Character Designs~roughdrafts/narrowed down.Vote for faves?

[Wootmuffin]

Hello~

I'm new to this forum, but I am working on a game that I hope everyone will really enjoy. I'm already having a little trouble, though... I have my story, I have my characters all planned out, and I'm really pleased. But... why is drawing hair on male characters so HARD?

I've been doing a lot of experimenting, and need a bit of advice to help me create characters that are believable/match who they are (or are trying to be.)

Basic plot:

A month ago, Elle's older brother said he was going to a party... and he still hasn't come back. Other than a couple text messages, she hasn't heard a word from him and she's beginning to get worried. Eventually, the landlord shows up demanding that the rent be paid immediately and threatens her. With no money and with her brother missing in action- she has no choice but to start packing. Suddenly homeless, Elle is faced with the challenge of completing school, finding work-- as well as her good-for-nothing brother-- and struggling to survive.

Romanceable characters include:
(Though are subject to change)

- A popular boy who seems strangely shy, and a little sad despite a fabulously wealthy lifestyle and being at the top of everything he does. Sometimes it seems like he feels a bit guilty about something...
- A school nurse with a coarse personality who is the subject of a lot of rumors and seems to take really poor care of himself. He is also a terrible cook but always seems to make his own meals anyway because he can't really taste them.
- An artist who never stays in one place long. He has no home or family, and seems to be running away from something... he also flirts so much he doesn't seem to realize he's doing it!
- A delinquent boy who always seems to appear just in time to save the day, whether that was his intention or not... He doesn't seem to attend school or have a job, and disapears just as quickly as he appears. I plan to incorporate him into a "hidden" path.

I can't really say more about the characters without spoiling the story. Now.. I'm posting the character roughs I've compiled so far. Since these are doodles, the style is a little inconsistent... but you get the idea. The finalized characters will be way more polished than this.



^ These are the concept doodles I did for the "Prince/Popular Boy" character. I wanted him to look attractive and good natured but at the same time make it clear that he's a little sad and shy. I thought that the hairstyle covering one eye/hiding his face would be a good way to do that. Which do you prefer? I've narrowed the roughs down to these two styles. His character is rather sensitive, so I feel looking feminine would be fine.



^ These are the concept doodles I did for the nurse character... his hair is actually long in all pictures- he tucks it into his shirt while he's at school in a ponytail. He acts very calm and composed while at work, but a couple students have accused him of having a secretly sadistic streak. Which of these two do you prefer? Suggestions welcome!



^ Concept doodles for artist character. I've narrowed it down to these two roughs. He's a very cheerful and outgoing person, as well as a huge flirt. Please let me know which you like better and feel free to make suggestions as well, such as alternate hair or eye colors.



^ Concept doodle for the delinquent character. I am pretty satisfied with this this, so I'll be working off this sketch to finalize. I'm still open to suggestions if you have any, but I'll be posting a different thread when I start full body/outfit designs.

--

Now that I've narrowed it down, I'd appreciate it if you let me know which designs are your favorites to help me make the final selections for characters that are appealing. Don't forget that these are rough drafts and each design will be undergoing a lot of polishing!

Thank you very much for everyone who has given me advice and opinions already, and to those who will be doing so in the future. I really appreciate it!

-- Wootmuffin

[Arowana]

But... why is drawing hair on male characters so HARD?

Yeah, I agree! If you are looking for some more inspiration, maybe you should check out the Anime Characters Database? You can pick a gender, age, hair color/length, etc. and they will show example pictures from many different anime and games. It might be useful for coming up with new hairstyle ideas and stuff.

I'll give you my preferences among the sketches you have so far, but I'm sure other people will have different opinions. ^^;

MC - I don't mind the pink hair, personally. Haha, it would be funny if one of the guys was girlier than her!

Shy Prince - I really like this type of character haha. I think long hair on multiple characters is fine. They can wear it different ways - ponytail/braid vs. loose, spiky vs straight, shoulder-length vs. down the back, etc. I like the idea of the one eye showing - there are some examples of that here, too, if you want to see what other people have done. I actually think he is the girliest looking guy, if you are worried about that - if you want to switch up his hair, maybe you could make it a bit shorter or put it into a ponytail?

School Nurse - Oh hey, that kinda reminds me of the nurse from Love Revo. He also has grey hair, which is kind of similar to your first sketch. That sketch also kind of reminds me of the teacher character from the first Tokimeki Memorial GS game. (lol, stop me if you have no idea what I'm talking about) That said, I do like the grey-haired sketch better, both in terms of the colors and haircut. I'm not as much a fan of the bare forehead and the goatee in the second one, but that's just my personal preference.

