Fixing your boring character designs

Edited by @chashuu0

My CSP pencil and brush details:

00:00 - Intro
00:42 - The Character
01:33 - Character feels boring
02:30 - Digging deeper into character backstory
03:18 - A strong visual concept
05:05 - Not using references correctly
07:13 - THE character design practice
08:28 - Expression and pose
09:21 - Finishing up

BGM

[hollowedboi]

Bruvs online tell me to focus on one thing at a time so I feel I can’t do character design until I finish this 4 year long expenditure on Anatomy to THEN move onto clothing.

[juanrodriguez]

looks awesome, i will use this for practice, the only thing I would change to the design is make his clothes look a bit damaged or dirty, for someone who is escaping from his country and is constantly stealing stuff and carrying it everywhere he cannot stay clean for long, maybe make his shirt brownish or with a couple of holes near the book area, still pretty good

[mertensiam]

One thing id like to add is that character design... Is basically the same as creature design. If you wanna get better at either, practice a bit of the other and try to learn from that as well!
I used to make Fakemon designs when i was little, so i have that "what if i tried out this stupid thing" mentality when designing a character already in my mind, same with combining two diff refs into one.
Try out different things! Practice environmental storytelling by making a small background! Practicing these kinds of things will make you better at conveying information in a visual way.

[SweetSummons]

If you went with the eye design on the tome the eye could be magically floating *above the belts* to show just how powerful it is that it can project through solid material!!

[Jaketg]

First time here:
I think the way you tackle these videos is very approachable, and you're also telling a bit of a story aloung the way. Your an excellent teacher, not everyone can make material this approachable. Also very well edited lol

[fgrey-]

these always come perfectly timed wtf thank

[AstronScion]

Great video. The redesign process was a great insight in what to do

[jess]

THANK YOU ! Right when I was struggling to find an answer to a feedback I've gotten about my webtoon's character's design looking all the same... I didn't knew where to beging in order to get better and expand my visual library beyond "taking rerences and putting them on a character".
Time to get into a character designing challenge I guess ! I've got a whole cast to design again + all my previous OCs :D

[BubbleHead]

i never rly comment on youtube videos but MAN i gotta say, you're probably the artist that i've recently followed that makes me so inspired to really get stuck into character design bc its something i've loved for sooo long but have been so hesitant to go into heavy cause of making bad designs. this video has made me feel so motivated to go back to my characters and re-design them and learn more about how to improve them. ty for sharing what you've learned and for showing all the work you do to get to the designs and the art that youre proud of!!!

[repulseiv]

Im so happy for this video. Its so hard figuring out how to add more detail without it feeling completely random. I love the end result. It really gave the character more character

[ObsoletePerson]

Another banger, pikat. You never fail to teach us so much.

[ILikePotatoes]

When you brought up the concept of a huge backpack with books in it, I immediately thought of bookcape... Like a literal cape with a bookshelf in in...

[KaycemCrew]

woooo Awesome video!! I really enjoyed Chashuu's character design of Teofilo when it was submitted~

[neptunesea]

I was just scrolling art tutorials and your notifications sniped my finger when I was going to click on another one. Now that good service

[DiegoB]

I've been designing an illustration to be put on a hoodie, and your video helped me to push myself further and make it more unique! Thank you!

[eroKeiKaku]

Right when I struggling at Character Design! Thanks a lot!
This video is just what I need ❤

[fulicious]

I LOVE the result, I already loved the original idea, but especially now I can totally imagine him as the MC in a webcomic or manga!

[xcviwyr]

this is such a great video. I love how you made the booksmore exaggerated.

[pedromanuelgonzalezn]

The rendering actually looks awesome, and i need that Black and white to colors video -, _-,

[InfinitySevens]

I think currently one of my problems right now is feeling like I need to worldbuild a ton in order for an OC's backstory to make sense, since they're situated in a very specific context.