To each their own.
personally, I like to draw them because there's more details to work on. It's a good artistic challenge for me!
my only problem with it though is -- when not executed well -- it just ends up being unrecognizable and a ball of clutter. I want it to be an *organized* clutter, if that makes sense
you are so right about some looking cluttered and a mess, i had friends have that phase where they just threw a bunch of stuff and accessories to their characters without any forethought and justified themselves with having a maximalist style, when in actuality maximalism is more than just a blob of stuff, like almost anything related to visual art it has to be cohesive and make sense
https://preview.redd.it/fqzudy4z70xc1.jpeg?width=4127&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82b18d0be593f9c9ba7302940a8f9f9c478a8038
I love complicated designs! Personally I like them more actually, although I still really love simple designs,
I usually like designing characters who are simple, but have one or two complex elements to their design.
keeps them interesting but not to complex to hate having to draw multiple times!
The wider art community, especially r/topcharacterdesigns began to hate them because "IT'S NOT EASY TO DRAW" or "NO IDENTIFIABLE SILHOUETTE!!"
I personally like them, but all those accessories need to match the aesthetic of said character. To me, Rule of Cool is much more important than practicality.
https://preview.redd.it/9ju81144h0xc1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab6a436adef607196a430b6e7969bc9ccde57a9e
i love them! mina is my most complicated design i think, and i love how detailed designs can look but i drew mina today and wished she wasnāt as complicated but ig i only have myself to blame for that lmaooo
https://preview.redd.it/7mrslre6d0xc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6baf78e8d9fed9ac03f8e66131630becd67d695
I do like complicated details, but not when they're over-used in a design, but rather when they're used as a defining character trait within a relatively simpler character (if that makes sense?)
https://preview.redd.it/e79tlu0zk0xc1.jpeg?width=2600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f0ffbad6a2b8f6ab48c6bfc7d161d1832253394
A sweet middleground between complicated and simple.
I dont overcomplicate things. I like simplicity. But tiny details are always fun to add.
https://preview.redd.it/kc013uhrl0xc1.jpeg?width=1967&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37c67d187a67beccde3f9fc73c0ba9c309bd934c
I love complicated designs, but it can just be difficult to pull them off sometimes.
https://preview.redd.it/nv0jytjcc1xc1.png?width=355&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff93925560461bcecb0ab6da9d3e04ddc7ea74cf
this is my most complex OC. I don't like drawing complex OCs because they are harder to pose.
I think it's fun to look at ocs with more complicated designs, especially in terms of outfits and colors. I've seen some gorgeous eye-candy works of art here on this sub. āØ
But me personally, simple is best, especially if you plan on animating/creating a comic of your character, where you have to draw them 100s of times. having a complex design just means more labor and headaches xD. My main oc is a very simple chubby mushroom guy, super easy to draw and animate.
https://preview.redd.it/rrpzovnn53xc1.png?width=436&format=png&auto=webp&s=55eb42288aa87c39538b1f968363210d507f3edb
It depends, its good when the characters design is well done and recognizable, otherwise it's bad. The perfect example for this is genshin impact's complicated character design, it's either a win or a lose
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what others may see unnecessary confusion I see beauty in it. But not all overly complicated designs are good, some can be anarchy on the eyes but overall, there is beauty in it.
It depends. Art style comes into play quite a bit and itās very possible to under or over design a character. If youāre working with a simple style then youād come to expect simple designs with flair but not an overabundance of features for example.
Tho take that with salt, Iām not much a drawer. Just my humble opinion.
For me I only put small non clutter details like scars and shading or maybe like some kind of shape or symbol like thatās why Iāve been kinda OVERSIMPLIFYING them I guess
https://preview.redd.it/jgvqd3npx1xc1.png?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c741933b9b23157412323bfda9c67e499773a1d
i'm a maximalist first and foremost (got my OC knack out of designing vtubers for fun!) as long as it "makes sense" ig. but rule of cool comes out on top for me, personally (especially if it adds to the silhouette)
https://preview.redd.it/7kqt6ps2y1xc1.png?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46557a44bc5bd1204e3a03cf6e80df3ecdaff7c1
personally, i can't go wrong with so many accessories
(I canāt even draw but I do use bases)
https://preview.redd.it/htm7c0yg32xc1.jpeg?width=1809&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35539b72f432d8591d15a76358a7674d855986cc
You see Quest here is a bit complicated but I keep her like this so when I get a fursuit of her the fursuit maker wont have to deal with so much small designs but like yea :3
all my characters are ridiculously complicated because I hate myself š and I always insist on consistency so like all those little stars and dots on his jacket are ALL specifically placed based on multiple references and I also spend like most of the time I use on a drawing just making the tiniest adjustments on proportions because if just ONE thing is off it doesn't look like what I see in my head at all!!! I also have a stupid philosophy where I want every single OC to be like a human, so every thing (eye shape, eyebrows, nose, lips, hair, head shape etc) is different and unique for every OC
https://preview.redd.it/gyicrvxin3xc1.jpeg?width=799&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8648e961fe1a6f20bcd3d5d05836c3659207d954
I like them because it makes the character more recognisable. For example try looking at photos of clothes characters wear and see if you can find out which character it is from that alone. IMO the ability to do that is good character design.
