YOUTUBE OCS VS PROFESSIONAL CHARACTER DESIGN

hey guys! I've been hard stressing over character designs for a story of mine for literally YEARS but I finally feel like I've got them down, so today I'm showing you how I really approach serious character design!
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[@toganium4175]

"You can't rush art." -that old guy from Toy Story 2

[@cuboidgamez7577]

yes

[@animemaster69_]

I smell top comment

[@sadiewhite5684]

You are everywhere! 😂

[@sssunnyd7874]

@@sadiewhite5684 i dont think ive seen her before

[@angeltheaxo]

FYI His name is Geri and he's also in the Pixar short "Geri's game"

[@witch5512]

"scars on the face can look a little cliche" me, having a scar on my cheek: im finally a generic brand adventurer oc, hell yeah

[@conconcrete]

Me with four face scars: 🤡✨

[@81194.z]

me with none: 🏃‍♀️

[@conconcrete]

I have one on my forehead, one on my chin, two on my jaw and probably more 💀

[@crocsinthewater4838]

i have a scar from stitches on my cheek, i had like a mass of muscle or something growing there

[@waddledeeznutz6477]

I have one on my foot

[@bett1826]

Good to hear that I'm not the only one who takes actual years to settle on a character design

[@yrratix7442]

Lol same here, I made my OCs like 2 or 3 years ago and they’re far from finished. I think it takes time for everyone

[@bett1826]

@@yrratix7442 Okay that's good, I dunno where I heard it but I heard someone say that a character design shouldn't take more than a year lol glad to know they're uh kinda wrong, in this case

[@Lilacflower123]

same

[@yrratix7442]

@@bett1826 That person was completely wrong! You can take as much time as you need to make an OC design. I’m constantly changing my OCs or giving them different styles, just to try out different stuff. Take as much time as you need playing around and developing your OC :)

[@spr1iite]

Same

[@SC-wz2vh]

Professional character design: *well thought, complex, everything has a purpose...* Oc i design for fun: Give him cat ears!

[@SkeleSunny]

me: Lets give em rainbow hair!

[@Itz_Mothii]

Me making a oc jist for the hell of it: "omg revolutionary idea... maid dress but make it cool"

[@insertunoroginalnamehere6189]

Now combine the comment and the replies and bam an uwu cat boy

[@umgarotoaleatorio7044]

@@insertunoroginalnamehere6189 Its more of a pink cat with a weird fish net outfit

[@LillyLillyD]

Ok so cat ears, rainbow hair, male, fishnests, omw to make him 1 sec

[@CyanightMars]

You know, the moment you mentioned that you thought the teeth around his hood looked like a bear trap, I immediately thought of how foreshadowing they would be if his demise was, in fact, a bear trap snapping around his neck

[@ICREAMTOHANDTIE]

that would be amazing

[@rattersworld1016]

The only issue is he would have to die for that...

[@Deadflower019]

The curse of being a creator: "Oh my god, this would be amazing if they died by-"

[@Portahooty]

@@Deadflower019 a similar thing happened to me when a book character I made (who was an elf by the way) turned out to have their name mean “ruler of the elves”

[@lunamoonintheverse]

@@Portahooty Omg was their name Avery? 😂

[@gremmy7594]

I've always started with the character sheet and just spend hours thinking of what they'd wear and why- I think its super interesting to start with sketching a character in a scene first though and I wanna try this! Perhaps thisll help me with characters designs for my comic! Always love watching lavendertowne videos. They always inspire me to keep trying different things and have got me thinking a lot about my own art. I've hit a creative wall recently and this video really did kinda help :)

[@lemonpie_vanilla]

:o This comment is exactly me, I have found my twin! But same, I also always start with a character sheet and all, but I'll try her way too

[@lemonpie_vanilla]

Also goodluck with art, I hope you'll have much inspiration soon

[@nellbug]

I do that too, maybe I should try this method :0

[@jkstcibg]

This comment is exactly me though. I say that the vid did help me what to do for designs.

[@kikikalathiasart9510]

The comment is blank for me help

[@insertusernamehere3173]

To anyone struggling with character design or anything art related: Character design takes awhile. So does learning art, keep trying and don't give up! It's hard, but you'll get there! It took me 5 years to get to where I am, and I still have stuff to learn. Keep it up!

[@alanabanana752]

This made me feel better so thanks 😊

[@mxckerei]

PHIL? AND JUNKO IS THAT YOU

[@aravelasco2301]

It took me 5 years to draw decent looking hands...

[@insertusernamehere3173]

@@mxckerei yes

[@insertusernamehere3173]

@Brooklyn Westerlund no matter what you're doing great!

[@JellyJessYT]

This is super helpful! I love all the details you put into your sketches they look so awesome :)

[@literally.]

agreed.

[@hiiexist9242]

Ma’am, this is the hidden comment by popular KZbinr police. Put your hands up where I can see them.

