#Design Tips

[redtailarts101]

Design tip: adding "imperfections" to your character designs helps differentiate and diversify them, and makes each individual design more interesting. Add acne. Blemishes. Moles. Freckles. Keratosis pilaris. Vitiligo. Eczema. Other skin conditions. Give them an overbite or crooked nose. Your designs will be more unique this way and they'll be visually interesting even without having to clutter other parts of the design.

"but I don't know how to do any of that" okay look up tutorials or just go in blind and try! You're allowed to do it "bad" and then get better with time.

[shikariiin]

Hello! I adore your art, and I was wondering if I could ask you a question:

How do you come up with your designs? They are so pretty, especially Eddie and James ♡♡

I'm asking this because I'm having trouble creating designs for both Gordon and James for my AU, Hope.

Thank you for seeing this, I wish you a splendid day/night! :3

Why hello!!!

Oh gee I would ramble alot in this

Before I make a design, I like to list things that I like about them, their hcs, their ethnicity, and their primary colors

For example, Edward's primary color is blue, but he as a character is a kind and soft soul, in my hc his patience thins faster in adults, so a combination of white and red is a great indicator of this, The red being on his Tie and hair tie so it doesn't overpower the other colors.

My James is the one that's a little complicated, mainly because he's more based on his ethnicity, but him being a vainy, self-centered and show-offy means he likes to stand out, he likes being in the center of attention, so gold is the next best option, but for my James because he have aspects of him that is more cozy (he likes cooking, making clothes and learning languages), earthy Brown is used to support the bright red, that also helps with tuning down his personality a bit.

And next, are Shapes!

Again, their personality plays a big part, in Designing it's a factor that you would want to show your character's personality through their design, The three pillars of Round, Square, and Triangle Aspects plays a huge role.

If you see here, My Edward has a more fluffy, friendly look to it, with a hint of an old soul, and a fire that had died out, his design is rounded.

The same with my James, he has more edge, a sharper touch than Edward!

Appearance is also important, wether you go hand to hand by giving them buffers like a literal anthropomorphic trains, mecha, or more human etc, appearance is an indicator.

You might make them all have the same uniforms because they're a worker, but giving (for example) Gordon square glasses, then combining it with his basely square body type, can indicate he's a strict person, so on.

My James has alot in his design

Golden details in his clothing, Brown as a secondary color, darker red on his coat so that it doesn't clash with the main red in his outer, earrings and lip piercing indicating he loves accessories to support/show off his appearance, the moles I give him for that beauty marks, the Batik on his coat to represent his proudness of his home country, the coat that he make himself, he wears make up to touch up his appearance.

Alot can go on in a design, Mine is not God-Tier level designing, and I'm not an extremely experienced character designer, but these are the indicators I usually do whenever I make my designs.

In simple terms, list what you want to have in your engine design, and build it off from there, this is to prevent overcrowdedness.

And that's all! Thank you for the ask!

You don't have to follow it step by step, be as comfortable as you like, these are just factors and tips to help in designing🩵

Hope it helps!!!

[shirecorn]

Your reindeer designs give me such childish joy I can't wait to see the rest. What's your process (aka any advice) for designing from scratch with something like just a name or concept?

Redbubble (buy reindeer swag) || Patreon (see all early!) || Ko-fi

See more free tutorials!

You can see my process unfold in real time by joining any tier of my patreon discord. Which doesn't even have to go through patreon! If you want, you can just pay me $20 and let you in for a year (and then lose track and probably keep you anyway)

Here's a preview using comet! (nevermind the preview thing I wrote you a whole lecture lol)

initial sketches in 2021:

Revisited in 2022 and 2023

I was constantly asking which design was the weakest, why, and how to fix it. Whenever I tested without the magical comet behind it, people could only guess who comet was by process of elimination.

I didn't want to rely on throwing icons into the design. I wanted each one to communicate through shape and silhouette alone. It would be like drawing a little cherub with a bow and arrow floating along with cupid. If you have to include a nametag to communicate, your design can be improved.

So I tried a few different strategies to say "comet" before I realized I could twist the antlers into any shape I wanted. I was worried I would have to discard the drawing and restart from scratch! Which is what I did for rudolph about 6 times before I had a breakthrough.