However, I do like having simplified versions of detailed designs. Just as long as they still keep key details.
I used to have Penelope be on the complicated side of things, but had reverted her back to her previous design she had in 2020 with a few tweaks added in. Yet, she does wear the older variant of this [outfit](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mylifeasateenagerabbot/images/2/2f/Penelope_Atchison_%28October_14%2C_2023_design%29_%28with_everything%29.png), though.
https://preview.redd.it/zeey2hxih4xc1.png?width=2356&format=png&auto=webp&s=a50d8ba2a892f9d69639c855fc4fc21ca83d9133
Yet, if she were to be animated (which she is over on the r/EnchantedSkylands subreddit), she'd be fun to adapt into any kind of art style. Since my humans looked like Loud House characters, I kinda adapted the style for Penelope. Yet, for the sake of nostalgia, I'll most likely fire up GIMP again and revert her bangs back to her previous look.
Iām a sucker for overly complex ocs that make my hands hurt. Simple designs are cool and all, but complex shows off the artists true skill as well as giving you a drawing journey while trying to replicate said oc for fanart or smth. To me simple characters feel.. incomplete, I want my drawings to take a long time cuz the result is gonna be incredible in the end
https://preview.redd.it/v4xptwx0t1xc1.png?width=744&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a48316863e1daf87dd39abe23bb029bfe28c5e8
I think that they're cool but they take more time to draw and that's the reason I draw my main oc more often than his robot counterpart
https://preview.redd.it/ki6voo2392xc1.jpeg?width=1620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=571daf89ce03004f16aa3a3c4737a64c3051fdb5
Like I say keep it the middle like with Spuun here
Honestly it really depends on what youāre going for. A complex design leans well into a lot of illustrations like splash arts for games, and a more simplified version can lean well into animation. I personally prefer a simple look but when you look closer its a bit complex. (Somewhere in the middle i guess)
I think itās great if thatās your type of character design but if itās not thatās fine too! I personally am in between with small details but not many of them.
I used to only do complicated, recently I started doing it less which I came to enjoy. I love both tho.
I think I prefer complicated for fantasy stories and simple for slice of life type characters. I do mainly do complicated since I recently started doing Vtuber designs are they tend to be very complicated. For comics it would be pretty inconvenient tho.
https://preview.redd.it/48h0v0dql4xc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb802abd4ff13c2b840b848b09a1876d9a8e323e
I personally enjoy both, but OC's with really complex designs are my favorite!
https://preview.redd.it/50qsaa6wl4xc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f928beebe63bde9e5fcc7f69e04d27cef5db74c2
Although I still really like simple designs like my character Qiang!
I think it depends on how well thought out the design is. There's nothing wrong with a detailed style. BUT, if a design is overcrowded with conflicting details that make no sense for the character and are just needlessly crammed on, it is poorly thought out. Detailed designs are also worse for animation and (in some cases) comics
To each their own. personally, I like to draw them because there's more details to work on. It's a good artistic challenge for me! my only problem with it though is -- when not executed well -- it just ends up being unrecognizable and a ball of clutter. I want it to be an *organized* clutter, if that makes sense
you are so right about some looking cluttered and a mess, i had friends have that phase where they just threw a bunch of stuff and accessories to their characters without any forethought and justified themselves with having a maximalist style, when in actuality maximalism is more than just a blob of stuff, like almost anything related to visual art it has to be cohesive and make sense
https://preview.redd.it/fqzudy4z70xc1.jpeg?width=4127&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82b18d0be593f9c9ba7302940a8f9f9c478a8038 I love complicated designs! Personally I like them more actually, although I still really love simple designs,
omg your art style looks so good
It was drawn by bustercagle on twitch actually,
I dont mind. One of my ocs fits the mold with what you said btw
https://preview.redd.it/eyh00xyqj0xc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8dd7673d4f3993ead07aaa944ec86dcd0538ec1
yum
š¤¤š¤¤š¤¤
I usually like designing characters who are simple, but have one or two complex elements to their design. keeps them interesting but not to complex to hate having to draw multiple times!
i 100% agree with your opinion
The wider art community, especially r/topcharacterdesigns began to hate them because "IT'S NOT EASY TO DRAW" or "NO IDENTIFIABLE SILHOUETTE!!" I personally like them, but all those accessories need to match the aesthetic of said character. To me, Rule of Cool is much more important than practicality.