Artist Guy - I like the first one with the dark purplish hair most. The streaks definitely fit with his personality. Perhaps an artist type would also like to accessorize a lot - you could try giving him earrings or small hair ties, a cool hat, or some sort of necklace/scarf?

Delinquent - I like the red-haired one best - it's much more striking. The delinquent image also makes me think of bandages, piercings, and scars, so you could try incorporating that into his design as well.

If you are designing outfits for the characters, that can also play a big part in conveying the types of traits you are going for (e.g. prince guy would dress more formally, artist would have on something stylish and trendy, etc.). So you don't have to rely just on the face and hair for showing what you want. ^_^

[Wootmuffin]

Thank you Arowana! Your comments and advice are really helpful. Thanks for linking the anime character database, I'd never heard of it before and I think it'll be just what I need to inspire some more original hair styles!

The "Shy Prince", as I have him planned now... will have a ponytail when he's in a more casual setting than school. Like so:

So far I've gotten the best feedback on this design, so I think that his design might not end up changing too much. Though it's early to say...

The school nurse one is difficult for me, I agree about the bare forehead and goatee- but was struggling with trying to make him look older (and kind of improper for a nurse. ) .. I'll definitely use the database to help me out with this guy. He's supposed to be a complex character. I don't know what Love Revo is, but I don't want people to think I copied so I'll be careful.

I haven't gotten to the "outfit planning" stage yet, I always start with the face and work my way down. I'll probably be playing with piercings and tats on the artist, I'd been planning on that. I didn't think of a hat, though! I'll doodle and see what I come up with!

I want to scar up the delinquent a bit, but it's hard to design scars that look cool that haven't been done before if you know what I mean.

[Arowana]

Ooh, I like the ponytail! I def have a soft spot for ponytails. Looks like I know who my favorite is going to be.

Oh, Love Revo is a Japanese otome game. It recently got translated, actually, if you want to play it. It has a bad boy school nurse who your character description kind of reminds me of. That's such a weird coincidence - you wouldn't think that's a common character type at all.

I want to scar up the delinquent a bit, but it's hard to design scars that look cool that haven't been done before if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I feel there are only certain places a scar will look stylish. xD You can try looking through these pictures, maybe.

[wingzofdarkness]

I actually think the male hairstyles are nicely designed. You don't seem to have a problem with that, but getting them to match their personality is, I agree, a different ptoblem. You should focus more on the way you draw the eyes and eyebrows, which in most of these cases you did. The best example is your delinquent with the red hair. It looks like a believeable troubled character because his eyes are shaped in a very "mocking" way(?) and his eyebrows are thick to give off the sense of power (because of how masculine it is; feminine would be thinner).

Your female main character is your freedom of choice. I don't have an opinon about her since I'm not exactly sure about her personality. The prince design is a little too feminine in my opinion. Maybe do above the shoulder instead with more layers?

For the adult nurse, his eyes are a little too big for a character of older age. It should be more narrow and his chin should be squared, not rounded. If you want, maybe I can help you with this if there is anything you need? =]

As for the artistic character, I love the first design. Hair half-colored is a great way to show "art" and "style" of a character. It really represents the character. Stick with this one! xD Lastly, the red-headed delinquent is probably the best character representation of that specific character.

I'm not sure if any of this was helpful, but if you would like more suggestions on other areas then please ask! ^^

[Wootmuffin]

@Arowana

Thanks again!

Too bad I don't have a DS, or I'd totally play that game! I have a PSP, but other than Hakuoki I havent seen any otome games for it. The website you linked for pictures has turned out being really useful for me, I've been browsing it for over an hour and definitely have a bit of inspiration.


@wingzofdarkness

I have a bad habit- I usually only draw women characters, and I think it shows. I'm definitely trying to expand my artistic horizons. If you're willing to help, I'm more than willing to take you up on it! I really am having a hard time with the school nurse character especially (especially now that I've heard a very similar character exists elsewhere... I thought I was creative!)

I want all the characters to be very different so that there's something for everyone... so I'm okay with one character being a bit too girly, so long as I balance him out and make sure no one else is.

[dhussey111]

wow amazing your are a pro.. which tool you are using man?

[Wootmuffin]

@dhussey111

Thanks for the compliment! I'm definitely not a pro, though- but it's definitely nice to hear! I use Photoshop CS4 and an Intuos4 tablet.

[Wootmuffin]

I'm thinking of adding another romance option, possibly a female character. If there's a type of character you would like to see, please speak up!

