Transform Your Half-Baked Ideas into Masterpieces

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Just as an FYI this video incorrectly shows May's Biko's Backpack Trading Card labeled as 028, due to an outdated graphic. The Card you'll receive in the mail will have the correct numbering of 029!

[@Mjumiman]

The Dinotopia example was such a useful insight. Sometimes we feel like we need to fit ideas into a certain framework of commonly used media - like a linear story presented as a comic or game - when a less conventional presentation would be much more fun and less daunting for us. Something to think about.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

YES- Absolutely that! There's this thin narrative woven through Dinotopia, but not one you couldn't easily just make up as you went along to stitch things together. Especially now, those convention final products don't need to be the outcome.

[@whatwilliwatch3405]

I agree! And a cool thing about the original Dinotopia volumes is that they became a springboard for additional content, such as a children's book series, a television miniseries, and even a video game. (I read a ton of the children's books when my library had them, back in the day.) To my knowledge, none of these were written solely by James Gurney, but I'm sure he at least benefited from the licensing. None of that would have happened if he hadn't written the worldbuilding books first. Sometimes you just need to get a project completed and out in the public eye (or wherever you plan to post it), and you can grow from there.

[@sylvanshroom]

That point about not feeling beholden to a creative decision made years ago really hits me rn tbh, I feel like I'm definitely having to economize on a comic idea I've had for a long time and want to make tangible progress on, and these creative solutions I think will guide me in making it manageable.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

That's awesome!

[@Rozdlc]

Have a detective story that's been bouncing around my head for awhile. Also wanted to try out making a visual novel. Started with one idea but got overwhelmed. Recently decided to try it out with the detective story and so far has been working well with the format

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Minimum viable project! Hope it goes well for you Roxanna!

[@oblivioncreations]

Something I'd like to add onto it all is you may not even notice you need to condense or split projects you are working on until you write them all down. So go and write down all the projects you are working on/want to work on and figure out which ones you actually want to do as well as the time commitment for each thing, sometimes only when you lay everything out in front of you can you tell what needs to be done.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Absolutely! That's why that ends up being such a great exercise. Good ideas!

[@meanncat3050]

this is why journaling is a huge thing in the productivity/mental health sphear of youtube. braindumping everything out makes things easier to manage and judge.

[@Chicxy_Madness]

Thank you for giving us kind advices for free! You're helping a lot of us over there!

[@CharacterDesignForge]

You are so welcome!

[@quplux4301]

Man I needed this, not only was the info helpful but, your jokes were spot on, I really needed a laugh.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Hehe thank you Quplex, I just find it's easier to pay attention with little things here and there and hope my videos can keep people engaged too :D

[@CursioNeptune]

I think my favorite takeaway from this was the crazy conspiracy board connector. I actually already did something like this without even realizing it! I had a bunch of fun and interesting characters that were all in their own worlds. I wanted to see how they reacted off of each other, so I mashed them together in a joke practice comic where I was focusing on shot angles and zooming in and out. It was so fun, and the characters all bounced off one another so well, I decided to mash all those worlds into one gaint patchwork world, and my joke comic ended up being the foundation for building the rest of my world around it just to explain why things were the way they were. Thank you for this video, now I can do that further on purpose since you've laid out the structure so succinctly : ) I'm already in the mindset of every new character and every art piece I do slowly filling out my giant world bit by bit. It's also helping me stay creative with the background characters, as they are all original characters in their own right that I may use in further stories at a later time. The thing your video clarified for me on what I need to work on is creating background environments depicting places in my world! I was having low motivation for background practice and using real world photos for reference. Now I think I can tackle this with a fresh perspective! : )

[@monsterzombun558]

I won't lie, I clicked on this video just for time criminal grandma. But thank you for the advice, I've actually done this before kinda without realising it, like merging about six different mini stories into one over arching big story with a better plot. But it's nice to have the reminder, since I've been struggling with things again lately. Your videos never fail to get me in the mood to create again!

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Oh man the best compliment I can hear is that you clicked because of my art!!! Thanks so much, and I'm glad you liked the rest!

[@muttrogers6586]

Ya know, your example about the comic artist switching gears and turning their old, unfinished comic into something new and more enjoyable for them spoke volumes to me. Making the jump from strictly drawing and working toward a life as a cartoonist to puppetry, sculptures, and toys has been the best move I ever made creatively. Now, the old short comings I had are more easily remedied (or are more fun to work through), and I'm finally able to give myself what I wanted most of all. Cartoons running around out here in the real world. Great advice as always, and thanks for doin what you do.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

I love that! Especially as someone who aspires to sculpt and print and create a lot more physical character stuff myself!