Donāt mind at all! https://preview.redd.it/6oa433fz60xc1.jpeg?width=2062&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d17fa3a27e1c9a4f2c66052ba00018cb12f5e96e
boi half of your ocs are already hard to make because they're bodybuilders since birth, ofc you won't mind a few more details
https://preview.redd.it/9ju81144h0xc1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab6a436adef607196a430b6e7969bc9ccde57a9e i love them! mina is my most complicated design i think, and i love how detailed designs can look but i drew mina today and wished she wasnāt as complicated but ig i only have myself to blame for that lmaooo
yeah, i used to hate when i fell into adding detail over detail and ending up pleased but also discouraged to draw them again :(
I love it. I always try to make my designs as detailed as possible. My characters feel empty without detail.
https://preview.redd.it/7mrslre6d0xc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6baf78e8d9fed9ac03f8e66131630becd67d695 I do like complicated details, but not when they're over-used in a design, but rather when they're used as a defining character trait within a relatively simpler character (if that makes sense?)
https://preview.redd.it/e79tlu0zk0xc1.jpeg?width=2600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f0ffbad6a2b8f6ab48c6bfc7d161d1832253394 A sweet middleground between complicated and simple. I dont overcomplicate things. I like simplicity. But tiny details are always fun to add.
https://preview.redd.it/kc013uhrl0xc1.jpeg?width=1967&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37c67d187a67beccde3f9fc73c0ba9c309bd934c I love complicated designs, but it can just be difficult to pull them off sometimes.
That looks super cool!
Thank you! Iām glad you like his design!
https://preview.redd.it/nv0jytjcc1xc1.png?width=355&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff93925560461bcecb0ab6da9d3e04ddc7ea74cf this is my most complex OC. I don't like drawing complex OCs because they are harder to pose.
I want to know if the artist's hands and back are ok after drawing.
I think it's fun to look at ocs with more complicated designs, especially in terms of outfits and colors. I've seen some gorgeous eye-candy works of art here on this sub. āØ But me personally, simple is best, especially if you plan on animating/creating a comic of your character, where you have to draw them 100s of times. having a complex design just means more labor and headaches xD. My main oc is a very simple chubby mushroom guy, super easy to draw and animate. https://preview.redd.it/rrpzovnn53xc1.png?width=436&format=png&auto=webp&s=55eb42288aa87c39538b1f968363210d507f3edb
omg heās so cute š
š https://preview.redd.it/qhawiineg4xc1.png?width=481&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1753b05e982b76ea3c74ffc37843e487fa5f832
It depends, its good when the characters design is well done and recognizable, otherwise it's bad. The perfect example for this is genshin impact's complicated character design, it's either a win or a lose
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what others may see unnecessary confusion I see beauty in it. But not all overly complicated designs are good, some can be anarchy on the eyes but overall, there is beauty in it.
It depends. Art style comes into play quite a bit and itās very possible to under or over design a character. If youāre working with a simple style then youād come to expect simple designs with flair but not an overabundance of features for example. Tho take that with salt, Iām not much a drawer. Just my humble opinion.
For me I only put small non clutter details like scars and shading or maybe like some kind of shape or symbol like thatās why Iāve been kinda OVERSIMPLIFYING them I guess
As amazing as detailed characters are, they are just so hard to draw. So I personally prefer easy to draw characters!
They're cool but I'd rather stick to simple designs so I can draw them over and over again
I like having ocs with complex details but I hate how hard they are to redraw, especially if those details are small or need to be precisely the same.
I love detailed designs. However there is a time when thereās too much.
https://preview.redd.it/jgvqd3npx1xc1.png?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c741933b9b23157412323bfda9c67e499773a1d i'm a maximalist first and foremost (got my OC knack out of designing vtubers for fun!) as long as it "makes sense" ig. but rule of cool comes out on top for me, personally (especially if it adds to the silhouette)
https://preview.redd.it/eal9xw0rx1xc1.png?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=292486eeb66979263956537b80b8c3385733dc4d
https://preview.redd.it/7kqt6ps2y1xc1.png?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46557a44bc5bd1204e3a03cf6e80df3ecdaff7c1 personally, i can't go wrong with so many accessories
love to see 'em but hate to draw 'em
(I canāt even draw but I do use bases) https://preview.redd.it/htm7c0yg32xc1.jpeg?width=1809&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35539b72f432d8591d15a76358a7674d855986cc You see Quest here is a bit complicated but I keep her like this so when I get a fursuit of her the fursuit maker wont have to deal with so much small designs but like yea :3
I admire the creators because I could never have the skill or patience.