Then I gave my patrons a brief lesson in antlers to explain where and why I was placing the tines. When I stray from the caribou structure, I do so knowingly in order to achieve something that cannot be achieved within the caribou shape, like dancer's tutu. Know the rules before you break them. My goal is to make animal nerds (myself chief among them) happy when they see species-specific anatomy instead of cop outs.

I tried a few things before figuring out antlers could become comet

Another thing that often caribou have is an unsymmetrical "spork" that comes forward off only one antler. I figured this out by looking at hundreds of reindeer pictures and saving them to my reference folder. A few of my designs have this, that's what the little spiral is in the final comet antler design.

When I put comet in my lineup, I realized that the antlers I drew were way more stylized, chunky, and "tribal" than the others. I had already changed the proportions on one of my designs to match, so then I had to hack away at the basic comet rack to make it look natural.

I already knew that comet's colors would be easy because a basic reindeer already Has the big comet on the shoulder. But here's a peak at all the reindeer images I posted for my patrons to look at.

As you can see below, I chose reindeer markings for all my designs instead of other deer or animals. Even vixen is tied to actually possible reindeer patterns rather than copy-pasting a fox. Almost all of my designs have light-colored anklets on dark colored legs, which is very common with caribou of any color. This is the sort of thing no one tells you; you have to observe it yourself.

Ft cupid's early design! I was continually testing out my reindeer silhouettes and colors on new people, taking their feedback, and fixing what wasn't clicking.

I know I could have made vixen sexy and curvy to play into a recognizable trope, but I really wanted them to be scary and fox-like. Sometimes you gotta do what you want and not what you think will appeal to audiences. Reindeer Days is a purposeful exercise in audience resonance. Most of my art is 100% me and what I feel like doing with no regards to anyone else. So it was a fun challenge!

My patrons also got to see me making fun of corporate designs for recognizably/cliches at the expense of literally anything good

One of these is going to get a lot more "that must be vixen!" results from people who aren't constantly thinking about animal colors, markings, hunting strategies, and teeth.

And one rocks.

Vixen changed the least from the initial 2021 concept!

A Vixen is a female fox. In english slang, it means a cunning, fierce human woman, and sometimes sexually attractive or promiscuous. Quite often an insult to someone because she won't date you!

But to me, a vixen is an animal. A predator.

When designing to reference something, I like to hit it at multiple angles, referencing obscure trivia about something to delight and educate. This is done by researching a topic deeply, far below surface level and beyond what you think you need to make your design. Or in my case its just knowing a bunch of animal trivia already.

After researching/dredging your knowledge, sit there and Think. Don't draw anything. Come up with several ideas and then throw them all in at once for the ultimate trivia design.

Trivia about red foxes:

They have Long bushy tails

They have teeth that include large sharp canines, flat incisors, triangular premolars, and chunky molars with points on them that slide scissor-like with the molars above to cut meat via chewing

They hunt rodents in burrows under the snow by jumping into the air, arcing, and slamming down with their face through the snow

They are orange

They have a dark vertical stripe on their snout

They have black legs, with the backs and bottoms being orange

Translated into the design:

Pose based on a fox jumping, about to land in the snow

Antlers twisted to resemble teeth

Long (for a reindeer) bushy tail

black mark on snout

Some adjustment to the pose to be at the top of the arc and flow better.

Tinkering with the design to make it recognizable but not 100% copypasta fox

I was finally happy with a design that absolutely showed "fox" while still being creative and plausibly caribou shaped. This would absolutely communicate who it is! I thought!

The most obvious one of the bunch! After all, everyone knows what a vixen is!

Nope! No they do not

Want to be part of the design process, help me with WIPs months before everyone else, see exclusive doodles every day, and join a funky little community?

(you also get to see photos of my dog)

Connect your discord to your patreon and join any tier to automatically get added to the server. Not a fan of patreon or monthly subscriptions? message me here, on ko-fi, or via email (shirecorn.art@ gmail.com) and ask if you can pay $20 to get put in the server for at least a year and longer if we work it out later!

This was supposed to be a preview to get you to pay me but instead I wrote an entire lecture for free because I can't help myself.

Want to thank me for the free info? Tag me when you use what you learned! Comment and give feedback! If I could pay rent with attention I would never need anything else in life.

