Hello everyone!

 

In this tutorial, I will be guiding you through creating your own character(s) with cyberpunk aesthetic. This tutorial will be covering the introduction to the cyberpunk genre, its key characteristics, and a step by step guide to creating your own cyberpunk character.

 

Introduction: What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is not something new─ it is a genre or a style that has existed for decades.

However, thanks to the recent release of a certain game of the same name, cyberpunk has been gaining in popularity as of late.

 

Before we begin creating our cyberpunk character, we should first know what cyberpunk is.

 

Generally speaking, cyberpunk, a part of the science fiction genre, is set in a dystopian futuristic setting which focuses on “low life high tech”.

 

So, think post-apocalypse, but with advanced technology.

 

The main features of the cyberpunk aesthetic are neon colors and lights, black, gold, and silver, apocalyptic fashion, grunge influence, high tech accessories and body modifications.

 

The cyberpunk aesthetic can be categorized into three classes.

 

The lower-class, which has the most apocalyptic and rebellious feel to it. The middle-class, which has a much more casual get up. And the high-class, which deals with elitism, and neatness.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the basic of cyberpunk, let’s get on to creating your character!

Step 1: The basic features

The first thing that you need to decide before starting your character creation is to know what kind of character you want to make.

Will the character be a child, a teenager, a young adult, an adult, or an old person?

How about their skin color, body size, and gender identity?

How will their facial features look like?

Will they have a feminine, a masculine or an androgynous appearance?

 

For this tutorial, I will be creating a female character.

 

Step 2: The Hair

Once you have decided the basics for your character, we start off with the hairstyle.

 

Cyberpunk adopts a combination of punk and futuristic hairstyles.

The most common hairstyles for cyberpunk aesthetic are side buzz cut, bob cut, short asymmetrical cut, and mohawk.

 

Don’t forget about the colors! You can go for natural hair color but it’s more cyberpunk-esque to go for dyed hair with bright vibrant colors like magenta, lime green, cyan, Nordic white, etc.

 

However, you can also go for other hairstyles, such as space buns, box braids, manbun, and many more, as long as you can stylize them look fierce and free.

Avoid delicate, tame, or non-futuristic-looking hairstyles such as princess hairstyle or neatly parted hairstyle.

The thing about cyberpunk hair is for them to look futuristic and display strong fashion statement and freedom.

For my character, I will be giving her box-braided twintails.

Step 3: The Outfit

The outfit of your character highly depends on the class of your choice.

For lower-class, go for dark, dull, or muted colors. This class has the most apocalyptic feel to it, so the outfits are usually dark military outfits, tank top or oversized T. The outfits are usually low cost.

This class values practicality and convenience.

For middle class, they love to appear stylish!

 

Since they are more casual, they have a really wide range of styles to choose from. From the 80’s puffer jacket and spandex, to the modern halter neck or bralette, there are almost no restrictions to what this class of cyberpunk wears. What important is to make sure they appear fierce and stylish.

 

Choose vibrant, neon, silver or gold colors for the outfits. You may also want to make the fabric clear or metallic, to fit the futuristic aspect.

Avoid anything delicate or common like polo shirts, frills, flowy wears, and plain hoodie. Do not use patterns such as polka dots, checkers, and so on. Avoid soft and tame color palettes as well such as pastel or cream.

Lastly, we have the high-class. The high class of the cyberpunk society wears elite-looking corporate outfits with minimal colors, usually black or silver. This class has the most envisioned futuristic styles; sharp, neat, and tailored to fit the body.

I will be giving my character the middle class look because I want her to appear stylish and fun, just like her hairstyle.

Final Step: Body modification and accessories

These are entirely optional but will definitely add more to the cyberpunk look if you add them in.

 

If you remember, cyberpunk is all about high tech low life, which means the technologies are pretty advanced. It is not uncommon to have characters with mechanical instalment on or in their bodies.

 

There are various types of body modifications you can add; from the smaller ones such as installing an LED receptor somewhere on the body or modifying the colour of the sclera─ to a much more extreme one like major replacement of body parts with high tech prosthetics.

 

In terms of accessories, the most common ones are visor glasses, headphones, and gas mask.

But to be honest, pretty much everything can be cyberpunk accessories as long as you tweak the designs and make them look futuristic. Don’t forget to add in the neon LED! Those are the key features of cyberpunk accessories.

I will be giving my character an LED receptor on her chest and slight “cyber scars” on her face and belly. As for the accessories, I will be giving her a pair of visor glasses and some futuristic-looking hair accessories.

Conclusion

Now that you've done drawing your character, refer back to the types of colors used in cyberpunk and color your character.

 

And.... You're done!

Congratulation on creating your cyberpunk character!

 

If you are new to the sci-fi genre, trying to familiarize yourself with the concept of cyberpunk may take some time. But what important is to keep on practicing and experimenting with the style.

 

Here are some tips for beginners:

 

• In case some elements are difficult to draw (certain hairstyles, extremely detailed outfits, or accessories), do not be afraid to start out simple.

• Use the 3D assets in Clip Studio Paint to help you out. It is okay to trace 3D models to help you practice!

• Be creative and have fun!

 

I hope you enjoyed the guided tutorial! In case I missed anything major or explained something poorly, feel free to comment below and point it out :D