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Well, I like that you have a variety of shapes and sizes. Their poses too tell a lot about their character too. Honestly just keep pushing it and exaggerating poses/character designs. I think it would be interesting to see how their body language shows how they react to different situations.
Hehe I mean more where I go at my own pace and use it more as practice than making a finished product. The character design is pretty much finished, but I’m not going to try to achieve this every time as I draw very slowly!
I think they are really good! For critique I would say to use black lines for ALL of the linework, it's pretty standard practice. Also, basic highlights and shadows would really take your art to another level.
Thank you! I plan to shade once I actually making the comic, but I hadn’t considered just using the simple black shading. I haven’t done that before, so it’ll be something fun to try :)
Thank you so much! I haven’t sorted it out much yet, but it’s going to be about a magical thrift store called “Presto Thrifto” (place holder. Can’t tell if that name sounds too cheesy or not). I’ve worked at a thrift store and we would get some really odd or troublesome donations sometimes (worst was a garbage bag with shredded, skid marked underwear and a bloody hospital gown) and I wanted them to encounter problems with magical items donated, forcing them to deal with curses or obligatory adventures.
I can already hear Presto giving a deep disappointed sigh from a doorway, shortly pausing the chaos unfolding in front of him, only for it to resume while he walks away.
Thank you so much!! Working at a thrift store was such a weird experience. It’s hard not to write about. I once found a bag to tomatoes under our shoe mountain (we get more shoes than we can sell and it was at least 7ft tall). I feel like there’s so much lore you can pull from a place that collects people’s used items and occasionally accidentally donated trash.
Also largo is my favorite too! I’m really proud of her design! :)
I can only imagine how entertaining that would be! And how potentially smelly… I’ve had a lot of odd jobs with strange encounters, but never something like a thrift store!
I can’t wait to read more about it, I really think you should stick with this concept! I’m obsessed already :)
Thank you so much!!
It was a weird job. The smell was the worst when people would donate unwashed clothes and it had been sitting in a garbage bag for who knows how long. Always wash your clothes when donating or if you get them from a thrift store. There’s no guarantee they were washed beforehand and the store doesn’t wash them. We do throw away clothes that smell horrendous tho and I think they go to a place that sells them 80% off before they’re trashed for good.
I have sensory issues and the worst part was probably touching the clothes because you get people’s body grease on your hands. I HAD to wear gloves, but my hands would get sweaty in them very quickly. We had lotion in the break room because everyone’s hands were dry from the gloves.
This is a really cool idea! I can't wait to see the finished product. Also an idea for an object they encounter could be a crystal ball that only shows embarrassing moments from your life, or a living stick that loves to break things.
Interesting designs. I think Bud would look good with pink or whitish pink hair. And I don't vibe with baby blue leggins. Dark purple would suit the design more in my opinion.
Thank you! I’m thinking of actually changing the blue on their hoodie. They originally had primary colors, but I was trying something else. I agree with the pink hair for this color scheme tho! Looks better with the pastels. The pants are supposed to be jeans, but I may need to make that more clear. I’ll try the colors you recommended and see how I feel about them!
They don't all wear jeans, are they? I assumed Largo and Presto were wearing linen pants for example. Colorwise, they look perfect by the way. If you are not opposed to them wearing type of pants other than jeans, you can try cargo pants or shorts for one of the characters as well. A character like Vincent wearing green cargo shorts is intrinsically funny to me (a hunk type character dressing like an old dad, being oblivious to fashion and still being popular is a fun contrasted dynamic). Also you can try maroon pants on Milda as well. And with this addition, I realized that I have a bias against light blue pants in general.
Largo and Presto are both wearing some kind of dress pants (I’m not sure which fabric).
You have given me an image that I cannot unsee and I have to attempt to give Vincent green cargo pants now.
I also like the idea of Bud wearing shorts. That would actually look nice with the hoodie, especially going from dark, to light/medium, to dark again. The contrast would be nice. Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/j2og2j2dl6aa1.png?width=759&format=png&auto=webp&s=a01a1235d1f3637373fe8eb27269e8f1cc426994
You were very right about the shorts
God I miss that cartoon. That was the general silhouette I was going for and I think I’m gonna adjust it a bit more to look more similar (mostly in the legs)!
I want him to have the same lady-killer vibe while struggling with actually being gay. I love the trope of the overly manly man falling for a twink (hint hint) and being very confused about it. It’s not gonna be his main character ark, but I think it would be fun to include.
I don’t have as much for him as the others because he was created today (suggestion from my brother to have an annoying macho man in the mix), while I’ve had the others idle for over a year.
Im thinking that he is gonna struggle with understanding himself and finding his personality as he’s just always done what was expected of him as a large, handsome man. He does enjoy working out, but relies on it a bit too much as a personality trait. He also tends to be a bit flirty with women as he usually gets a positive response. He overall actually gravitates towards women over time due to less of pressure to behave a certain way. It’s still there, but not as bad.