You can also thank me by tipping my ko-fi! I use it to buy pens since I die if I have caffeine. But could you imagine??

[blobbei-art]

Kasifer's design has a lot of thought put into it, so I always really wanted to share this information!

So here is a peek at how the process went and what I specifically intended with the design. It's not all of it but it's a pretty good overview.

Maybe this is even interesting to any other people who like character design!

[ikibli]

Non-Human Design 2: Leg Morphology

Digitigrade vs Plantigrade vs Unguligrade

The difference is easy. Digitigrade organisms walk on their toes and sometimes the ball of their foot. Plantigrade organisms walk on the sole of their foot. Unguligrade animals walk on their nails(hooves).

The joints in a digitigrade leg are arranged differently- what many people think of as a dog's knee is actually their ankle, sticking out backwards.

Left to right: Plantigrade leg, digitigrade leg, unguligrade leg. (Phalanges are highlighted in yellow, nails in brown, metatarsals in purple and tarsals in red.)

Advantages and Disadvantages

The main advantage of digitigrade and unguligrade legs is that they allow for more speed, more shock absorption and quieter footsteps. However, they are less stable and more extreme postures may make kicking impossible.

Plantigrade legs are stabler and better able to bear weight than digitigrade or unguligrade legs, but slower. They also make it easier to not fall over when kicking, especially for bipeds.

Non-Plantigrade Bipeds

There are two ways you could do a digitigrade or unguligrade biped.

The classic design is to just push the top of the lower leg backwards, shorten the leg bones and lengthen the foot bones. This ends up with a backwards "knee" and the foot and thigh in roughly the same positions as a human standing on tiptoe. Exactly how far the ankle joint sticks out is variable, though the thigh usually tilts backwards on the more extreme versions.

The foot may be a paw or hoof, or more like a bird's.

Theropod dinosaurs are also digitigrade bipeds- you can just tilt the torso horizontally and add a mostly-rigid tail for balance, with the legs roughly centered between the head and tailtip.

Note that many human positions are impossible or strange-looking for non-plantigrade bipeds unless they have extra joints. They can bend their legs at "mid-thigh" in addition to the hip, but can't bend their "ankles".

They can't sit with their legs crossed or bent, only with their legs fully extended. Kneeling is possible, but it would either basically be a squat with their buttocks resting on the top of their ankle joints, or bending at the mid-thigh, lower legs flat on the ground with the balls of the feet in the air.

Kneeling and sitting would still be strange-looking if they have extra joints, but less so. However, those extra joints offer up all sorts of possibilities for weird positions, especially lying down on their front- with a hinge joint between the metatarsals and tarsals, they could rest the balls of their feet on their buttocks while keeping their shins and thighs parallel to each other and the spine. A condyloid joint in the same place would allow rotating the lower thigh, "shin" and foot independently from each other.

Fashion

Of course, clothing has to be designed specifically for non-human anatomy.

The simplest solution is to simply not have them wear footwear. Of course, footwear is always useful and stylish, not to mention mandatory for full-body clothing like spacesuits.

Socks work pretty well, maybe with holes for claws on the toes. So do high heels, ankle braces and leg warmers.

Knee-high boots also work well with little adaptation- basically just remove the heel from a high-heeled version. (Or keep it and make it longer.)

Shoes that only cover up to the ankle on a human would basically be dog booties, with one or more straps holding a flexible tube onto the foot and lower leg. Hoof boots also exist, and are used on horses.

Pants would work as normal, but they'd need to be roomier and have a seam behind the ankle if they go past the ankle at all.

Toe-claws and hooves could probably be painted with nail polish or manicured.

[sunnys-aesthetic]

Hi! I hope you are doing well and having a nice day/night

I've seen that you've previously worked with adoptables and I'm personally interested in making some too! But really besides a decent reference I don't know what else I'd let you do or how they work...

I've looked for some tutorials but I thought I'd ask someone with experience directly as well. If you have any tips to share or tutorials from other artists that might be useful I'd really appreciate it.

Again I appreciate your time and as an added bonus I love your art!!! beautiful as always ;)

yes!! absolutely! I know every artist has a different way of going about this, but in the most helpful way I can I want to help teach you guys too!