[@pamelajohnson2043]

ILY SM AND YOUR VIDS ARE SO FUNNY

[@nas6712]

Jess!

[@thecrayoncrew8860]

I like trains

[@NarutoOndoFan]

As someone who makes a lot of D&D characters, it was helpful to learn your process for a character whose personality and story you don't know right away when designing. As I find I make a character they never show their true colours until at least the first couple of sessions. So it's always the biggest struggle figuring out the look and design before getting to properly meet them!

[@James-zr8vi]

Sometimes I have trouble even deciding on a race. I had this idea for a Changeling Warlock who's basically like that sorta Dread Pirate Roberts thing, with their main persona being one passed down through the generations (along with the pact,) but their true form is getting too old for the business. Originally, the Roberts form was going to be a dragonborn but over time, I've found Elf to fit better.

[@poppy_fl00wer90]

pov: you don’t have consistent oc’s and the ones you do have you feel guilty about because they are based on fandoms so it doesn’t feel real and good enough to you-

[@insertusernamehere3173]

Wherever you are with character design is ok! Not everyone has ocs that they like. If you want help there are youtube videos and plenty of people who'd love to help! Not to mention, ocs aren't always needed. Also fandom ocs are perfectly fine! Have fun with it!

[@user-nw3ol7fk1i]

@@insertusernamehere3173 I'd even argue that fandom ocs are extra challenging to design, because you have to make their designs fit the other characters and world that you can't change

[@insertusernamehere3173]

@@user-nw3ol7fk1i yeah that too!

[@satansrose1276]

I have like the opposite problem, I find it so hard to make fanart and repeating someone else's characters without plagiarizing😭

[@user-nw3ol7fk1i]

@@satansrose1276 that sounds more like an art style problem than a design one tbh

[@paniccake1219]

I read poodle instead of doodle in the title and was very confused the entire time she made the character sheet. Go, no reading comprehension I guess

[@strwbri3s]

Man that has happened too many times to me

[@klutzykaya6439]

I too, make lots of mistakes when reading or hearing things. My friend drew a flag that wasn't attached to the pole. One of my other friends told him that the flag was "defying gravity." *I swear I really thought that he said "defining poverty."*

[@ilovecucumbers15]

@@klutzykaya6439 XD Same

[@basilbat273]

@@klutzykaya6439 the fuck

[@klutzykaya6439]

@@basilbat273 I also once read a poster that said "Rock This Test," and knowing full well what it said thought it said "Fuck This Test" for several seconds. To be fair, it was a laminated poster so the glare was pretty bad, but I still think that's an incredible feat of stupidity on my part.

[@strawby]

Redesigning super old characters is fun It feels like the characters grow with you

[@boomboomboom32]

Yesss! I have some ocs I've had since I was 9-11 and they've gone through so many different changes as I've changed and grown myself

[@Stupidityyy]

@@boomboomboom32 Samme!

[@foxowar3953]

Yeah! I even have a character that I use as the "redesign character" which I'll periodically update!

[@percy_shiield]

i try to redesign my ocs as often as possible. i like giving them growth and watching them grow up with me. ive got an oc ive had for 6-7 years and the way shes grown has really surprised even me

[@Jazker_da_thief]

@@percy_shiield I feel You! My main five ocs changed so much, they went to Gravity falls-looking edgy kids to silly little cartoon thiefs from the 60s. in like- 4 years they changed clothes,personality, height literally some of them don't Even look alike to what they were once!

[@offbrandbiscuit]

I'd say Genshin Impact has a good balance of "rule of cool" and practicality. For example, Barbara is an idol and adamant worshipper of Barbatos at the church in Mondstadt, so she's not dressed like someone who's ready for a fight. Venti's design has a lot of things that the wind flatters, like frills, capes and whatnot, which ties into his fondness for 'that which is light and breezy' Zhongli's also dressed in a pretty straightforward embellished suit, which ties into his almost businesslike execution of tasks and discussion around things. Given he's a character in a city of trade, exports and business, that fits pretty well.

[@randomgrmlin]

Currently making my own Genshin characters and it’s so fun coming up with designs based on their vision and backstory!

[@thatonekid6677]

don't forget xinqius outfit! it's so over the top and stupid i love it. totally fits his personality

[@shoyo3367]

GENSHIN!!!

[@bingbong4370]

Im sick of BOTW players roasting Genshin. I prefer BOTW because the game is jank and I love it, but the thin with anime too is nothing is original, if they stray off too far from the generic Truck-kun isekai, OP ocs, or the generic "Clueless schoolboy with blue hair and a white uniform harem", they hate the anime.

[@meloon9640]

I agree 👍

[@amazingsmasha]

I feel like in almoust every story there is that one character that the author just struggles to design cause they don't know much about them. (Well for me anyway)

[@aecholapis]

That's so me, but with 95% of the cast of a story I came up with two years ago that I'm still working on right now. I'm struggling with the character designs, even though I know so much about them, help...