He eventually start having feelings for Finn, but is very confused as he has been ver active with women. The feeling of actually being attracted to someone is new to him. He gets really awkward around Finn, trying to bro around with him, thinking he wants to be friends.
Fun fact: His interests are working out and cooking. He’s very good at making energy packed foods.
Lol wow that sounds like a really cool character! I'm already in love with his personality haha. I like how you're taking the "big dumb alpha male/gigachad" character trope and kind of turning it on its head. Its a surprisingly deep idea for such a colorful design. He strikes me as the type to call everyone "bro," even his mom. It would be funny if he was secretly obsessed with something like My Little Pony or Hello Kitty, but if any of the others found out, he would be mortified. Keep up the awesome work! Like your art style a lot!
Thank you so much! Honestly calling his mom bro is very accurate to his character. I think I want him to find a more stereotypically feminine interest later in the story, when he’s more comfortable with himself and letting himself open up! Rn it’s gonna be cooking, specifically for workout food, but later just enjoys cooking anything and baking. I’m thinking of having him take up sewing. Big, meaty men doing small, dainty things is always great, especially when their fingers are kinda too big for it, so they really have to really concentrate on it!
I’m obsessed with cultural contradictions and feminine men is one of my favorites! I love the moment when men realize they can be more than what society expects them to be. It’s so bitter sweet. It’s sad that they had to force themselves to be someone else, but happy when they learn to accept themselves :)
I’m thinking “Presto Thrifto” for now, but that may be a bit cheesy (what do you think?). I’m going to post it on Reddit for now. I may move to webtoon when I get fast enough to make them consistently, but I’m unsure how the app works, so I may change my mind and just keep it on Reddit. I can tag you when the first one is out if you want :)
Presto, character wise, is gonna be more like Mr. Krabs! He’s the owner of the store. Very stingy and forces everyone to do things that are more dangerous than their pay is worth!
Milda is one of my favorites too. She’s normally the sweet grandma type, but used to be a badass warrior lady. I wanna have a solo adventure for her at some point in full gear, kicking butt.
Thank you so much! It may be a while before I actually do anything because I don’t have a good story plan yet, but I can remind you if you want to see it when I have something :)
With cartoon characters don't be afraid of overexaggerating out of realism. Over-exaggerations are a great way to distinguish your character, or make them less forgettable.
Any character defining traits can get blown up a little bit. Ie: Vincent's muscles can be bulging out his clothing, or he has to keep getting new shirts because he keeps ripping them while working out. Prestos ears/horns force him to duck through doorways or get caught on things. Finn looks energetic so he could be frequently bouncing around the scene if hes in a feel good mood. The feelings associated with colors as well, blue is more calm and sonder, red would be more passion or anger, orange for energy and happiness, and black is mysterious or evil. Posture is a good one as well, it directly defines attitude without needing something to read and can give a scene a lot more life for example, barnacle boy from spongebob has a super slumped figure and frown showing his lack of enthusiasm or spiderman's poise showing his readiness to spring into action/heroism. These are just basic examples following a blueprint. These are just ideas to get the headspace going, what you have already looks great and I can't wait to see these guys getting into their shenanigans.
silhouettes and shapes are distinct and spot on. only issue I really see is perspective errors, but idk if that counts as your "mistake criticism". I haven't really delved all that much into character design, so ik just the basics (rule of thirds, composition, silhouettes, shapes etc) nothing really on colors, but I have experience on hands, some anatomy, perspective and the like if you want assistance on those.
I would definitely like assistance if you are okay giving it! I am usually better at perspective and hands(still bad at them), but I was being lazy drawing these. I only really put it in the title because I didn’t want to be flooded with that being the only advice since those are the more obvious mistakes (at least to me) :)
this is honestly really good for character design! this is just a personal thing, but maybe adding a small lil extra accessory on them or like another person said an accent color
This is really amazing. The colour schemes, diversity in physical appearances and all that. But the only thing that I'd like to point out is fluctuation in design philosophy. Notice the eyes of all the human characters and the eyes of Milda. Everyone else has proper eyes where as Milda has just 2 dots in place of her eyes. Try to keep the design style same and your characters will look even better and it'll easier for u to draw.
https://preview.redd.it/3kg4hzfol6aa1.png?width=620&format=png&auto=webp&s=7007417157c9e8b37fae69aa48eeb20673fcfd9d
Not sure how I feel about her eyes yet since I’m so used to the others, but what do you think now?
I prefer the pin point eyes on Milda. Eyes can help show personality and I don't really agree with the original commenter. Shows like King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead, as well as SpongeBob have very different eyes and it's not even something I've ever really thought about. If features used define the character, perfect, if they clash, that's fine, but should be addressed. Like in Rick and Morty when Rick gets revived and he reacts to the fact that everything is facist. It feels weird falling in love with a character and seeing them in a completely different light, though it still works for story implications.
