleen being the queen she is, just flat out pissing on artwork Then theres me enjoying both😭♥️

[@lianasmith3161]

Same :0

[@thefriendlyallay]

i love how the joke character i made when i was bored as hell meets more of these than any of my other ones