[@muttrogers6586]

@@CharacterDesignForge I genuinely hope you're able to explore it more. I loved your Jamberella diorama and your home brew Kalona Amiibo!

[@SirMasi]

Dang, that Dinotopia example is so perfect. Finding a way to do only the interesting parts of the project, but still producing a complete project is brilliant!

[@HeartlessReaperKun]

I feel like I struggle a lot with pairing something down to it's essentials. Might be something in looking at a project and realizing how large it is and not knowing where to take things out of it.

[@inkythoughts]

I'm... are you a mind reader??? haha seriously your videos are always perfect for when I'm struggling. definately very much in need of a mithosis for my bachelor project at the moment xD also I know you didn't ask but I'd really love to hear more of your ADHD journey if you want to share/make a video on where you struggled a lot & what works for you as an artist. but yeah, you really have some sort of magic senses xD all the best!

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Thank you so much, Inky! I've been thinking about making a dedicated video about ADHD after the reception in the last video!

[@feanaro2712]

I definitely tend to come up with lots of large, overly complicated ideas that could benefit from being simplified a bit, and the use of Dinotopia as an example of what that simplifying process could potentially look like was super helpful. Also, "a happier, more camel-less world" made me laugh out loud. Your sense of humour continues to be a highlight of these videos.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Thank you Jake!

[@spencehewitt]

I feel I am far too amateur to answer your question well. All I really have is thanks to offer! Hearing you speak about the various subjects frankly just helps me ponder my current roadblocks, even if they aren't directly connected to the subject matter.

[@TheDoomBlueShell]

The Dinotopia example was mind blowing :O Another good idea is if you want to make a webcomic but dread making panels do like kids books where have one big image or a simple drawing with text attached, so you only draw the parts you really want to draw

[@StudioHannah]

Very timely video. I needed this. Jumped from Crafsman’s new video over to this one ;) Man, this is a good day.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Oh man, I just watched his new video while this uploaded! Really appreciate that!

[@StudioHannah]

@@CharacterDesignForge So good, right? I did some claymation as a kid but nothing on that level!

[@SarahMaeBea]

It can be really daunting to approach an over complicated project, killing your darling as you say. But thinking of it like mitosis is a really helpful way to frame it to seem less intimidating. Less like a loss. And repurposing an incomplete idea into a separate medium that's only the "good parts" is brilliant! Thanks!

[@Anja_Pearson]

Wow! I’m going to have to watch this again to really comprehend and start to apply everything, but this was an exceptionally helpful video! Honestly, the past four or five videos you’ve made have been some of my favorites! I really love it! As for your question: Oooo, man, I have a big creative problem. Basically, I came up with a story idea around 3 1/2 years ago, and since then I’ve written approximately 20 versions of it, all of varying lengths. My third version got to over 200 pages long. And after that third version, I stopped having fun with it. However, I liked my ideas for it so much that I kept trying to make it… and I kind of feel obligated to finish it as well. I think I really need to split my ideas apart, because right now way too much os going on. Or, as you said, maybe I’ll end up taking it into a different format entirely. In any case, I definitely have a lot to think about now, and perhaps a way forward. Thank you!

[@branflakes11]

Back in like 2017 I started making comic strips for fun and dabbling in digital art. Then fast forward to early 2021, i realized how horrible and non-existent my fundemental drawing skills were, so I started honing those. And I became hooked with the process of exploring and practicing. The drawing activities I began doing more of were making fan art and abstract pieces. This also led me to revisit my comic strip and remake the assets like character designs, adding little bit of lore and even the name. My problem is that I'm struggling with being consistent with my return to the Comic Strip while juggling improving as an artist and falling into the rabbit holes of unrelated projects. It's like I'm improving as an artist but I'm still getting in the way of my creative dream.

[@niko3648]

Bro, Love the hollowknight figurines on the shelf. They look so cool!

[@thegeekclub8810]

I had two big story ideas that I was equally in love with, but I didn’t know which one to make first. Then, slowly, I realized that a lot of the themes and even some story beats between the two were the same. So I’m combining them into one, even bigger story, which gives me more focus.

[@blakespangler3111]

Just popping in to say I’m going to watch the video in a little while, but I wanted to comment and like while I saw that it’s new. (I know I’m gonna like it anyway, just figured I’d help push this out while I can) You’re a great encouragement to me and I’m always glad to see your new videos!