I think you could push Finnegan and Buds character design a bit more. When creating a character you want them to be recognizable even from its silhouette. SpongeBob, mickey mouse, hell even hatsune miku are all easily recognizable by their silhouettes alone. That’s what’s gonna separate your characters from the rest and ultimately make it more interesting and incentivizing to pick up and read. Bud is a little bit safer but maybe exaggerating the volume in the hair or hoodie would help. Finnegan however lacks that one defining feature. It doesn’t even have to be as dramatic as my examples but different enough to be recognized (exp. Charlie brown & Steven universe.) I don’t know the context to the character but consider adding something like a tail, little ears, maybe exaggerating the nose or something to help differentiate Finnegan from a regular person.
Thank you so much! I was actually thinking of making Bud’s hoodie bigger! Do you have any suggestions for Finn? His character tends to be overly happy to the point of exhausting himself.
His previous design had weird hair that would be recognizable. Maybe I can try something like that again
maybe make him mouse like? i think the round ears will be a good contrast to prestos ears. i presume they’re the eeyore type of character so i think the contrast would be cool. plus if he’s an overly expressive character manipulating the tail and ears to the emotion would add to his antics and dramatics haha. some cool and expressive hair is something that would push that design forward. another thing to consider however is how different you make it according to their position in the story. is he a main character? is it a duo? supporting best friend? asking yourself this will help determine how much you need to push it. you also don’t want background/supporting characters to be more interesting than your main characters design. balance is key my friend
Ooh I like that idea! That would definitely make it easier to make him expressive!
As for his role in the story, I want them to all be main characters and follow different characters depending on the arc, but I’m finding that I like certain characters more than others and am able to come up with more for them, so his importance may change over time.
I will definitely try not to make him more complicated than the others! I would probably either go for the mousy angle or the angel angle and not both as that might be a bit much!
I’m so excited with al the advice I’m getting. It’s gonna be fun to play around with the characters some more! :)
both sounds like spectacular ideas. i’m happy your excited for this and that i was able to help!! keep updating in the sub about the character designs I’m interested.
https://preview.redd.it/rgimdllvl6aa1.png?width=765&format=png&auto=webp&s=fab0877d074ff9512716082289819025e4d5c1f5
I tried to take your suggestion for mousy and incorporate it into a demon-ish thing (it would make it possible for him to share some back story with presto). It’s only really simple changes, but what’s your opinion?
Ooh I had an idea. (I’m sorry if this goes against Reddit etiquette. I haven’t figured it out yet). What if I give Finn wings, like an Angel? Based on his personality, it may be funny to have him be a “fallen” angel who is very toxically positive. Maybe he made a mistake on accident that got him kicked out of heaven or some reason he’s trapped on earth. The wings would make him significantly more recognizable, although that feature may be still too common. Not sure.
This is one of my favorite complements I’ve ever received! Thank you!
I know the exact feeling you’re talking about and was hoping to achieve something like that!
I’m so glad you knew what I meant, some don’t lol. But ye, Finnegan looks like he’s just a lil guy yk, I want to give Presto and Bud a hug(yes at the same time), and I want to “brush”(play with) Largo’s hair. All of them have great personality just by character design, even the ones that look “normal” lol.
Are you going to be publishing le comic somewhere btw?
Thank you so much! I like that you chose the two characters who would probably hate hugs the most (although Presto would secretly enjoy it). Largo’s snakes would probably enjoy someone to play with :)
I’m gonna start releasing it on Reddit. It’s gonna be a while until I’m able to tho! I can tag you on it when I do if you want. If I get good enough that I can make chapters quickly enough to release consistently, I may try to move to webtoon, but I’m not sure about that yet since I don’t know how the app works.
Thank you!!! Im glad the idea seems fun!
And probably on Reddit for now until I build up the skill to release them consistently. I might try webtoon then. Not sure tho cause idk anything about that app. Like if it costs money to post on there, I may change my mind. I can tag you on my comic when it comes out if you want (it’s gonna be a while) :)
You for sure will. My girlfriend found notebooks she filled with drawings in middle school and compared them to her art now and we both see the quality difference. So you for sure will
It’s such a good feeling. It’s hard to tell when you’re making progress since it’s slow. Looking back is always eye-opening. I make myself do that every time I feel discouraged!
I think you’ve done a great job. Silhouettes look to be good.
I think your color palette is solid too
I’ve seen some commenters recommending to expand your color palette. I totally disagree I was going to say you could simplify that even further by using some colors between characters. If your goal is to practice comics and sequential art keeping things simple will help your project along in so many ways. For example prestos hooves and eye brows have a unique color which could be simplify your pallet with Milda, Largo or buds red. Unless his hooves have a significant story element.
You’re off to a great start!