[@djthevampire3411]

I’m the exact opposite, I know all of my characters favorite ice cream flavor at this point

[@ghost_shivers5276]

same

[@Dressup_Doll]

Can confirm

[@pixiethealienkitty1894]

I always struggle with making characters.. idk, ugly I guess? They're all (in my mind) way too perfect, and not in an iconic side character way, like too unrealistic. I also usually have oc's that are siblings and I make them look too similar, considering me and my brother look nothing alike.

[@VVToonZ]

The lil “Hey everybody it’s Lavendertowne” animation at the start is just so cute every time

[@luciidusal]

this is my first time watching one of her videos and i saw that and was like: holy heck thats cool

[@cupio-stardust]

I need some backstory on her OC since she has little ghosts and skull eyes,

[@VVToonZ]

Addison The Cat ohhh yeah! I thought it was just for ✨pretty effects✨ but if there's a reason that would be cool!

[@cupio-stardust]

@@VVToonZ Plus if you look at her channel banner it seems as though it’s more than just for effects.

[@gordonramslay9955]

I remember when I was 11 (I’m 15 now) I had a character, he had black hair and a red dog tail and ears. Then when I was 13 he was a female furry because I had a furry phase, now she’s a normal human but she has a beanie with dog ears on them as a wink and a nod to the old design. Since her first design was male she’s a trans woman, I’m also trans so she’s a bit of a comfort character. She also has a more appealing colour palette now-

[@new._et]

Mr. Ramsay, you’re 15?!

[@riante.illust]

Gordon Ramsay’s true age revealed?!

[@ikeashark3337]

One of my trans characters have a similar “backstory” where I had a group of OC’s and she was originally a male, but there where way to many male characters, so I changed her to female to balance it out a bit, and decided “hey why don’t I make them trans, I don’t have a trans character yet!” AND I LOVE HER

[@megamix_mc9287]

It’s comforting to hear that I’m not the only one who’s own oc became their comfort character

[@serenegenerally]

comfort ocs are everything

[@fellix7531]

When you mentioned the "rule of cool", it reminded me of the struggle I have with sticking to realistic things. That's the thing that's the hardest for me to... let go of ig. I want it to justify my culture so much that now, I struggle with giving my characters a good balance of realism and aesthetics. They seem too real, not fit for a fantasy genre. I wanna give a modern take to it, just like most comics do. For example, shorts or leggings under the bahag, hoodies, chokers, a mullet inspired by the actual hair style, etc. I'm working hard on it and hopefully in the next 2 years or so, I already have my story all planned out so that by 2025, my comic is out.

[@laughsingay]

I struggle with the opposite actually- when it comes to character designs I have an INCREDIBLY hard time being creative with them. It's not even that I'm not interested in fashion- I am, I actually feel like I have a pretty good fashion sense- I'm just bad at actually designing clothes. If you gave me a bunch of clothes to choose from for my characters they would probably all look great- I just have a hard time thinking of interesting and creative outfits.

[@KingOfStuipd]

Imma leave it here so I can remember this also what the comic called?

[@ratchild2732]

Can we just talk about how her voice sounds so much more confident than a few years back?

[@laughter6031]

I clicked faster than LavenderTowne could say "Hey everybody"

[@anthonysamuelhalim]

LMAO

[@Niyomi_32]

XD

[@parker4591]

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THOSE SCENE DRAWINGS OMGGGGG THEY’RE MUY BONITA

[@crypticshadows]

Ikrrr! It’s beautiful

[@4sher234]

I love your pfp!! Is it your drawing? If so you should post art vids!

[@parker4591]

@@4sher234 ah, thanks, it’s noce that you like my pfp! Sadly i didn’t draw this one, i made my character on picrew. However, i do hope to make art videos sometime soon! :D

[@wilfredoquinonez1007]

AGREED

[@parker4591]

@@4sher234 update i just changed my pfp and now it's something i drew :3

[@dexington]

I’d like to know where I could read her comics! They look so interesting just looking at the characters and the potential lore behind specific facial features and clothing items!

[@raine1634]

I mean unfamiliar is on tapas but I don’t know if this one will be or not

[@klutzykaya6439]

Unfamiliar, to my knowledge, is on both Webtoon and Tapas.

[@Disinfectant_Wipe]

A little is on webtoon but the hasn't updated webtoon, like, eVeR. If ya wanna read her comics go too tapas. It's free, just like webtoon.

[@klutzykaya6439]

@@Disinfectant_Wipe thanks, didn't realize that honestly ;-;

[@Disinfectant_Wipe]

@@klutzykaya6439 no problem :p

[@Aimz360]

Deffinately going to apply these tips. A friend told me once that with steampunk its the functual aspects you need not the asthetics so dont go throwing random gears on, i guess it works the same way as lavendertowne mentioned.

[@rattersworld1016]

If I were to design a steampunk character I would probably add random gears, and then have them actually do something. It can even be something absurd, like make half-caffinated coffee, or take off the characters shoes.

