Uh yeah there is, 1 of the 12 principles of animation is "appeal". If the design doesn't appeal to the audience then it's not good design.
"It's the Nutsack" and "Food Fight" are good example of bad character design, along with bad animation.
Edit: I meant "It's the Nutshack", but I'm leaving the original for the lol.
There is something about the character that matters that they did well here, which is to make recognizable shapes and silhouettes for each character. The animation is important, but the way it is animated kind of relys on this.
The only two that seem 'samey' are 1 and 4, and that's only because of mildly similar silloughettes.
You're gonna hate yourself for giving 12 those long flappy sleeves, though.
https://preview.redd.it/rny637j5yd2d1.png?width=366&format=png&auto=webp&s=014e1d7187d1a353b65b75442c55f8eb442850e6
okay okay, their *noses* are different, but otherwise they can literally be twins
I definitely see where this is coming and ive already decided to make a few changes to the 1st character's hair, but the poses are supposed to be the same here because this picture is just a height reference sheet. I appreciate you pointing out how these 3 characters are very alike tho, i really need to get better at drawing distinct hair styles. Thanks!
Blue dress girl has strange height proportions
The two kids (or gnomes, the small ones) have a distinct style from everyone else. So long as that is consistent you're totally good. Like the Canadians in South Park- they just look different! Kids here look different!
The tiny kids arent really important and im just gonna use them for gags and stuff honestly. Also yeah thanks for pointing out the proportions thing! I might make her legs a bit more thick or make her taller eventually. Thank you!
they look really good at first glance, the quality of your animation will depend on how much you break them down. the more individiual layers you animate, the better it will look. for instance, the dude with green glasses: I'd break him down to hair back, hair front, glasses, eyes, mouth, head, shirt, torso, arms, hands, shorts, socks, legs, feet, shoes, etc. animate every single one of them according to his character. Is he shy? Is he an introvert? Is he super smart but deadly afraid to share? Project his character to each and every layer.
You'll know you did right when he makes you laugh.
They're certainly appealing, and I would probably enjoy animating them. Character designs can't really be judged in a vacuum, though. It depends on what the goal is for them. Are they part of the same production? What medium is going to be used?
Apart from those caveats, I'd say yes, they look great. The little ones and the girl in the dress seem a bit out of the style of the other characters, but not egregiously so. The girl in green's color choices are quite different than the rest of the cast -- muted and cool compared to the saturated colors and warm skin tones of the other characters. But I can certainly imagine a cartoon having that breadth of character design.
Man everyone is making me sound like a dick but they all look like they come from different shows from one another, and I like the silouhetting but some characters have way more personnalities than others
You got midget goth mime and demon baghead and then just people in plain clothes, and even just between the plain characters the bottom very right character looks totally different than all the others, idk it looks weird to me
I feel like some characters are either overdesigned or underdesigned, they don’t look like they come from the same show
Billy and Mandy is a good exemple of mixing paranormal and normal characters while remaining consistent, but this isn’t it in my opinion
Of course it’s just nitpicking, they are still well drawn, though they do look very generic at times (almost half of them are just some normal guy in normal clothes) but maybe they have more synergy in the actual pilot
None of the characters are paranormal, they are just weirdos, but i agree with you. Im already redesigning a few of the characters and giving them more personalities, mainly the guy in the yellow shirt and the girl next to him, but thank you for the advice!
I think they are great in general.
Some hair silhouettes follow the same lines.
You could fill all your characters in with black to check this.
I feel 1, 4 and 9 have similair hairstyles.
Give 1 a bit more of an exagerated Conan curl.
If you make 4s hoodie a bit puffier in his neck his silhoutte might be more distinct.
From an animation production standpoint, presuming 2D rigs: avoid placing textures at joints.
- The striped socks on the artist-goth-clown will look bad when they bend their knees, because the stripes are right on the knee. I think thicker stripes will fix it, so that one stripe covers the entire bending motion of the knee.
- the amount of bandaids/stickers on the pink dress girl might cause trouble as well (her scraped knees are fine)
- the shoulder patch on the hoodie boy might have to be a little lower, not sure. Like imagine him lifting his arms straight up, migh cause extra work to make the patch look good because all the folds are at the shoulder
I forgot to mention in my post but im not gonna use rigs, its gonna be frame by frame traditional animation. But i appreciate the advices! The second one specially. The stickers on that girl will change every episode; its not a static design and its just a little trait of her personality (She puts a sticker on herself for every fight she wins and they eventually fall off) but i might reduce the amount.