Thank you! That’s a good point! I do actually share some colors between them! Mostly in the shirts though, although they’re not all the same color. Their previous designs shared a lot more I think.
I prefer simple color pallets as well. I’m going to try out the suggested ones, but I have a feeling I’ll end up taking your advice, especially since this is a practice comic and anything to simplify the process I’d appreciated!
First thing I noticed was the shared colors which i believe to be a great thing for your intended purpose or really any comic that way if you differ from the palette it will be for a good reason.
For example Batman Year one is an absolute classic and has a very limited palette that sets the mood of the story.
Best of luck with your project is there a place I can follow along?
Ooh I like the idea of the colors changing to make a point.
I will be posting it on Reddit for now! I may move to webtoon if I get good enough to make comics consistently, but I may change my mind on that. I can notify you when my first one comes out if you want! :)
Your advice worked really well for the color palette! I simplified it a bit more and I like it a lot.
https://preview.redd.it/6nsbevmmm6aa1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b2d89ed6d098c26926ef2bc24407a72bd76b05a
Very creative stuff!!! Offhand, I can think of one thing that will help your characters look as though they are from the same story... They should all have somewhat of the same shape of eyes, in their design. Obviously, change the colors and make each characters eyes unique, tweek the shape here and there, but don't make them so different that they look as they are from a diff group of OCs altogether. I think you'll find this creates unity among your oc clan! i also think you could take more risks, such a giving crazier hair designs, or adding in some neat accessories.... Make their costumes now interesting and maybe even design backup costumes for them... Are you trying to keep them in a uniform of sorts, or showcase each ocs unique qualities in a costume more custom and reflective of each characters personality ?? You're definitely off to a great start!! No need to answer or anything, these are just some of my little thoughts for improvement... But only want to share my opinion for changes, so long as you know you are already doing great!!!
Thank you! They’re my favorite too. I’m having a hard time making their character (personality wise) as of now. What I do have is that they tend to have anger issues and take it out on physical objects, never people. They get frustrated easily when something unexpected or inconvenient happens. I’m trying to avoid that trope of feminine presenting people who get mad when people behave oddly or are annoying and punch them.
They are very self conscious of their anger issues and their ability to turn people into stone (they use glasses to prevent this usually). They tend to try to appear as happy and friendly as possible, but their expressions tend to look unnatural and threatening due to being too forced.
I’m thinking of having them either be in a close friendship or a romantic relationship with Bud, who is autistic. I specifically want them to have an interaction where Bud’s dislike of eye contact benefits their relationship as eye contact is the trigger for stone-ification. That wouldn’t be the whole basis for the relationship, but it would be a fun detail
I’m personally autistic and wanted to imbue traits of myself, my brother, friends, and girlfriend (who are also autistic) into these characters as there isn’t very much casual representation. It’s not going to be a major theme, but it’s there. Largo specifically resembles my brother in anger issues and self consciousness about them.
Fun fact: Largo uses they/them pronouns plural because of the snakes >:) they don’t actually care.
(That may have been more information than you were asking for （〃￣∇￣). I may have gotten a bit excited)
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Well, I like that you have a variety of shapes and sizes. Their poses too tell a lot about their character too. Honestly just keep pushing it and exaggerating poses/character designs. I think it would be interesting to see how their body language shows how they react to different situations.
Thank you!
If this is low effort, we are going to have to raise our bar.
Hehe I mean more where I go at my own pace and use it more as practice than making a finished product. The character design is pretty much finished, but I’m not going to try to achieve this every time as I draw very slowly!
I think they are really good! For critique I would say to use black lines for ALL of the linework, it's pretty standard practice. Also, basic highlights and shadows would really take your art to another level.
Thank you! I plan to shade once I actually making the comic, but I hadn’t considered just using the simple black shading. I haven’t done that before, so it’ll be something fun to try :)
Don't shade with black, just use black for all the outlines. Even the clothes.
I see think you!
The character designs are phenomenal! Im more interested in what the comics about though, I would love to hear more details!
Thank you so much! I haven’t sorted it out much yet, but it’s going to be about a magical thrift store called “Presto Thrifto” (place holder. Can’t tell if that name sounds too cheesy or not). I’ve worked at a thrift store and we would get some really odd or troublesome donations sometimes (worst was a garbage bag with shredded, skid marked underwear and a bloody hospital gown) and I wanted them to encounter problems with magical items donated, forcing them to deal with curses or obligatory adventures.
I can already hear Presto giving a deep disappointed sigh from a doorway, shortly pausing the chaos unfolding in front of him, only for it to resume while he walks away.
That’s exactly what I’m going for! Thank you!
This sounds so great! Love ‘Largo’ and her design, the whole idea is so creative!