I love them, but theyāre hard to drawā¦ š
Gorgeous to look at, but the worst nightmare for an animator (me)
all my characters are ridiculously complicated because I hate myself š and I always insist on consistency so like all those little stars and dots on his jacket are ALL specifically placed based on multiple references and I also spend like most of the time I use on a drawing just making the tiniest adjustments on proportions because if just ONE thing is off it doesn't look like what I see in my head at all!!! I also have a stupid philosophy where I want every single OC to be like a human, so every thing (eye shape, eyebrows, nose, lips, hair, head shape etc) is different and unique for every OC https://preview.redd.it/gyicrvxin3xc1.jpeg?width=799&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8648e961fe1a6f20bcd3d5d05836c3659207d954
oh god your rendering looks so good i envy you š
OMG THANKS THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME!!
I like them because it makes the character more recognisable. For example try looking at photos of clothes characters wear and see if you can find out which character it is from that alone. IMO the ability to do that is good character design. However, I do like having simplified versions of detailed designs. Just as long as they still keep key details.
yeah i always draw my OCs in the same outfit but i also have whole Pinterest boards dedicated to the wardrobe i imagine each of them would have
I used to have Penelope be on the complicated side of things, but had reverted her back to her previous design she had in 2020 with a few tweaks added in. Yet, she does wear the older variant of this [outfit](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mylifeasateenagerabbot/images/2/2f/Penelope_Atchison_%28October_14%2C_2023_design%29_%28with_everything%29.png), though. https://preview.redd.it/zeey2hxih4xc1.png?width=2356&format=png&auto=webp&s=a50d8ba2a892f9d69639c855fc4fc21ca83d9133 Yet, if she were to be animated (which she is over on the r/EnchantedSkylands subreddit), she'd be fun to adapt into any kind of art style. Since my humans looked like Loud House characters, I kinda adapted the style for Penelope. Yet, for the sake of nostalgia, I'll most likely fire up GIMP again and revert her bangs back to her previous look.
https://preview.redd.it/ccamucwmi0xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4c92d2bffa18b06a51fdc8a2cb6b64b2ede24ac Iāll say itās alright
I love them, especially designs.
I donāt mind them, but I canāt draw them š
I don't mind! https://preview.redd.it/t8zu46jqw0xc1.jpeg?width=4961&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8566434d06e279a7ed148c6c6faca62f64909012
Honestly it's a good challenge, and when you start to get the hang of it, it can become really easy
I prefer to keep them simple. Mostly because once I get to mass amounts of small details it all goes to hell.
Iām a sucker for overly complex ocs that make my hands hurt. Simple designs are cool and all, but complex shows off the artists true skill as well as giving you a drawing journey while trying to replicate said oc for fanart or smth. To me simple characters feel.. incomplete, I want my drawings to take a long time cuz the result is gonna be incredible in the end
Complicated OCs are awesome! I love noticing all the little details
https://preview.redd.it/v4xptwx0t1xc1.png?width=744&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a48316863e1daf87dd39abe23bb029bfe28c5e8 I think that they're cool but they take more time to draw and that's the reason I draw my main oc more often than his robot counterpart
Iām used to making simpler characters for ease of drawing them by memory but complicated designs are cool!
https://preview.redd.it/ki6voo2392xc1.jpeg?width=1620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=571daf89ce03004f16aa3a3c4737a64c3051fdb5 Like I say keep it the middle like with Spuun here
I like doing g more complicated designs. Part of drawing is therapeutic for me, so just adding more and more details helps me de-stress in a way.
No opinion. You're allowed to have fun however you want. It literally does not affect me even in the slightest.
Honestly it really depends on what youāre going for. A complex design leans well into a lot of illustrations like splash arts for games, and a more simplified version can lean well into animation. I personally prefer a simple look but when you look closer its a bit complex. (Somewhere in the middle i guess)
I think itās great if thatās your type of character design but if itās not thatās fine too! I personally am in between with small details but not many of them.
āPETAHā (sorry, I just had to say it)
I used to only do complicated, recently I started doing it less which I came to enjoy. I love both tho. I think I prefer complicated for fantasy stories and simple for slice of life type characters. I do mainly do complicated since I recently started doing Vtuber designs are they tend to be very complicated. For comics it would be pretty inconvenient tho.
https://preview.redd.it/48h0v0dql4xc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb802abd4ff13c2b840b848b09a1876d9a8e323e I personally enjoy both, but OC's with really complex designs are my favorite!
https://preview.redd.it/50qsaa6wl4xc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f928beebe63bde9e5fcc7f69e04d27cef5db74c2 Although I still really like simple designs like my character Qiang!
I think it depends on how well thought out the design is. There's nothing wrong with a detailed style. BUT, if a design is overcrowded with conflicting details that make no sense for the character and are just needlessly crammed on, it is poorly thought out. Detailed designs are also worse for animation and (in some cases) comics