Any day is a good day to create a new character! In this tutorial, we will learn some tips to study and design combat characters. If you are a beginner, make sure to take some notes my friend, this will be helpful.

 

Character creation is very easy when you focus on the fundamentals. By the end of this tutorial, you will know where to start. I will design a character from scratch and then teach you how to make your own character sheet.

 

For a good design and concept, please remember: Every detail matters. This is the key to making something balanced that will generate something engaging for your audience.

 

Concept

A combat character can be any class or race: this is up to you and/or the purpose of its creation (animation, comic, video game, OC…). With this in mind, do the requisite research.

 

 

 

For this tutorial, I want to create a Witcher specialized in close combat; powerful but slow.

Also, I want to give them a weapon that matches their design. Let’s say they live in a very dark forest inside of a giant dead tree where they store all kinds of artifacts and trophies of the magical creatures they hunt for their spells.

Silhouettes

A strong silhouette is one that identifies a character just by seeing it. It should show the most important features of the body shape.

 

 

For example: if I think of a physically strong but slow character, they should be big. So, in this case, I would use a square.

References and Functional Design

The most important thing to keep in mind is "function". There are a lot of references out there for cool clothes and weapons, however they must be useful to the character, not just exaggerated and cool for their design.

 

When I brainstorm, I use Pinterest to collect all sort of things that would suit my character concept. I choose whatever fits, and then search for the real-life versions of them. Think about this when looking for refs:

 

-Does my character need it? Why is it important?

-Is the design functional?

-How would it look in real life? How does it work?

 

 

After you choose the elements that are functional, make them look cool! Go wild at first. Put some color on it, patterns, lights, accessories; anything you think will fit with the character style. That way, you can really own the design.

 

Anatomy

Yes, anatomy must be functional too. Think about it: if I want a very fast character, how it should it look like? A slim frame is a start. A good example are cyclists: if you watch the Tour of France, the anatomy of the cyclists is very similar, their structure helps them to go with the wind, so they can be used as a good reference for faster characters, but this leads to them not looking as strong, so in combat they may need a light weapon that can be used from long distance.

If you want an hulking strong character, they should be big and full of muscles, to the point it affects their speed. Think about the Olympics, the athletes that are specialized in weightlifting are often very large, because they don't need to be fast, they need power. So, their training focuses on that.

 

When you study the anatomy of athletes in different disciplines, it’s easy to understand the appropriate shape that the body should have and how they would move.

 

This also applies for anthro and feral characters. There must be a study of the original animal to add the features you want in the correct way. Each species has a unique way to moving and attacking, while maintaining a strong structure that must be functional when combining different kinds of animals.

 

This is the structure for my character:

Clothes

Dressing a character is a treat: you can play around with different fashion trends and turn them into a unique piece for the context of your character. In the case of combat ones, we need to carefully choose the kind of clothes. It must match with the personality and the fighting style. In a fight, capes, long dresses or skirts can be dangerous and problematic when moving.

 

Honestly, I try to avoid those if the character focuses on close combat or use it just in case it has any functionality, such as attack with it or defending with it.

My favorite part is looking for real clothes of the time frame where the story takes part, or that matches the style in that universe. In this process I also look for the color palette that I want for the character to match with all the details for the storytelling.

For my character, I need them to match with the concept that I described at the beginning, then match it with his job and abilities. A magic vagabond style with abundant scruff for this gentleman.

Weapons

These should be an extension of the character’s personality, style and background story when applicable. Yes, they should have an awesome design, but remember to stick with functionality.

For example, I wasn't sure about the weapon for my character, so I looked for many "magic weapons" so I could answer questions and come to the conclusion:

 

1. Does my character need it? Why is it important? R/ He needs a weapon in the first place: he hunts magical creatures by himself. It’s important to have a backup for his security, to not end up fighting something stronger than him with his bare fists.

 

2. Is the design functional? R/ For him, I'd like something heavy and strong, so a hammer is a good option, but also an axe to cleaving.

 

3.How would it look in real life? How does it work? R/ If I think about it in reality, it feels silly yet functional, so I just need to make it look cool!!

 

Quick tip: Use the sub view window in Clip Studio Paint! When you’re drawing, it’s important to check your references, so put them in a single canvas and open it in this window. This is one of my favorite tools, I always like to have everything at a quick glance.

Character Sheet

A character sheet can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. The contents are up to you if it’s a personal project. If it is for a commission, your client should give you the specifications.

 

My references include:

1. Front/back view: The front and back view can be a regular standing pose or a T pose, in a full or ¾ view. It really depends on what is needed on the sheet.

2. Headshots: I like to do some basic facial expressions of the character.

3. Important details -close up-: This works really well if someone else is going to draw the character, you may add some details or functionality of the design, so other people can understand how it’s meant to work.

4. Color palette: It can sometimes be very hard to extract the exact color from the drawing, so it’s important to put splotches of the colors separately. Also helpful for others wanting to draw your character.

And that’s it!

I really hope this helps you to grasp the fundamentals of character design. There is a lot of information and new resources every day, but this tutorial should give you enough to study other types of characters too. Don’t be afraid of trying! Remember that it’s all about practice.

 

In case you want further assistance:

My social media:

 

Facebook: Facebook.com/stephinni

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Twitter: twitter.com/stephinni

 

Find my work here: www.stephinni.com

 

Good luck!

 

Stephinni