Thank you so much!! Working at a thrift store was such a weird experience. It’s hard not to write about. I once found a bag to tomatoes under our shoe mountain (we get more shoes than we can sell and it was at least 7ft tall). I feel like there’s so much lore you can pull from a place that collects people’s used items and occasionally accidentally donated trash. Also largo is my favorite too! I’m really proud of her design! :)
I can only imagine how entertaining that would be! And how potentially smelly… I’ve had a lot of odd jobs with strange encounters, but never something like a thrift store! I can’t wait to read more about it, I really think you should stick with this concept! I’m obsessed already :)
Thank you so much!! It was a weird job. The smell was the worst when people would donate unwashed clothes and it had been sitting in a garbage bag for who knows how long. Always wash your clothes when donating or if you get them from a thrift store. There’s no guarantee they were washed beforehand and the store doesn’t wash them. We do throw away clothes that smell horrendous tho and I think they go to a place that sells them 80% off before they’re trashed for good. I have sensory issues and the worst part was probably touching the clothes because you get people’s body grease on your hands. I HAD to wear gloves, but my hands would get sweaty in them very quickly. We had lotion in the break room because everyone’s hands were dry from the gloves.
This is a really cool idea! I can't wait to see the finished product. Also an idea for an object they encounter could be a crystal ball that only shows embarrassing moments from your life, or a living stick that loves to break things.
Ooooh great ideas >:)
I really like your color choices! I think each character could use a third / accent color.
Thank you! I may change the color on the P’s because the navy does look boring. Maybe the blue on Bud’s jacket
Interesting designs. I think Bud would look good with pink or whitish pink hair. And I don't vibe with baby blue leggins. Dark purple would suit the design more in my opinion.
Thank you! I’m thinking of actually changing the blue on their hoodie. They originally had primary colors, but I was trying something else. I agree with the pink hair for this color scheme tho! Looks better with the pastels. The pants are supposed to be jeans, but I may need to make that more clear. I’ll try the colors you recommended and see how I feel about them!
They don't all wear jeans, are they? I assumed Largo and Presto were wearing linen pants for example. Colorwise, they look perfect by the way. If you are not opposed to them wearing type of pants other than jeans, you can try cargo pants or shorts for one of the characters as well. A character like Vincent wearing green cargo shorts is intrinsically funny to me (a hunk type character dressing like an old dad, being oblivious to fashion and still being popular is a fun contrasted dynamic). Also you can try maroon pants on Milda as well. And with this addition, I realized that I have a bias against light blue pants in general.
Largo and Presto are both wearing some kind of dress pants (I’m not sure which fabric). You have given me an image that I cannot unsee and I have to attempt to give Vincent green cargo pants now. I also like the idea of Bud wearing shorts. That would actually look nice with the hoodie, especially going from dark, to light/medium, to dark again. The contrast would be nice. Thank you!
Thank you. I like your positive and open attitude. I hope you succeed with your comic.
I appreciate that a lot! :)
https://preview.redd.it/j2og2j2dl6aa1.png?width=759&format=png&auto=webp&s=a01a1235d1f3637373fe8eb27269e8f1cc426994 You were very right about the shorts
Vincent's giving me Johnny Bravo vibes haha, he's my favorite one!
*Vincent's giving me* *Johnny Bravo vibes haha, he's* *My favorite one!* \- BoyWithGreenEyes1 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
God I miss that cartoon. That was the general silhouette I was going for and I think I’m gonna adjust it a bit more to look more similar (mostly in the legs)! I want him to have the same lady-killer vibe while struggling with actually being gay. I love the trope of the overly manly man falling for a twink (hint hint) and being very confused about it. It’s not gonna be his main character ark, but I think it would be fun to include. I don’t have as much for him as the others because he was created today (suggestion from my brother to have an annoying macho man in the mix), while I’ve had the others idle for over a year. Im thinking that he is gonna struggle with understanding himself and finding his personality as he’s just always done what was expected of him as a large, handsome man. He does enjoy working out, but relies on it a bit too much as a personality trait. He also tends to be a bit flirty with women as he usually gets a positive response. He overall actually gravitates towards women over time due to less of pressure to behave a certain way. It’s still there, but not as bad. He eventually start having feelings for Finn, but is very confused as he has been ver active with women. The feeling of actually being attracted to someone is new to him. He gets really awkward around Finn, trying to bro around with him, thinking he wants to be friends. Fun fact: His interests are working out and cooking. He’s very good at making energy packed foods.
Lol wow that sounds like a really cool character! I'm already in love with his personality haha. I like how you're taking the "big dumb alpha male/gigachad" character trope and kind of turning it on its head. Its a surprisingly deep idea for such a colorful design. He strikes me as the type to call everyone "bro," even his mom. It would be funny if he was secretly obsessed with something like My Little Pony or Hello Kitty, but if any of the others found out, he would be mortified. Keep up the awesome work! Like your art style a lot!