[@gplgs4640]

Who else has practically zero experience in actual character design and is beating themselves up for not being as good at it as someone who literally majored in it in college?

[@Revsoshi]

I mean technically everybody who has drawn a character has experience in character design.

[@rawcookiedough7518]

Bro, are you me?

[@agentblackbird9435]

Me

[@langiit]

Love how the old OC name is Vodka

[@bunshr00m]

other kids on deviantart: i'll name my character river :)) lavendertowne: hey guys this is v o d k a

[@stellophiliac]

kids on deviantart name their characters the same way enbies name themselves

[@imjusthere9199]

@@stellophiliac why is this so funny

[@alexisdied4558]

​​@@stellophiliachmmm... what's a random object I can find around the room...ah cigeret

[@KlownKumiho]

i never had to overthink what my characters would look like or who they were i would see them in my dreams or music would inspire me i saw a certain shade of pink and that inspired me to make one of my favorite characters

[@madyb6444]

It's the same way for me! If I see a chracter I like from a show, see a certain color, or hear some music I like; it motivates me to create my own characters. Then I can start to create the story behind them!

[@So_Indecisive]

Same for me

[@blueberrypawsome]

Same here

[@eliseelizabeth5018]

My characters are all pretty much born from me overthinking

[@-ix-3152]

@@eliseelizabeth5018 Yours too?

[@piskelo10]

Dnd has actually helped me a lot with character design, like it gives you really good questions to ask about your character and when you roleplay as them you may end up behaving a bit different than you expected. Not to mention the character changes in ways you didnt expect since there is some chance involved in dnd.

[@sylphsmovingstories3986]

Yes! The character sheets are great!

[@mimthyss]

Dnd intimidates me haha. I'm so bad at character designing, so creating a believable character that could be roleplayed as is like... no way haha. That's so difficult. I'm not creative enough to come up with interesting stories or personalities,,

[@nicolecann7840]

@@mimthyss The first time I played DnD, I played my character the same way I was feeling. I felt pretty out of my depth and unsure, so my wizard was an overly polite half-elf with a slightly nervous energy who asked a lot of questions. If you create a character who acts like you feel, it's a lot easier to play them cuz there's less acting involved. DnD has a bit of a learning curve, but it's a lot of fun, and character creation gets easier with practice.

[@-ix-3152]

Yesss! Rolepay characters in general (but especially DnD as you said) really do help with this process so much! 👏

[@mimthyss]

@@nicolecann7840 ooh, thats actually amazing advice.. thank you! It never occurred to me to do that haha. But that makes a lot of sense since like you say the less acting involved the easier it will be to be them, because its just authentic anyways! Ahh. I'm definitely going to remember that haha, and it's nice to hear it gets easier. Maybe one day x)

[@lyra_xii]

"A girl who values being cute, but their personality is totally different." mitsuba~

[@floweryhedgehog]

I thought the same thing

[@EmTearzz]

Fr tho

[@SERAT0N1N]

BEST BOI MITSUBAAA! (Also If anyone is wondering, Mitsubishi is a character from Toilet bound hanako kun. he is male lol)

[@seraphywang4638]

I never expected fans here.

[@lyra_xii]

@@seraphywang4638 we're just too powerful B))

[@ruikamo]

I love how flexible her artstyle is. Like this looks very different from unfamilliar but you can still easily tell its her!

[@willow0.0]

I cant BELIVE I haven’t said this sooner but your new animated intro is so FRICKEN CUTE I love it

[@anonymouscat3772]

I know right!

[@ThatOneGuy-ct2ff]

Lavendertowne inspired me to keep drawing and not to give up so tysm : D

[@bwabbystrabewwy2528]

Me whenever Hailey makes a new character design video: ahAaA tHAtS my sh!T

[@pisslordsupreme]

"very loose sketches of the scenes that im imagining in my head" me, a maladaptive daydreamer: **rubs hands together**

[@snippyhera]

Bahaha! I'm the same way!

[@Ruuma11]

@T0paz Hope I’m not too late but it’s where someone daydreams for up to 14 hours a day, and is characterized by not being able to get things done due to the intense daydreams. This is a REALLY rough explanation however so I recommend you look it up if you’d like to know more.

[@alexisdied4558]

Hey same here! Though for some reason I can't draw the charecters in my head and I can't visualize the charecters that I draw very well

[@maynemen8062]

AGHHH PLEASE SHOW MORE OF THESE CHARACTERS they are so interesting and pleasing to look at, I’m obsessed with them

[@officialchilo7312]

Meanwhile we have LavenderTowne soothing our ears with her voice inspiring us to continue drawing despite the current block or challenges… we have Ethan Becker on the other hand yelling at us “Don’t you ever, ever do that!” While Ross Draws continues his color dodge spree.

[@gummipop]

I love the duality of lavender town and either Becker sm

[@infamous_menu]

I personally enjoy this kind of content a lot, it's really interesting (for me, at least) to see how you design characters and things like that, it gives me just that little bit more inspiration to draw.