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@gabriellegillen]

This video definitely spoke to me. I love doing many creative things from writing a novel to a webcomic, sci fi world building or writing music… it’s tough to feel like you have to choose out of the things you are most passionate about. Thank you for the insightful video!! Hopefully I can find how to best combine interests and projects 😊

[@jublubsstudios8650]

I liked this video. The tips in it are really true! Fusion and separating aspects of something can rally help one to finish its tasks (might use this technique in home work). And by the way I love the character from Biko’s backpack may! End of the video question: the thing I’m struggling the most nowadays in creativity is when I open my sketch book to draw and don’t know what do draw, which character I draw? In which situation? It’s annoying, but I’m almost getting throw it. Nice vid!

[@jublubsstudios8650]

Sorry for the LOOONG comment…

[@CharacterDesignForge]

not at all long, thank you so much for sharing how you appreciated my work! I hope things get better for you with that pull in too many directions sketching!

[@jublubsstudios8650]

This is the most wholesome thing I read in a while!! Thank you so much!!

[@LARADEKA]

*_I have plenty, of unused and scrapped stories since almost around 2016. I can remake and remaster them, but they really take a long while until I can get a new thought._* *_Some inspirations can trigger me to revive old content._*

[@KarazolaX]

I do APPRECIATE the metaphor of 'a camel is a horse designed by committee', but camels are phenomenally evolved creatures that are not only excellent at survival, they're phenomenally useful beasts of burden that made life within the desert exponentially easier for people. It's BECAUSE of all its traits that it is able to achieve this. But the metaphor itself is pretty solid, and a funny one too.

[@Pheyora]

Thank you. So. Damn. Much. Seriously♥👌🏽

[@lyiusapangolin]

It definitely helps to get a refresher of tips like this even if I regularly use them in my projects - merging character designs that don't need to be distinguished or fulfil the identical role, or splitting characters or concept ideas into two separate parts for easier reading consumption to both me and readers. I like to try to stick to "Simply complex," or "complexly simple" for my general projects; Sure, there's alot of nuance and plenty of interesting things to explore with worldbuilding systems I create or creating genuses of species - and these things are incredibly interesting and enticing to add to, but here's the thing about that: if it isn't going to show on screen, or not be relevant to the ongoing project in any shape or form - then there's no reason to define it as it won't really ever help me, or any reader. I don't need to define thousands of different creatures who will never feature past a brief mention or exist as a name in a taxonomy chart, only those that I plan to make appear - and that list is very limitedly small. In addition to my "simply complex/complexly simple," I also use it to refer to the same sentiment of "If you cannot explain it in it's simplest terms, you don't understand it yourself;" if I cannot summarise a complex worldbuilding element or magic system in as simple as a single page, then it's simply too complex for it's own good, or I am simply not adequately able to explain it. If I am able to summarise that entire system with a simple graphic or a few sentences? Then it is simplified enough that it's workload is minimal at that point, and enough so that working with it will be as easy as understanding that basic graph or those few sentences. Also indirectly by achieving this, you effectively solidify that element of your story. Just be sure to understand when it's too complex to simplify adequately, or when it can't be explained by your current understanding of it. Goes back to mitosis or fusion in this regard.

[@adroitws1367]

Im actually accidentally doing this because I start off too many project and love it too much to kill it entirely. The natural evolution is the fusion of my favorite part of those project and combine them so I can work on some of those thing as one project. Sometime it become a chimeraic monster of a project that I can confidently save as backlog because I'm too scared to provoke it. Sometime it become a Griffin that journey with me gracefully onto completion.

[@daptor1427]

Guilty of the multitasking and quickly switching between projects... There is too many things I want to do but only a limited amount of spare time. I thought multitasking and trying to cover several diferent projects in a short time would give me the most satisfaction and prevent me getting bored, but instead it kills any momentum and gives me choice paralysis. My main projects are a huge comic and multiple game dev ideas, but it's nearly impossible to switch between both. I have a pretty efficient workflow for comics due to lots of experimenting, but for making games I tend to get frustrated with the coding part. I'd rather just think about game mechanics/design and create assets, and game dev in general is still incredibly satisfying for me. I know hiring or collabs are an option, but I prefer the freedom to 100% make what I want, whenever I want. Aside from these I also want to make my own animations/cartoons, I really seem to have a habit of picking all the most time-consuming hobbies apparently. :P

[@stratovolcano7813]

Love it!