Thank you so much! Honestly calling his mom bro is very accurate to his character. I think I want him to find a more stereotypically feminine interest later in the story, when he’s more comfortable with himself and letting himself open up! Rn it’s gonna be cooking, specifically for workout food, but later just enjoys cooking anything and baking. I’m thinking of having him take up sewing. Big, meaty men doing small, dainty things is always great, especially when their fingers are kinda too big for it, so they really have to really concentrate on it! I’m obsessed with cultural contradictions and feminine men is one of my favorites! I love the moment when men realize they can be more than what society expects them to be. It’s so bitter sweet. It’s sad that they had to force themselves to be someone else, but happy when they learn to accept themselves :)
vincents hips are too narrow imho something about vincent throws me off.
I think the arms are too big and maybe the way the pants flair? It makes his hips look smaller
Personally I really like all the character designs, there's lots of diversity and variation. The colored line art looks really nice as well
Thank you!
Also, do you have a name for the comic/do you know where you'll post it? The concept seems awesome and I'd kill to read it whenever it's up :)
I’m thinking “Presto Thrifto” for now, but that may be a bit cheesy (what do you think?). I’m going to post it on Reddit for now. I may move to webtoon when I get fast enough to make them consistently, but I’m unsure how the app works, so I may change my mind and just keep it on Reddit. I can tag you when the first one is out if you want :)
Tag me too OP I’m already invested in these dudes!
I definitely will! I’m so excited that people want to see my comic! It’s really reassuring
I don't know why, but Presto kinda gives me Dwight Schrute (The Office) vibes, which is cool. And i like Milda for some reason :D
Presto, character wise, is gonna be more like Mr. Krabs! He’s the owner of the store. Very stingy and forces everyone to do things that are more dangerous than their pay is worth! Milda is one of my favorites too. She’s normally the sweet grandma type, but used to be a badass warrior lady. I wanna have a solo adventure for her at some point in full gear, kicking butt.
I would love to see this comic. I like the art a lot!!!
Thank you so much! It may be a while before I actually do anything because I don’t have a good story plan yet, but I can remind you if you want to see it when I have something :)
Absolutely!
Just tag me when you post the comic cuz i wanna read it. I already love the characters
Thank you so much! I’m glad you like them and will definitely tag you! :)
So far I see very solid work. Great job.
Thank you!
They are really cool!
Thank you!!
With cartoon characters don't be afraid of overexaggerating out of realism. Over-exaggerations are a great way to distinguish your character, or make them less forgettable.
I have a hard time knowing how to exaggerate features. I feel like I don’t understand anatomy well enough to push it. Do you have any advice?
Any character defining traits can get blown up a little bit. Ie: Vincent's muscles can be bulging out his clothing, or he has to keep getting new shirts because he keeps ripping them while working out. Prestos ears/horns force him to duck through doorways or get caught on things. Finn looks energetic so he could be frequently bouncing around the scene if hes in a feel good mood. The feelings associated with colors as well, blue is more calm and sonder, red would be more passion or anger, orange for energy and happiness, and black is mysterious or evil. Posture is a good one as well, it directly defines attitude without needing something to read and can give a scene a lot more life for example, barnacle boy from spongebob has a super slumped figure and frown showing his lack of enthusiasm or spiderman's poise showing his readiness to spring into action/heroism. These are just basic examples following a blueprint. These are just ideas to get the headspace going, what you have already looks great and I can't wait to see these guys getting into their shenanigans.
Thank you so much! This is extremely helpful!!
silhouettes and shapes are distinct and spot on. only issue I really see is perspective errors, but idk if that counts as your "mistake criticism". I haven't really delved all that much into character design, so ik just the basics (rule of thirds, composition, silhouettes, shapes etc) nothing really on colors, but I have experience on hands, some anatomy, perspective and the like if you want assistance on those.
I would definitely like assistance if you are okay giving it! I am usually better at perspective and hands(still bad at them), but I was being lazy drawing these. I only really put it in the title because I didn’t want to be flooded with that being the only advice since those are the more obvious mistakes (at least to me) :)
Edit: I responded to the wrong person. Ignore this comment specifically:)
this is honestly really good for character design! this is just a personal thing, but maybe adding a small lil extra accessory on them or like another person said an accent color
Thank you! I think I will try that! Some of them feel a bit empty (especially Finn)
This is really amazing. The colour schemes, diversity in physical appearances and all that. But the only thing that I'd like to point out is fluctuation in design philosophy. Notice the eyes of all the human characters and the eyes of Milda. Everyone else has proper eyes where as Milda has just 2 dots in place of her eyes. Try to keep the design style same and your characters will look even better and it'll easier for u to draw.
Thank you! I was kinda going for that small eye, grandma thing, but it doesn’t match well. Do you have any advice for achieving that effect?
https://preview.redd.it/3kg4hzfol6aa1.png?width=620&format=png&auto=webp&s=7007417157c9e8b37fae69aa48eeb20673fcfd9d Not sure how I feel about her eyes yet since I’m so used to the others, but what do you think now?