[@The0r30beAr]

Basically, I once created characters by using gacha life and then I usually now redesigned them again(in gacha club) and then redesigned them again when I was drawing them until I got their final designs for the characters

[@So_Indecisive]

I sometimes do that,I’m Glad I’m not the only one

[@The0r30beAr]

@@So_Indecisive same, I also thought I was the only one

[@AinsleySunny]

That’s a good practice

[@Pandorartle]

Good to know I'm not the only one who does that-

[@debrartt7897]

Is a game?

[@bekeba]

I'd love to see more content like this. Not only do you give good advice on designing a solid character, but you give a real example of how you get there. Seeing how a professional does it is much more helpful :)

[@Actually_its_Ashely]

One of my characters (I was redesigning) has ‘perfect’ skin but actually hadn’t really lived a life before the start of her story. She was stuck home for the first 12 years of her life and couldn’t use any technology. Basically very VERY very sheltered childhood.

[@yanaroos8170]

If your character was as much of a clutz as I am she probably would have had some sort of scar anyway

[@Actually_its_Ashely]

@@yanaroos8170 yeah, I didn’t think about that. But now I’ve completely changed her story and stuff so she does have a few scars on her

[@lemonpie_vanilla]

Hey I dont think you'll see this but, I really really want to thank you. I have been watching you for a while now, especially in the cold days at night, with tea and my sketchbook. You always made and still make me feel better, it feels like you are a friend talking to me. It really helped me at gloomy days, I hope you are living a great life, and take enough breaks. I want you to know that you are doing amazing :D

[@ghostiguro]

the third gal is so fucking cute, i love her design so much. i’m already super hyped to see how this story will go. :)

[@Mil_12_]

OK Your drawing are always a masterpiece ✨💜😍💖

[@sssunnyd7874]

Yes yes yes yes Yes

[@lemonpie_vanilla]

@@sssunnyd7874 but Yea i agree Bye :D

[@MooCow765]

I like watching her when I need inspiration

[@ARI100_fable]

@@MooCow765 I like watching her even though it makes me feel sad Because I can’t draw anything but a single hand but I wanna be able to draw a human being 😂

[@MooCow765]

@@ARI100_fable I feel bad rn because I want to draw but I’m uninspired and can’t get anything down

[@D4NIM4LS]

Hey, so I'm trying to make my style kind've like you're style but a bit more of my own so I was wondering if I would be allowed to refrence you're art while drawing. (Not tracing though, just you're art to the side trying to work towards more of you're style but with my own twist)

[@klutzykaya6439]

It's good that you ask permission, though I think in most cases you're fine to use art as reference. Like you said you don't intend to just trace or copy, simply to use it as reference so you should be okay. The important part is that you don't pass off any of anyone else's art as your own. Hope that makes sense ;-;

[@D4NIM4LS]

@@klutzykaya6439 thank you, and yes it did make sense haha

[@mia-saraking5479]

She's responded to a comment like this before and says that that's absolutely fine :)

[@D4NIM4LS]

@@mia-saraking5479 Tysm, I must not have seen that video haha ^^

[@kc-eb7wm]

i really like this type of video!! its refreshing from the “turning ____ into a character” it shows more of the process, and that may be helpful for others; like myself haha

[@luluduffy1695]

i remember alot of this! you designed the faceless version of this character for a game and then I remember seeing taht drawing you did of her new facial inspiration in a video about adding depth to your drawings and this part from backgrounds, and then you showed your sketchbooks and that together sketch of the killer girl with the stuffed bunnies, ahhhh! I've already commentd something like this but I'm remembering more now!! :D

[@samanthajeffers9339]

I know that the topic is here to design, but,It’s videos like this that encourage me to just focus on writing a comic. But yeah, I’ll probably make some mistakes. But if you don’t make a good design, or try to write the story, then it never gets read.

[@callmehali4197]

I don’t know if this sounds a bit dumb, but would I be able to do concept art AND animation?

[@louise4152]

ofc :0 idk what's stopping you from doing both

[@TheReturnOfStormheart]

absolutely! tons and tons of indie animators do it this way lelel. have fun with your design and animations!

[@callmehali4197]

@@TheReturnOfStormheart tysm!

[@bunshr00m]

of course, there are no limits when it comes to what art mediums you can do

[@ryanradish761]

don't know why that would be dumb, it's what I used to want to do and seems fun!!

[@river.ate.your.geese.]

Unless not having any scars or marks while everyone else does is part of the narrative, right?

[@ghost_shivers5276]

yea

[@mechiomochi7048]

@@ghost_shivers5276 your art is beautiful, I subscribed! Love to see a fellow art youtuber. 💕😚

[@ghost_shivers5276]

@@mechiomochi7048 aaaaa thank you

[@AmonicCrow]

Laughs in Castle Swimmer reader:

[@river.ate.your.geese.]