So, when it comes to creating adoptables, there are two ways of going about it: Creating a design from scratch, OR redesigning, an already made design that is yours. (Also knows as Re-Sells if you bought the design previously, but have permission to re sell it from its original owner, aka the artist.)

aand Boom!

a neat note i want to mention is that themes and aesthetics can be used interchangeably! Never limit yourself and throw yourself into the creative process, do anything, for everything makes sense when YOU are the one in charge in making a design :)

I hope this helps!! You've got this! and im so sorry for the late response aae!

emoji generator link here!

[creation-help]

Miscellaneous character design tips (that everyone could find useful)

- Feathers in hair, behind the ear, on the head, in some headress ect? Just don't. Unless you're indigenous I strongly, strongly advise against it, bc native people have criticized this design trope time and time again. Accessories and clothing like this can be very difficult to get right if you don't know what you're doing.

• Also! W*ndigos. Don't. If you wanna design a character that "looks like" (or is what you imagine when you think of a) W*ndigo, just. Design a character that looks like that and call it some other monster (Disclaimer: I'm mainly talking about things like those skull headed monsters with antlers ykno). These creatures have alot of deep meaning to the cultures they're from, and people are tired of them being appropriated and misrepresented. It will cost you nothing to just make a generic monster rather than butcher something from a marginalized culture. (Also, I've censored the word because in the past I've been told that using it's name is bad luck/harmful, so I'm doing this to be respectful)

(Natives/indigenous people are welcome to add on discussion about this if you feel like there's anything I could've said differently)

- Unless your character design is meant to be flexible, up to artist interpretation, or just messy, place patterns and decorative characteristics on distinct, memorable places. For example if your character has spots, put the most notable ones on places that're easy to remember and replicate, like on particular body parts. I'd also advise to make just a bit less of these patterns. Generally, if you're not aiming for a cluttered looking design, prioritize quality over quantity, when it comes to patterns.

- A character design's intent is just as important as the actual character design. You'll see me mentioning this on the previous point as well. Unless we're talking about offensive caricatures, there's teeechnically no such thing as a "bad" character design. Just rather a failed or unsuccessful one. What I mean by that, is that if your design is meant to look cliche, tacky, messy, or just plain unappealing, and it looks like such, that is a successful design! If you designed a character just to be something fun for you to draw, that's a successful design! I often see this point applied more professionally by other art advisors, to mean more like "You should be able to tell what kind of character it is based on the design", which is also true! But intent and purpose matters in storytelling. Obviously, not all aspects of a design need to be there for some very specific reason (looking at the people who ask "Why was this character made fat/gnc/black/poc?" and so on.) just keep in mind what this character is supposed to be. I think it's better to worry about if the character design does what it's supposed to, rather than if it's ""Good""

(And yeah, there are still things that just objectively don't look very good together, according to human perspective and color theory and whatnot, but again, if you're aiming for that, you go buddy!)

- Sorta coinciding with the previous point: Don't be afraid to use "ugly" traits when designing. I think the reason why is obvious (beauty standards can go suck a dick), but there's more to it than just radical acceptance! By giving more unique, weird, or "ugly" traits to your characters, you make them more memorable and distinct from one another. If there's a billion smooth faced perfect pretty characters who are the exact same kind of flavorless vanilla sexy, it gets boring, and they blend together! And please don't limit these traits to just villains or characters who are supposed to be disliked!! My other advice on this point, is, pllllease don't design villains "ugly" and heroes "pretty", I feel like that should be a given, but alot of people may be doing it without even realizing. And that's understandable, but I heartily recommend taking a second to think about it more deeply. Why is this visual trait "Bad", or "Evil"? I just feel like so many artists are deathly afraid of having their characters look the least bit unappealing or challenging. I could go on about this but I'll stop here to keep it concise. Don't beauty police your oc is all I'm sayin