[@EmeraldDucky]

I have been working on fusion in my story, I noticed I tend to spread ideas out too much in the story, and get a lil bit of scope creep, and by condensing things I get more interested in the characters and understand them better, it also makes me feel like there is less work for me in the future. I’m still very early on with developing this story and don’t really know where I wanna go with it but, yea fusion has been helping me

[@gyoonri]

Love this video soso much, your work is gold man!! Tysm for your videos always ❤️

[@fmbray_]

Incoming 5-hour Brookes analysis video on Dadless Andy incoming!

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Lol You know it

[@SugaryFate_]

Shout out to the reflection of his ear in the sliver play button

[@CharacterDesignForge]

😂 its so funny i hate the way the back of my neck looks and then it just, does that

[@scrappyknees]

This actually helped me realize a problem with one of my ideas and split it in two! thank you for this tip. If I were to make a character using instructions in your videos and inspired by your style, is there a place I could share it where you are most likely to see?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Hey there, yeah Twitter or Instagram are probably the best bets!

[@godahlrogue8587]

Aaaaa goodwyn pin! Shes one of my favorites of your characters! In terms of struggles, right now im mostly just struggling to get the motivation to eat my art vegetables, lol--i think ive proven to myself that i can finish projects, my difficulty is just that im only a so so artist and need to get better lol Not sure how mitosis or fusion could help with that tbh--i just got home from a long day at work and im still processing this video. Heres some engagement anyway!

[@godahlrogue8587]

Oh lol--just rewatched the video and you literally talk about how these techniques could be used for improvement. Sorry--me no think very good today

[@eschwarz1003]

Brilliant

[@EvasiveBlue]

This video is very relevant to me currently because I got my first "D" in my 2d sfx class, because I was multi tasking in that class and another instead of focusing and when I turned it in I got the D no one wants. It was humbling for sure.

[@andrewsung3965]

Interesting tip if we only care about a particular aspect of storytelling yet could care less about the other. I have done alot of character designs but not that much of background designs and creature designs.

[@blackcitadel9]

I'm struggling with art fundamentals, both practicing them and putting them into practice on actual art pieces/projects for myself. I don't think I've brought anything to completion for a few weeks now.

[@yourmajestysilveroftherats4609]

Most of the protagonists for my new project are recycled from old stuff. It's really fun to fuse stories together and see what comes out, it's my favorite category of fantasy story.

[@oncreativemode5486]

I really want to dip my toes into making an animated series that's been on my brain for 3 years. I love making character design and animating, and I am working on my writing abilities (it is fun for me btw) but world building, making environments, and storyboarding are really tough to get to mostly because there isn't anything that I can work with them. I can't just do storyboarding without a story; most of the ones I have are half-baked and probably even low quality. How do I make environments if I don't even know how to properly do perspective? What do they even contain if there isn't even any clear buildings, places etc. on my world building? I can't think of a solution that might work yet, although concept art journals sounds interesting to do now that I think about it.

[@realitymill]

I've been toying around with a few different settings for a looong time now. It's hard to focus on one to build a story and art for. The Dinotopia example fits me, but I want to do more. I've narrowed down one setting to focus on at the moment, but I still have many stories to tell with different characters who are separate but will eventually cross paths.

[@hexxidelux6224]

2:25 Subtly smooth burn in 3... 2... Break out the ointment! 🤣Love it, but too true.

[@lumpybells3752]

right now? i'm currently struggling with focusing on one project, especially when my brain keeps making things at such a pace. while i'm mainly focusing my attention on my two main projects (one's a novel in the making, and the other's a story i'm co-writing with friends) it's still a struggle because having unmedicated adhd is really hard-

[@markguyton2868]

A: Struggling with drawing, want to do it, have an extreme urge to do it, but can't for some reason. Also trying to start doing game design, same scenario as drawing.

[@mariesok4874]

Really good video! Too many projects, and not enough motivation~ ADHD. This view will help me figure out what is worth my time to focus or reevaluate to make things more efficient. Will you be making more videos relating to motivation struggles and ADHD?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

There’s been a lot of requests for it, so I’d like to!

[@Story_paint]

I’m working on a personal webcomic that i actually reworked where it’s about a third the size it used to be, and MUCH more manageable.