@@AmonicCrow Isn't that a webcomic? :)

[@rammysaturn]

I just want to express how much I love this channel, I just finished reading all of Unfamiliar and it's absolutely insane to me how much time and effort Haley puts into her videos and how much she's improved over the years! These past few years have been rough for many of us but these videos are a light in the dark for young, aspiring artists like myself and I'm forever grateful for the fact that I have access to such helpful, inspiring, and entertaining content.

[@xquenda275]

6:34 bro went through the 5 stages of grief in 3 seconds 💀 (bottom right corner drawing)

[@RobSaucy]

I really love your artstyle! The faces designs, the sketches and omg the color for the shadow and the little details, so good! oh and the overall shape, design and artistic expression on your characters and anything you draw, it's so great!

[@animehearthd5469]

This was really interesting! I like to hear about the more thought-out character designs rather than seeing you rush them for the sake of the video. And I'm interested in this story you're working on.

[@ladyjunon6305]

My process is quite similar to yours, only that I design my characters while writing them. It's impossible for me to finalize a design without at least 1-2 volumes worth of script. Normally after the idea for the project I want to do, I start by drawing my main cast (separately and together) and writing down a very bare-bones guide for writing their personalities (often based of an anime trope). I do this so it's easier to imagine them in my head, while writing the outline. After writing the outline, I look at my designs again and I redo them to match the more developed personalities I've given them, the world I made and the other characters. I, then, do this one final time, using my scripts as references for fully developed, well rounded personalities as a guide to creating nuanced design that speak to me. Then I design the supporting cast to compliment the main cast, which is done in 1-2 sessions depending on the size, before moving to storyboards. After storyboarding, I make a list of all the characters, locations and props that appear and draw model sheets for anything that appears more than once. Main characters get several pages, including (one for turnarounds, one for facial expressions, one for details and each important prop gets its own page, side characters get two pages (one for turnarounds and face, one for props), episodic or rarely present characters might just get a sketch of their body and face. The whole process from concept to model sheet can take me 4-6 months, since most of my time is spent writing during that period.

[@mimthyss]

That's intense! You're dedicated to whatever you do, huh? Consider me intrigued lol

[@imnothere577]

@Rishon Hislop my process is kind of similar to yours! The only difference is that most of my characters are inspired by my favorite video games/music/anime, etc. First, I sketch down some ideas and get a form of how many characters I want in my story/head canon/fandom. Then, I usually think about what story or concept that I want for the characters if I’m dead set on them. Thirdly, I brainstorm various aesthetics that I want the characters to have. This can be used for clothes, personalities, physical traits, etc. Pinterest is a great app to make reference and aesthetic boards, that’s what I use lol. I sometimes subtly incorporate my favorite anime art styles into my characters to give them a little piece of me, and what I like. And a tip for beginners or anyone reading this comment, always make and reference your character sheets! Practice drawing different expressions, poses, etc so you can get comfortable with drawing that character, especially if you’re going for animation, or writing a comic, or selling/doing art in general. It’s okay to reference your character sheets if you forget a certain quality that character has. Just make sure to practice, practice, and practice to improve on your skills. Soon enough, you’ll start drawing your character fluidly with muscle memory! Another tip could be making a board or a document with a list of characters or people from your favorite shows/media that you want to base your characters on. That can also give you an idea of how you want your character look, act, dress, etc.😊

[@uwouldntknowthem]

For an example of a good balance of “Rule Of Cool” and Realism (within the story) would be My Hero Academia! All of the designs are really interesting and unique, but they still fit in practically! [EX: Bakugo’s grenade wrist things]

[@Revsoshi]

I fail to understand how's that's your choice when there are characters like mina

[@randomgrmlin]

@@Revsoshi ?

[@randomgrmlin]

This is why I started making my own bnha characters because it's so fun to come up with new quirks and how it would affect their design.

[@Revsoshi]

@@randomgrmlin mina's design after knowing her power is extremely impractical. Horikoshi loves having his female characters wearing revealing clothes but when it actually makes sense he doesn't.

[@RupertSheldrake-if]

Huh, yeah, maybe for the male characters of the show (except Iida who is literally a runner in a full heavy body armor like w h y) but female characters have literally the worst designs. Countless of artists have redrawn them bc seriously, the author just wants them to look sexy and that’s it.

[@DasigJack]

Okay but im loving your character design for the male character! He seems interesting and fun to try to understand, I'd almost want to be friends with this character already 😂

[@rainyart1029]

A cool video concept would be if you took previous “cute girl” character designs and redesign them in a more professional light

[@aceccc2529]

About the spider fang things, I think the word was 'mandibles'. (It's not. It's palps. Credit to Sedona Chapman.)

[@SERAT0N1N]

This one... they know too much O_O

[@emeraldpaul3686]

It's actually chelicerae.

