s artists, we have a tendency to stick to what we like. Certain character features (particularly in the face), often look the same from character to character. This is a problem, and it is known as same face syndrome. It is when the artist doesn’t know how to break from the norm and create individual characters that are diverse. This is something all artists (beginners and pros alike) face at some point in their lives.
Often times this issue occurs because an artist is feeling uninspired or is just plain lazy. Now the last part I can’t do nothing about (other than say get your butt in gear). But, for the former, well, I have a two tips to bring variety to your creations.
If you’re not using photo references, you’re not doing it right. ;) Photos are an excellent way to gather information of anatomy.
Unless someone is a twin, triplet, etc. no two human faces are really alike.
Although it can be exhilarating to create something purely from the imagination, this takes an extreme amount of time (and talent) to pull off. Even if you pull it off successfully once, or a hundred times, I can guarantee that each time (especially for beginners) it will be difficult. You may even find yourself duplicating what you see from your previous drawings, or from a reference anyway.
Either way, I suggest to gather a plethora of photo resources. Make them range from head, eye, ear, mouth, eyebrow and nose shape. Find photos that have different hair styles. Gather images of photos that showcases people with strong or not so strong jaw lines. Take a deeper look at the natural blemishes and such of a person’s skin. Do they have eye wrinkles? What about freckles and moles? Gathering these materials will be important for creating your unique character.
But don’t just stop at photos of real people. Broaden your horizons by finding images of animals or even plants (mythical or otherwise as well). You can create a really funky look this way. Maybe you fancy a human lion with gazelle ears? Perhaps your creature is part rose and part leopard? Don’t be afraid to explore and break boundaries.
Although it can be exhilarating to create something purely from the imagination, this takes an extreme amount of time to pull off. Even if you pull it off successfully once, or a hundred times, I can My second tip is to create a character profile. Writers use these all the time to fill in information about their main and secondary characters. However, writers are not the only ones that can benefit from this, artists can as well.
Character profiles are a great way of establishing the many characteristics of who you are trying to create.
When you think about the various attributes of something, it allows you to create something different and interesting.There are various types of things to consider when creating your character profile.
Consider the following basic info:
You can even get even more granular, especially if you’re a fantasy character artist like myself.
Consider these types of attributes:
I could go on, but I think you get the gist. You don’t have write down a character profile every time you want to create something. As you grow as an artist, these things become second nature to you for your own works. If you’re stuck on something, writing something down can be quite helpful, and the more character profiles you have, the more you can compare & contrast them. This helps ensure that you’re not creating the same thing twice.
Continue to push yourself and you will be creating your own unique characters in no time at all.
Age: 28
Weapons: Sword & Shield
Fighting Style: Tank
Class: Dark Knight
Personality: Tough and in your face, he bellows and rushes forward into battle. He is stern and rules with an iron fist. If his shield doesn’t break you, his sword will. Despite his tough exterior, he does have a small soft spot….just don’t mention that too him...
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