#half the time i dont even look for anything I just go guns a blazin for it

[skeleslime-phantom]

Hi, I wanted to ask you a question! Your monsters are all A+ Super Cool, how do you design them? Like, do they start out as rough ideas/sketches you refine, or do they come out entirely as they are? Do you ever design characters by going like "ok I want a dude made of sugar, here's a few different concepts for that" or do you typically know what you want? Sorry if these seem like odd questions, I just really admire you and would like a look into your design process ^u^

Thank you very much, aha dang! Good questions, sure I can go through my thought process, its not super impressive or drawn out at all, but it’s what works for me and others.

For any character it all starts with a rough idea/concept. Usually my characters are based off of one or more particular animal/shape/object/theme, etc.

It takes some experimenting to see which things mesh together well, or what can be mixed together to make something different and creative.

And then from there I start to gather more resources to draw inspiration from. These resources could be from online, comics, books, TV shows, movies, real life, personal experience, other artists, etc. anywhere. 

It’s a good idea to stockpile pictures and links into folders so you can look at them later. Who knows! You might find something you forgot about and then want to use in the future.

Your example: A character made of sugar

Simply by googling “Sugar” I’m given an array of good reference pictures, and the ideas already start to pop up. If I were to go with a Sugar approach, I’d probably throw in some sugar cookie and candy heart inspiration~ (because I really love sprinkles and bright colors~)

The whole process for me is: think of a starting theme (ex. sugar), google references and inspiration, look in other media for other traits, use references + inspo to draw a rough-draft, pleased with draft = finalize design.

Once the character is designed they are open to changes and tweaks down the road. Remember! It’s okay to update your character’s design. The first drawing of them doesn’t mean their appearance is set in stone.

Maybe like? 80% of the time I already have an idea of what I want. After I see a couple pictures my imagination kicks in and I start drawing out the rough draft.

And it’s fine to not know exactly what you want at first. Be open to inspiration from surprising places! And as always: Keep practicing, show everyone what you can create~! 👍👍👍

#i hope this maybe gave an idea of what i do aha #half the time i dont even look for anything I just go guns a blazin for it #and sometimes thats what works and sometimes doesnt #its an interesting process #find what works for you #art advice #skeletext #inspo #captainofthestars #answered ask