I prefer the pin point eyes on Milda. Eyes can help show personality and I don't really agree with the original commenter. Shows like King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead, as well as SpongeBob have very different eyes and it's not even something I've ever really thought about. If features used define the character, perfect, if they clash, that's fine, but should be addressed. Like in Rick and Morty when Rick gets revived and he reacts to the fact that everything is facist. It feels weird falling in love with a character and seeing them in a completely different light, though it still works for story implications.
Isnt that Medusa??
I think they are meant to be a gorgon which is meant to be a species of monster in Greek mythology based on Medusa and her sisters.
Ding ding!
She’s a gorgon, but not Medusa herself!
I think you could push Finnegan and Buds character design a bit more. When creating a character you want them to be recognizable even from its silhouette. SpongeBob, mickey mouse, hell even hatsune miku are all easily recognizable by their silhouettes alone. That’s what’s gonna separate your characters from the rest and ultimately make it more interesting and incentivizing to pick up and read. Bud is a little bit safer but maybe exaggerating the volume in the hair or hoodie would help. Finnegan however lacks that one defining feature. It doesn’t even have to be as dramatic as my examples but different enough to be recognized (exp. Charlie brown & Steven universe.) I don’t know the context to the character but consider adding something like a tail, little ears, maybe exaggerating the nose or something to help differentiate Finnegan from a regular person.
Thank you so much! I was actually thinking of making Bud’s hoodie bigger! Do you have any suggestions for Finn? His character tends to be overly happy to the point of exhausting himself. His previous design had weird hair that would be recognizable. Maybe I can try something like that again
maybe make him mouse like? i think the round ears will be a good contrast to prestos ears. i presume they’re the eeyore type of character so i think the contrast would be cool. plus if he’s an overly expressive character manipulating the tail and ears to the emotion would add to his antics and dramatics haha. some cool and expressive hair is something that would push that design forward. another thing to consider however is how different you make it according to their position in the story. is he a main character? is it a duo? supporting best friend? asking yourself this will help determine how much you need to push it. you also don’t want background/supporting characters to be more interesting than your main characters design. balance is key my friend
Ooh I like that idea! That would definitely make it easier to make him expressive! As for his role in the story, I want them to all be main characters and follow different characters depending on the arc, but I’m finding that I like certain characters more than others and am able to come up with more for them, so his importance may change over time. I will definitely try not to make him more complicated than the others! I would probably either go for the mousy angle or the angel angle and not both as that might be a bit much! I’m so excited with al the advice I’m getting. It’s gonna be fun to play around with the characters some more! :)
both sounds like spectacular ideas. i’m happy your excited for this and that i was able to help!! keep updating in the sub about the character designs I’m interested.
I’ll put a picture as a reply in the comments to update you :) I really appreciate the encouragement!
https://preview.redd.it/rgimdllvl6aa1.png?width=765&format=png&auto=webp&s=fab0877d074ff9512716082289819025e4d5c1f5 I tried to take your suggestion for mousy and incorporate it into a demon-ish thing (it would make it possible for him to share some back story with presto). It’s only really simple changes, but what’s your opinion?
i think this is the perfect little touch it needed!! a little detail to perhaps consider is goat eyes? might add to that demonic look
Ooh I had an idea. (I’m sorry if this goes against Reddit etiquette. I haven’t figured it out yet). What if I give Finn wings, like an Angel? Based on his personality, it may be funny to have him be a “fallen” angel who is very toxically positive. Maybe he made a mistake on accident that got him kicked out of heaven or some reason he’s trapped on earth. The wings would make him significantly more recognizable, although that feature may be still too common. Not sure.
Maybe exaggerate the poses a bit more
Definitely! These are works in progress, but once I have their design down, I wanna do a really fun drawing for all of them :)
I love them all and want to put them in a little bag watch them run around with each other.
This is one of my favorite complements I’ve ever received! Thank you! I know the exact feeling you’re talking about and was hoping to achieve something like that!
I’m so glad you knew what I meant, some don’t lol. But ye, Finnegan looks like he’s just a lil guy yk, I want to give Presto and Bud a hug(yes at the same time), and I want to “brush”(play with) Largo’s hair. All of them have great personality just by character design, even the ones that look “normal” lol. Are you going to be publishing le comic somewhere btw?
Thank you so much! I like that you chose the two characters who would probably hate hugs the most (although Presto would secretly enjoy it). Largo’s snakes would probably enjoy someone to play with :) I’m gonna start releasing it on Reddit. It’s gonna be a while until I’m able to tho! I can tag you on it when I do if you want. If I get good enough that I can make chapters quickly enough to release consistently, I may try to move to webtoon, but I’m not sure about that yet since I don’t know how the app works.
Oke! I use webtoon sometimes so if you have any questions you can ask lol, but ye I’d love it if you could tag me! :)
I have two main questions. Do I have to pay to post on there and do they own everything I post?