[@sedonachapman]

i thought she meant palps

[@klutzykaya6439]

oH I thought it was pincers like a crab, forgot about that word. Relearn something new every day, I guess

[@aceccc2529]

@@sedonachapman oh. I thought those were for the back ._. (Imma go change it.)

[@existenceherself4271]

I love how when there's shading near his eyes, the scar on his cheek looks like tears streaming down from his eye

[@Noone-hp8zm]

"I would really appreciate it if you let me know if you are interested in this type of stuff where it's more just like me straight up showing you how I do my job-" Yes

[@QuackyKawaii]

Me and my friends have been planning on making a KZbin channel with oc mascots and this video has really helped me designing Quacky

[@rayruggi7102]

I love that kind of video, really helps understanding the way characters are created

[@annayu6049]

WAIT A MINUTE! Does this mean you’re planning on making another comic?

[@thandiislost]

I'm so glad that other people use their doodles as character designs (:

[@jello7601]

I suck at making human character designs that still look unique and recently I needed to cause I wanted a human character so I just made a pinterest board of a bunch of people who looked similar to how I wanted her to look and that helped.

[@georgiasomething2064]

OMG THE THUMBNAIL GIRL ALMOST HAD THE L’MANBERG FLAG FOR EYES and Shlatt horns... 👀 o777777

[@cultofthebloodgod429]

I've known these characters for about fourteen minutes now and I already love them

[@boilingsoda]

The healer knocks me dead every time she’s so cute

[@abyss_maal]

0:18 I thought that was eyes 😂

[@bradllyb]

Same

[@mb_torpedo]

can we see more of these characters? i really love the first ones design, and the tall guy seems like the kinda character that comes up w/ plans that he thinks they're brilliant, but then they fall apart and i love that kinda character :3. and the natsuki girl is so adorable lookin' i wanna see more! -w-

[@RandomVex]

Oh man that guy hood/cloak thingy is so cool haha, all designs are sick af like damn My inside sloth makes me procrastinate but always looking at ur art I want to draw Imma do art style board and figure out my style, AND THEM FINALLY START MY STUPID COMIC *LOL*

[@bluelfsuma]

I have a hidden-world story, and a significant portion of the main cast just wears t-shirts and sweats/jeans. They are characters who don't often put much thought into clothes, and are supposed to share similarities in personalities. And two of them are kinda inspired by one, so I guess it makes sense. I was originally gonna make a "haha, my designs suck" joke, but my subconscious keeps accidentally making this stuff work.

[@fricka4798]

different brands and styles can make those similar styles look different, such as a hemmed top on a t shirt, or different tightness and waist length on jeans. though, having everyone in the same general outfit isnt a very good idea. even if the characters arent really dressing themselves up modern casual clothing can still be varied, dont limit yourself. i dont know what you mean by hidden world but things like friendship bracelets or necklaces from other world materials and wear and tear from adventuring might be a nice idea

[@LoverOfStuff]

SAME! When I was first designing my characters they all had the same clothes as placeholders, but then I made it a worldbuilding reason and whoops now it’s illegal to wear unique clothes as a safety percussion :> (I do of course *try* to give them some uniqueness by the condition of their clothes tho) I’m just that avoidant of clothes design I guess lmaoo

[@MidnightCapricorn2696]

Two of the three main members of the cast of one of my worlds wear hooded coats. One shouldn't really even be wearing one of those considering he lives in a fire kingdom. My third wears more medieval-fantasy-esque robes, but I could easily give him a fleece jacket if I wish to (and now that I think about it I kinda do).

[@clarethecat5199]

Conversely, I think it could also be kinda cute if your character has a scar that others around them timidly speculate about but when they finally ask, they're just like "Oh, this! Yeah, I got that a couple years back when I accidentally ran into a tree branch!" Also, if the character has a 'cute dork --> hmm, hiding something? --> something dark' progression, it could be really cool to bring that back up. The audience would never expect - after hundreds of panels and many _clearly_ important plot points - that the little "joke" on page, like, TEN or something would actually be important.

[@rumpeltyltskyn]

Have a fandom OC in a zombie apocalypse setting. He has a scar on his face from his brow down next to his eye. He got it as a kid before the outbreak, falling out of a tree.

[@honey8ter]

one webcomic i've read that does that "this is important later" really well is cursed princess club, you might see something random in episode 15 and it's important in episode 100 lol

[@Sophrosyne-d7b]

Sigh… **proceeds to open Ibis Paint to completely recreate my characters because I n s p i r a t i o n**

[@insertusernamehere3173]

Lol

[@euthanizemyself6972]

Giiiirl the sucker punch designs are so good I think lol, The sequin sailor suit at the end?? Like duh, why didn’t I think of that

[@randomartist6155]

This is probably my second favorite video that you made, and it actually helped me a lot! Please do more of these types of videos!

[@ror-slash]

Honestly this video was really fun to watch, I'd like watching this type of videos ^^

[@mistymoooooor]

me watching this: *slowly puts ocs in trash*

[@j.6267]

Nah bro, ur oc are probably not trash. Most bad ocs have no effort in them, so for you to feel bad about them makes me think theyre not as bad as you think.