[dhussey111]

yes pleas make it fast

[wingzofdarkness]

Actually, you managed to make the nurse look older so I don't think you need my help. Good job!

Prince - I'm a little unsure about the Prince's new hairstyle because his face is turned sideways so I don't know what he looks like upfront. I like his straight hair so far.
Artist - You've got the hairstyle flair to reflect his artistic ability, but I don't think his eyes reflect of a womanizer. The first one looks soft-spoken and kind. The second one looks more spunky, and the last one is similar to the first. Which direction are you heading towards?
Delinquent - Hmm, if you like the first one better but think his hair is too tamed maybe you should try giving him more layers. Or perhaps give him some hair that flips out?

Thanks for taking my earlier suggestions and hopefully these can help too ^^

[Wootmuffin]

@dhussey111

Make what fast?

@wingzofdarkness

Thanks for your honesty!

The short blonde hairstyle for the prince is also supposed to hide one eye, but I'll doodle a forward-facing version of the hair so everyone can get a better idea. *updated picture*

I wanted to make the artist character "ultra friendly" AND a "womanizer", each time I give him womanizer eyes I feel like he looks evil. I guess I'll need to look up some examples to work with. I am definitely still working on him-- I know exactly what you're talking about.

My battle against hair continues! I'm really going outside my artistic "comfort zone" for this project, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end!

I'm glad I at least managed to make the nurse look older. Did you have a preference for any version I drew?

[Arowana]

Hello again! So I think I like the prince's original hair best so far, especially when it's in the ponytail. The short curly hair makes me think either cherubic shota or posh artsy type, for some reason. ^^; Though he does look like a rich guy, which is what you're going for.

For the nurse, I like the new picture on the far right, but maybe with the bangs on the first one. I'm a fan of the grey hair, purple eyes combo. <3

For the artsy guy, I like the haircut in the middle the best, though I'm not sure how I feel about the fluorescent green streaks on dark red hair. I kind of like the orange streaks on the first pic better, but maybe if they were brighter and more noticeable?

For the delinquent, I like the second pic's wilder hair, but maybe with the bangs of the first instead of being swept to the side? I also like the scar on the first one better. While I like the dark red hair with dark skin a lot, it kind of makes him look related to the artsy guy. Which could be an interesting twist haha.

[Wootmuffin]

Hello again, Arowana!

Looks like I might need to adjust my monitor because the artist sketch with the green hair is supposed to be brown and green not red and green (though that would be Christmas-ey!)

I think in my quest for unique hair, I might be going a little too bizarre... but I'm worried that my characters will look too generic. I almost fell into the trap of "the doctor with black hair and glasses" trap... there are WAY too many of those. lol

The artist and delinquent aren't related... I was just trying to make it so that there are a range of races. But, when you pointed that out... I could see what you meant. Maybe I should change up his hair color, since even his eyes are similar in color to the artist...

Too many games seem to feature an "All white" cast, so I was trying to mix it up a bit. I plan to add another romantic option but haven't decided what type of character they will be yet. I'm open to suggestions on that front.

[Arowana]

Looks like I might need to adjust my monitor because the artist sketch with the green hair is supposed to be brown and green not red and green (though that would be Christmas-ey!)

Whoa, that's a huge difference! I wonder if I'm seeing all your other colors differently as well.

I almost fell into the trap of "the doctor with black hair and glasses" trap... there are WAY too many of those. lol

Haha, yes! And they are usually the cold, smart, efficient type, too.

The artist and delinquent aren't related... I was just trying to make it so that there are a range of races. But, when you pointed that out... I could see what you meant. Maybe I should change up his hair color, since even his eyes are similar in color to the artist...
Too many games seem to feature an "All white" cast, so I was trying to mix it up a bit.

Yeah, I agree. Dark skin looks nice, too, imo, so I wish people would use it more often. I think you could keep the dark skin on both guys, as long as you changed the hair and eye colors.

I plan to add another romantic option but haven't decided what type of character they will be yet. I'm open to suggestions on that front.

Wow, five character routes? That seems like a lot to me, especially if this if your first game. But if you can do it, then by all means.

If I had to pick another character...hmm...maybe your older brother's cool best friend who's seen you as a little sister until now? ;p Or your supportive best friend who is always there to help you out? Or maybe the smart, serious type with a nerdy hobby? Or if it's a girl, maybe a tomboyish type to contrast with the more feminine protagonist? Heh, I have no idea - is there any special function you need them to fulfill in the plot or in their interactions with other characters?