Introduction

Hello! This is my first tutorial, so I hope you all enjoy it! ^^ In this tutorial, I’m going to give you some tips on making hybrid characters!

 

So, what exactly is a “hybrid?” In simple terms, it’s a character based off of one or more species, usually a human and an animal. There’s really no limits or rules to how they should be designed; the artist can choose what suites them best, and it’s why I love drawing them!

 

When designing your character, you need to first think of what animals you want to base in on. For this tutorial, I’m using my character Amber, who is a fox/humanoid character.

 

 

Forming Your Concept

Once you’ve picked your animal, do some research on it! Look at reference images and figure out the key elements of the animal. For example, foxes have pointy ears, bushy tails, and a striking orange, brown, and white pattern.

 

Don’t feel pressured to follow your reference exactly, though! Hybrids are already imaginary, so feel free to experiment with colors, patterns, etc.

Next, you can decide how much of each creature will be in the hybrid. In the case of human/animal hybrids, I usually go for the middle option, having a humanoid body but animal features. However, you can play around with the design and go for a mostly human or mostly animal character.

Making an Illustration

After settling on the basics of your character and developing a concept, you can get to drawing (the fun part :D). I start with a basic sketch. You can use one of the 3D models in Clip Studio for help, or sketch freestyle.

Next the line art is drawn. It’s best to lower the opacity of the sketch layer and/or set its layer property to “layer color” so you can see what you’re doing.

Next is the color. I added the flowers using a brush from Clip Studio assets.

Now the shading! :D I used a layer on [Multiply] for the details, and then another one with the opacity lowered to around 30%. Then I added an [Add (Glow)] layer and airbrushed some golden yellow for light, and then added some effects.

And, ta-da! The character is finished.

Experimenting with Other Species

However, you don’t have to stop with human/animal characters. The sky’s the limit when it comes to hybrids! Try mixing up two (or even three!) different animals.

 

I’ve got a couple of examples, the first one half serval cat and half fox. It has a fox-shaped face but a serval-like pattern and a thinner tail. The other one is half water deer and half calico cat. It has the pattern, face, and paws of a cat but the fangs, ears, and back legs of a deer (yes, water deer have fangs).

There is tons of inspiration in mythology, legends, etc. you can look into as well. You can try basing your hybrid off of an existing mythical creature like a unicorn or hippocamp. My examples are one that’s part deer and part rabbit, like the mythical jackalope, and one that’s part bird and part lion, like a griffon. You can even try mixing two different hybrids together!

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this far! I hope you found this tutorial helpful! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) Hybrids are great characters to try out if you like using your imagination, and I hope I may have inspired you to try making one of your own.