[@DragonNeverLoves]

My struggles right now are actually irrelevant to my 3 main skills (drawing, animating, and writing my own stories, world-building, & characters) because I AM FORCED TO DO IT, and it is- *drum rolls* Coding and making a stupid game. FOR A SCHOOL PROJECT. I love designing and creating characters, especially Dragons (but I can bear with humans as well) and that's the only part I liked about the process of this stupid thing. Man, this is so out of my field, and I'm still wondering why the hell we still got Game Development subject in a DIGITAL ANIMATION course 😭😭😭 This is just plain stupid. Our curriculum is stupid, and I can't wait for this semester to end so that I can focus on working back on my personal projects which I love and value the most above this stupid game that ain't even benefit me greatly.

[@AZUREPHOENIX777]

Lol Pepper Pork

[@MangoBirb22]

I have so many not even half-baked ideas and drawings floating around, maybe i can teak things and bend them into one fully formed landscape :J

[@Kittyboi.]

I have like three comic Ideas I want to do, technically four cause a side character from one of them ended up becoming a main character of a completely different story. However I’ve never made a comic before and I’m still learning how to draw so I find it difficult to get started, I also have ADHD and autism and I can’t decide one which to start on first or even how the stories will unfold and eventually end.

[@epicgam2317]

What I’m struggling with right now is being too lazy to write. And no this can’t help me.

[@carlosroo5460]

My problem is that my ideas tend to scale--depending on what I watching or reading at the time--and also doesn't help that I'm not drawing, painting or writing right now,, because of my hand problems and I need to work to pay for the doctor.

[@daserfomalhaut9809]

What's that big key thing behind his Hollow Knight figs on the shelf?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

That’s Jacqueline’s key from our game Shackleton! (In development)

[@meanncat3050]

This is something I've been unintentionally try to get my friend to do. He has a story he wants to do but he's made it far too big [lore, worldbuilding, etc. got out of hand], I'm trying to get him to cut it down to one protagonist but he is struggling. lol

[@CharacterDesignForge]

The struggle is indeed real!

[@Ringtail123]

What I'm struggling with? Wanting to draw my cool character in a comic but always being tired when I finish a page😓

[@Ibrahim_Ezzeddine]

Sir i have a qustion for you im going to be a programer when i go to university but i want to make a character but i dont know how can i learn making characters in university?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Im not sure the exact nature of your question but you dont have to go to college to be a character designer. I even offer a course you can do on your own, the diligence and practice with a little guidance is all it takes

[@Ibrahim_Ezzeddine]

@@CharacterDesignForge i mean that can they teach me designing or no?

[@Ibrahim_Ezzeddine]

@@CharacterDesignForge and sorry sir im a little bit confused i dont know what to do in my life im still a 16 years old and i still have 2 years to go to college i know programing but i dont know how to draw or make a character😔😔😔

[@CharacterDesignForge]

@@Ibrahim_Ezzeddine I don't believe that your programming class will teach you Character Design, but the good thing is that you don't have to wait for or rely on going to college in order to start designing characters.

[@Ibrahim_Ezzeddine]

@@CharacterDesignForge thank you sir

[@lewisoliverleo]

Peppa's Return Jumpscare

[@beanconnoisseur5527]

Honestly my biggest problem is that I procrastinate on drawing anything.

[@nodewizard]

Blizzard-Activision are now unionized. So good things to come for their now unionized employees!

[@salvidomum5287]

Brookes hates Sahara and also #animalcrossing you heard it here first

[@odoloid]

is nobody gonna talk about the metroid fusion joke

[@auroralightday9699]

Hmm struggling with the fact that I have two massive original worlds in my head but don't know how to document them.

[@aplanebagel]

It would be so much easier if I didn't have to do the business man , the artist and the learner ( new skills like animation right now ) at the same time.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

absolutely! Hear you there

[@godahlrogue8587]

Why does this video have so few views

[@edyjabbour5064]

first

[@edyjabbour5064]

i didn't finish the video but thanks for being so helpful

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Oh? Can I ask why you didn't finish it? That usually tells KZbin that the video wasn't good, and it tanks it early on.

[@edyjabbour5064]

@@CharacterDesignForge No , sorry i just wanted to thank you before I finished the video. Ps:You have a little comunity in lebanon.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

@@edyjabbour5064 aw thank you so much! I would love to see Lebanon some day.

[@salvidomum5287]

POSITIVE COMMENT PRIOR TO WATCHING #procreate #iPad #arttutorial #NFLdraft #trending #art maybe those will help?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

lol oh no Sal these comments are getting stuck in the spam filter XD

[@LAHatch]

Come on guys, its obvious that Andy having just a mom is a hint that they reproduce asexually like the rest of us humans c: