#i'm sure this is sooooo unhelpful sorry lmfao i might have a bit more to say if i were breaking down a specific character's look

[dingodad]

how do you come up with your fantroll designs?? Or their clothes cuz goddamn, chefs kiss, all of them (like is it just going "here's an idea/personality and then I'll draw them from there? or getting other influences then shaping it (all) into a troll?)

ah man i wish i had a good answer for this one 😭 cus i love talking design. for trolls i do very much tend to start with a single basic idea and wing it from there though. it's very rare that i have to pass over a troll's design a second or third time LOL. but a lot of the time that initial design will inform how i develop the character further.

my general philosophy for basically anything is that really good design is just seamlessly synthesising two or more different ideas into one. and trolls each having their own unique signs makes this really easy and fun to play around with. so for instance designing an adult troll's uniform i'll usually just start with a broad archetype i want the character to fit or maybe an existing character i want to take inspiration from and then it's just a matter of finding the best way to fit their sign - or even just a vague shape-language inspired by their sign - onto that template