Original Animal Character Creation Tutorial
CCL present and accounted for and she brings with her a tutorial over how to make a memorable character. This is not a manual that you have to follow, do not mistake the purpose of this, it's just to bring to light all the basic features a well-rounded character usually has.
As per usual any suggestions or questions are welcomed! Just post below c:
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Overview:
Getting the Idea
-Species
-Age
-Crests for getting animals
-Make a Hybrid
-Name
Designing Physically
-Use linearts
-Color Scheme
-Distinguishing Features
Designing Mentally/Personality
-Background
-Personality
-Goals/Ambitions
-Have Pros and Cons
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Getting the Idea
Before even starting on a biography, markings, or any of the fun stuff, a basic game plan can make your life easier in the long run. Being you already have an idea of what you want the outcome to be and the character turns out better. c:
-SpeciesProbably the most important part of beginning to make your character is deciding on what type of animal you want. The deciding factor can be based on personal preference or be dictated by the restrictions of an organization you may want to join.
Whatever it may be, I stress the importance of singling in on one certain species, for example:
If you were to just say that your character is a dog and were to ask someone to draw it they would not be able to draw exactly what you would be expecting. Reason being is that there are different kinds of dogs and you may be expecting a King Charles Spaniel but they give you a Great Dane.
If you are having trouble picking an animal then below are two extra resources to help you out c:
-Use Coat of Arms Animal SymbolismOne way of finding a suitable animal is to look at the animals used in making a Coat of Arms (what knights would have on their shields/a family 'icon')
Click here for a good websiteSo let's say you want an animal that would respect authority, after searching for a while you would find on that page that
a ram does exactly this.
-Make a HybridDo you have a couple of favorite animals? Did you find two animals that have the perfect symbolism but cannot choose between them?
Then make a hybrid!
For instance, I like sheep and cats. So I made Darcy, a Jacob's Sheep mixed with a Golden Asian Cat so it has features like a feline jawset (teeth), sideways eye slits and a tail with longer fur.
Of course this is more of a fantasy hybrid being this could never happen in real life, but this is the Internet so such mortal things do not apply.
-NameAll characters need a name, of course. But do not just slap a name onto your character and expect it to stick. Sometimes you should wait until the perfect name just pops in your head and you just cannot help but to associate it with that character.
Edit, Moonai's suggestion:
The character should have a name that fit with the character's appearance, personality, maybe even their "clan" or group or something, even where they live.
-AgeIs your character really young? Old? Stuck forever as a fawn?
Age can be displayed as in human years or 'animal' years. Warning though for animal years:
20 human years is very young
20 canine years is pretty stinking old
Make sure to try and figure out an appropriate age, you can always just use terms like: "Hatchling, Puppy, Kitten etc." if you are really uncertain.
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Designing Physically
The design of a character is something that make you stand out from the group or blend right in. Of course it is all up to your personal taste, but having a design that pops out when someone sees it can be beneficial. For instance, someone thinks your character is cute and draws you a gift art or maybe the design influences them to start roleplaying with you. :3 (Results not typical)
For instance, just off the top of my head I can think of three people's characters just because their designs stand out to me:
-Use lineartsAfter deciding on a species, look up lineart for it and start designing. Even better would be you doodling your character yourself, being that if the lineart has shorter legs because that's just how the artist drew them, then you might just give the character those short legs *le gasp*
Remember that you must credit lineart artists if you upload the picture somewhere and some linearts are not free-to-use.
-Color SchemeAfter you figure out what kind of markings you would want then comes what color they should be. There are many routes to take when it comes to colors,
using the same color but different shades,
basic black and white,
darker colors with bright, bold markings. The possibilities are endless.
Having trouble? Try looking up
color schemes or look here c:
If making a realistic character then sticking to neutral colors will help accomplish this, while sticking to the other colors for a fantasy character.
NOTE: If you are making an Arctic Wolf (for instance) it would only make sense for the base coat to be well... white.
-Distinguishing FeaturesDoes your character have a scar? Wear a hat? Have a spike bracelet?
While designing a character there is usually something that sets them apart, your wolf may just be a plain grey with black eyes, but he wears a rainbow scarf wherever he goes. That scarf is what makes that character unique, yes other people may have scarves on their black wolfs but probably not enough for you to just blend in.
As with everything else, if doing a realistic character you may have to resort to scarring, bald areas on their pelt, maybe they are missing some feathers on their right wing.
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Designing Mentally/Personality
Now that we have a image of what the character looks like we need to figure out it's mindset and history.
I've searched through the biography section of the forum and found a few characters that I liked, personally. Judged on all the topics covered below. c:
These are Arokai Examples, I need to update this for FH. Sorry.
-BackgroundThis is where you will tell everyone where this character came from, its origins.
NOTE: If your character has scars this is where you should tell how they got them, or skip over that if it's something that you want people to discover through roleplay.
-PersonalityHow does this character act? Are they mean to everyone and only nice to one special person? Do they have a problem with a certain species because of something in their past?
The character could be mean because of a rough past, or maybe that rough past is what has made them a sweetheart that will fight for others.
-Goals/AmbitionsThis should compliment both the personality and background, as in:
If Sparky was adopted from the pound and into a good home, and Sparky is a sweet dog that loves everything then we can safely assume that his goal in life is not to destroy the world.
-Have Pros and ConsA character needs to be balanced, just like in real life how we all have flaws, your character needs them too.
Example:Marco is a very strong dog, he can lift anything and run as long as he wants. If Marco dies then he is just so strong that he arm wrestles death and wins, so he cannot die.
^ This is a bad example.
Decent example:Marco is a very strong dog, he can do almost anything but he tires out quickly, when running he can sprint in small bursts.
Pretty much for every strong point of a character there needs to be a weak one.
If you character is smart then maybe they have bad social skills because they cannot understand how to empathize with others.