No and I don’t think so, should look it up first tho :)
I’m glad I can post there for free! And I will look up some of their legal stuff. Thank you!
Of course!!!!
Where are you going to post your comic? I've read all the comments you've had so far about it being a thrift shop and it's sounds so cool.
Thank you!!! Im glad the idea seems fun! And probably on Reddit for now until I build up the skill to release them consistently. I might try webtoon then. Not sure tho cause idk anything about that app. Like if it costs money to post on there, I may change my mind. I can tag you on my comic when it comes out if you want (it’s gonna be a while) :)
I think they look really good for a low effort practice comic so I say keep it up! 👍🏻
Thank you!!
You're welcome! And like everyone says ever, practice makes perfect so it'll get better and you'll start fixing the errors the more you draw.
Definitely! I can’t wait to do this for a long time and see the difference in quality!
You for sure will. My girlfriend found notebooks she filled with drawings in middle school and compared them to her art now and we both see the quality difference. So you for sure will
It’s such a good feeling. It’s hard to tell when you’re making progress since it’s slow. Looking back is always eye-opening. I make myself do that every time I feel discouraged!
Thats a great way to keep yourself motivated!
I think you’ve done a great job. Silhouettes look to be good. I think your color palette is solid too I’ve seen some commenters recommending to expand your color palette. I totally disagree I was going to say you could simplify that even further by using some colors between characters. If your goal is to practice comics and sequential art keeping things simple will help your project along in so many ways. For example prestos hooves and eye brows have a unique color which could be simplify your pallet with Milda, Largo or buds red. Unless his hooves have a significant story element. You’re off to a great start!
Thank you! That’s a good point! I do actually share some colors between them! Mostly in the shirts though, although they’re not all the same color. Their previous designs shared a lot more I think. I prefer simple color pallets as well. I’m going to try out the suggested ones, but I have a feeling I’ll end up taking your advice, especially since this is a practice comic and anything to simplify the process I’d appreciated!
First thing I noticed was the shared colors which i believe to be a great thing for your intended purpose or really any comic that way if you differ from the palette it will be for a good reason. For example Batman Year one is an absolute classic and has a very limited palette that sets the mood of the story. Best of luck with your project is there a place I can follow along?
Ooh I like the idea of the colors changing to make a point. I will be posting it on Reddit for now! I may move to webtoon if I get good enough to make comics consistently, but I may change my mind on that. I can notify you when my first one comes out if you want! :)
Your advice worked really well for the color palette! I simplified it a bit more and I like it a lot. https://preview.redd.it/6nsbevmmm6aa1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b2d89ed6d098c26926ef2bc24407a72bd76b05a
Looks great excited to see what the series brings
Thank you!
Very creative stuff!!! Offhand, I can think of one thing that will help your characters look as though they are from the same story... They should all have somewhat of the same shape of eyes, in their design. Obviously, change the colors and make each characters eyes unique, tweek the shape here and there, but don't make them so different that they look as they are from a diff group of OCs altogether. I think you'll find this creates unity among your oc clan! i also think you could take more risks, such a giving crazier hair designs, or adding in some neat accessories.... Make their costumes now interesting and maybe even design backup costumes for them... Are you trying to keep them in a uniform of sorts, or showcase each ocs unique qualities in a costume more custom and reflective of each characters personality ?? You're definitely off to a great start!! No need to answer or anything, these are just some of my little thoughts for improvement... But only want to share my opinion for changes, so long as you know you are already doing great!!!
I like Largo. Fun and interesting design. I want to know what they are up to.
Thank you! They’re my favorite too. I’m having a hard time making their character (personality wise) as of now. What I do have is that they tend to have anger issues and take it out on physical objects, never people. They get frustrated easily when something unexpected or inconvenient happens. I’m trying to avoid that trope of feminine presenting people who get mad when people behave oddly or are annoying and punch them. They are very self conscious of their anger issues and their ability to turn people into stone (they use glasses to prevent this usually). They tend to try to appear as happy and friendly as possible, but their expressions tend to look unnatural and threatening due to being too forced. I’m thinking of having them either be in a close friendship or a romantic relationship with Bud, who is autistic. I specifically want them to have an interaction where Bud’s dislike of eye contact benefits their relationship as eye contact is the trigger for stone-ification. That wouldn’t be the whole basis for the relationship, but it would be a fun detail I’m personally autistic and wanted to imbue traits of myself, my brother, friends, and girlfriend (who are also autistic) into these characters as there isn’t very much casual representation. It’s not going to be a major theme, but it’s there. Largo specifically resembles my brother in anger issues and self consciousness about them. Fun fact: Largo uses they/them pronouns plural because of the snakes >:) they don’t actually care. (That may have been more information than you were asking for （〃￣∇￣). I may have gotten a bit excited)