- Reference! I don't necessarily mean take inspiration from other existing character designs, although that can also be helpful. I mean that look around you, think broadly! If you have a certain theme for your design, try to round up all the little things (items, concepts, colors, animals, traits) that could be associated with it! And try to reflect that in your character design. You can get a little wacky and experimental. You can literally just broaden your inspiration to things like everyday objects, a specific fabric texture, an element, or a fungi that lives in moldy houses. Anything! My main point is to try to think outside the box and consider more unconventional things to reference for your character design, you'll never know what might work and look really interesting. Often, a bland design is worse than a weird one. (Disclaimer: Unless you're aiming for bland ofc, per my prev points, but ykno). You can also just go by "Hmm, I'm making a character who is X, what does that remind me of?" or, what I also recommend "Hmm, so X kinds of characters remind me of these things. Let's ditch that and think what one usually wouldn't associate with X kinds of characters!". Ykno, defy convention, think about things you might not usually do. I know it can be easier said than done but once you get into a habit of trying to think more broadly, it'll come to you easier. Don't be afraid to get odd and unusual

- While I don't condemn designing a character in a way that just, is that way, because you designed it like that, I also recommend thinking about how and why the character is like that in-story. Might seem like an obvious tip, but I'll elaborate. I for example, have a pair of bug demon characters who grew up on the streets and didn't have the normal amount of nourishment for their age, so, due to that their mouth pincers and other buggy parts were left much smaller and more "plain" looking than others of their species. They never developed to their appropriate adult size. Things like this will reflect on a character design! And that's just one example. If your character has a habit of nervous picking, or sensory problems, or live in an area where certain resources for clothing aren't available, all of this will reflect on the design! Of course, you can also work backwards from a design and think "Hmm, what justification will I think of for the character having these traits (especially if they're uncommon for their story setting)?"

I may do a part 2 sometime later, I just had some thoughts I wanted to compile for now! Obviously you can have your own design principles but these are ones I consistently use (also the first one being as specific as it is, is just something I particularly wanted to say).

[courtingwonder]

The Art of Color Coordination in Color Theory

[everythingaboutbiotech]

Design Tips #1: Stop using Pure Black in your designs

[dainogo]

Look at the first design, and you immediately think: "Oh, it's simple, I know how to design it too."

And do you know what? 95% of people who think it's simple couldn't do it, or at least they did it wrong.

I just uploaded a tutorial video on Illustrator tips will blow your mind and change the way you design. I hope it proves helpful to you. If you like it, please give me a thumbs up. Thank you!

Video:👉 These Illustrator Tips will Blow Your Mind (Part 1)

[design-studio-ui-ux]

Want to add a cool light beam to your designs in Figma? It's easier than you think!

Just design a few shapes, blur them, and blend them together for a glowing effect.

Follow these steps to make your designs really shine!

[ddoubleblindd]

✏️Here are a few design tips if you're looking to include artwork in your books!

While ebooks don't have these constraints, it's still good to keep them in mind just in case you ever make the switch to paperback.

Art by the wonderful Comt216

[design-ideas]

Tips for Creating a Stylish and Functional Home

Creating a stylish and functional home can be a daunting task, but with the right tips and guidance, it can be a fun and rewarding experience. As an interior designer, I have learned a few key tips for creating a home that is both beautiful and practical. Here are my top tips for creating a stylish and functional home:

Start with a plan: Before you start decorating, take the time to plan out your space. Consider the function of each room, the overall aesthetic you want to achieve, and the items you need to include. Having a clear plan will help you make decisions and avoid unnecessary purchases.

Invest in timeless pieces: While it can be tempting to follow the latest trends, investing in timeless pieces will save you money in the long run. Choose classic styles and neutral colors that will stand the test of time and can be easily incorporated into any decorating scheme.

Don't be afraid to mix and match: Mixing and matching different styles and textures can add interest and depth to a space. Don't be afraid to combine different pieces, as long as they share a common color or theme.

Declutter: A cluttered space can feel overwhelming and make a room feel smaller. Take the time to edit and declutter your space to create a more open and inviting atmosphere.

Personalize your space: Don't be afraid to add personal touches to your home. Incorporating items that have personal meaning or sentimental value can make a space feel more like home.

By following these tips, you can create a stylish and functional home that reflects your personal style and tastes. Whether you're starting from scratch or simply looking to update your space, these tips can help you create a home that you love.

[missagonyy]

I was really struggling on the design of this Arachne. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

[zakdesignz]

Learn how to create a responsive text box in Adobe Illustrator

#AdobeIllustrator #GraphicDesign #DesignTutorial #Illustration #DesignInspiration #ArtCommunity #VectorArt