[@cro.artwork]

I was surprised watching this video and seeing how the male character looks like me a bit lmao

[@simply_sayeed3606]

Please do more videos like this. I love seeing the character sheets!! They are just too fricking cute!!😍

[@nyannberry6768]

i actually think that videos like this one are more enjoyable than your usual ones! i'd love to see more stuff like this.

[@adamwise1111]

As an aspiring cartoonist, I love seeing the actual process of a professional! When you said that you start out by just drawing the character in scenes and showed your messy concept sketches, I was like "Hey! That's how my brain actually works!" and it made so much more sense than all the other character design videos I've seen.

[@lunardoeseverything5393]

Everyone: there’s no such thing as a cute- Iavendere towne: no :)

[@new._et]

Some ppl have said that cuteness is not a thing?!? Tell me where or who has said that.. I’d just like to have a talk with them..

[@peepeepoopoodoodoohead]

@@new._etI think they meant that the people were going to say something like idk elephant a thing that isn't cute basically saying lavender Towne makes everything cute

[@new._et]

@@peepeepoopoodoodoohead idk.. but srsly tho.. I should have a talk with them.. of course, that was a joke..maybe..

[@randomgrmlin]

I can already tell I'm gonna simp for the guy when the comic comes out

[@alolikak5906]

As a beginner who is still trying to draw her very first character, this video showed me how much work goes in...( feeling happy & stressed at the same time!! )

[@its3amsleep]

oh I loved this video!! I love watching designing processes for story characters it's so fun to watch peoples thought process as they build their character with insight on how to make a character feel more at home in an environment

[@sumEgg]

I really enjoy these kinds of "project videos" they're very interesting to watch. The regular character design videos are entertaining, but videos like this one where you put alot of thought and time to the character and their purpose are the ones i personally enjoy the most.

[@nijhgbyyh6890]

i’d love to see more of this kinda stuff!!!

[@Pokepants]

I absoulutely loved this kind of style from you. It made me start imagining up my characters in a monster hunting kind of world and what would change about their personality or looks or how they interact with different ones of my ocs and that made me happy. I would adore seeing more videos about you doing your job over prompts solely for KZbin. It just gave me happy calm vibes.

[@imannatasha3302]

The guy is definitely the kinf of guy I'd fall in love with in a story

[@Alexas_Th1ngs]

I like when people are like showing there proses of making something like a comic or game

[@nj_sunnyside]

Video idea: redrawing fanart for your comic

[@TheLizardKing140]

I've been working on a slice of life kinda comic for awhile now but I just don't seem to be able to finalize designs I basically have two character designs pretty much done, but I have like ten characters rn so that's not much, especially cus I've been working on this for almost three years

[@noodletoon9058]

I have a lot of trouble with all my character and there design's. Thanks for the suggestions!

[@freerangeeggs6442]

Wow haley I haven't watched you in a couple years. You were one of the first artists who ever inspired me to start drawing and it's incredible to see how much your art has improved! Thank you for being such a huge inspiration to me and now I've gotta go on a binge of all the videos I've missed!!

[@MerlinOfAtlantis]

"scars on the face can look a little cliche" my small ant person OC staring at me with scars covering half of her entire body:

[@ddhdjdjdjjwjsjxj]

When i was 7 i created my 1st ever oc.. she was a wolf and when i was 10 i changed her to a regular human... also i made her a pharaoh cuz i had an ancient egypt phase. Now im 13 and she is a w@r cr!m!nal💀💀💀💀

[@goldenwing1262]

I really like these characters!! And I know this might be a bit annoying to hear, but I get Misa Amane vibes(I think that's her name) from Death Note from the last girl!! Obviously they're very different characters but the pigtails and how they look cute but are very different from their looks are reminiscent of eachother! This isn't hate though, just an observation! Love your videos!

[@PoeticLizard]

New comic, let’s go. Another fandom for me to dive headfirst in!

[@just_a_hampa]

I construct the character in my head for about 6-7 months and then slowly think of a design.

[@judgmentprince5129]

These kinds of videos are actually my favorite! I’m in the middle of brainstorming a comic so it’s insanely helpful to see videos like this.

[@marenwithanm7091]

I do actually really like this style of video, the whole "how I do my job stuff". Don't get me wrong, I do still like the other stuff, but this kinda stuff is some of my favorite things lavendertowne does

[@peggedyourdad9560]

I agree with you tbh, this was really nice and insightful I even got some ideas from it! Also, nice Tomiyoka fanart pfp btw!

[@marenwithanm7091]

@@peggedyourdad9560 aw thanks! I love him with my whole heart ❤️❤️❤️

[@peggedyourdad9560]

@@marenwithanm7091 same! One of the few characters that’s old enough for me to simp after lol.

[@marenwithanm7091]

@@peggedyourdad9560 jskajdd well youre not wrong