Thank you for the advice tho, i think ill actually lower the shoulder patch a bit on the hoodie boy :]
I love these designs. They feel distinct enough from each other with different silhouettes, colors and shapes, while still feeling coherent with each other as they all feel like they fit the same art style. This looks great in my opinion.
Goated ngl
Nostalgic too
I'm brought back to my childhood now
I feel enlightened
I don't want to return to myself in present form now
It's just👌👌👌👌👌👌🗿📈📈📈📈📈
So far im thinking of calling it "Downhill Springs" (named after the town where these characters live), but there is a small chance ill change it after the pilot is finished.
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Idk if you're keeping the white outline on the left side or if that's just for this picture, but I think that works really well. It's new and fresh. Very good characters also. Have fun animating!
The character second to last in the first row might be a little annoying to draw over and over due to the many little elements on their arms, but otherwise they’re all great, and if you think you can make it work then I don’t see any problem
I love them!! Amazing, though The shape language Gets repetitive. Thats a Bit of a nitpick and More a personal opinion though. I love The little box Guy!!! Hes adorable
It truly depends on the show itself, all characters have their way to fit in their story. They are charming, but I feel some of them will look weird running or walking. I would make the legs thinner in n. 6 and 7 or separate each other in n. 3, 4 and 5. They have to be longer in n. 2, if you compare it with the others its skirt starts where there should be the pubis, a normal skirt starts near the belly. I would vary their postures, some of them (n. 3, 4, 5 and 6) seem following one straight line with their spine. Overall the second line has the best designs and you should start from those to correct the other.
In the first line they all look similar because you changed their colors and heads, but they all have similar body shapes. For example n. 5 is identical to n. 4. You can change that by asking yourself what you want to convey with the design. She looks stout but not as stout as n. 10, rather than making her a little bit thinner ask yourself why she is stout. If she's athletic she should be taller, have stronger harm, comfier and airier dresses. If she's stout because she's well fed she must have wealthy and attentive parents too. So she would have bigger cheeks they have pinched them for all her childhood, more cured hairs, richer dresses, a bigger belly. She would stand more often with her hand behind her back to hide something, so she would push her pelvis forward and her chest backwards, and her feet would be way thinner than her thighs as they should convey the idea of an unbalanced pose, and they would not be made for running.
These are great. They all clearly belong within the same universe and you can tell so much about them just by the design. It's very reminiscent of the old cartoon network style is what I got at first glance. Great job
looks really cool but i personally dont enjoy this steven universe like style. in cartoon perspective they don't look quirky enough to hook me in they look normal.
Okay: I'm going to be the smart-ass: Do you have any 👉voice-actors👈 in mind??
I seem to recall that back in the early days of cartoons, the voices of the characters were the first priority of the animators/directors.
Sóóó... wassup ???
Kudos, you are far better informed than I had expected. BTW I'm not implying that every single character needs its own "professional" voice-actor. Because "Back in the days," a voice actor would do several characters.
So maybee you could also have fun experimenting/collaborating with amateurs who own home studios? Try some voice distortions?
Yes. But I'll say that style is half the battle with animation. Plot and character is the other half. There's so many animated shows I can't stand because the writing is awful even though I like the animation. Good luck.
I do kinda agree with you on them being a tad plain.
Hm.
My first reaction was "make some of them way wider and play with proportions more" but that would change the visual style a lot.
One thing you could do is try to add patterns or textures inside of the characters clothing. Like plaid or corduroy. You can use the flat colors as masks and add the textures inside them. They won't move with the characters, so it'll be a very graphic look, but it could add some visual interest without increasing your workload a lot.
In general tho, it's not that bad. If your background characters have more proportional variety, these characters will stand out better. I think the only change I would make is to change either orange shirt guy or yellow shirt guy. Their shapes and vibes are _very_ similar. Switch one of them up and then all of the characters should look sufficiently different from each other.
Thanks for the advice!! Ive already changed the orange kid's hair a bit and i might completely redesign the yellow shirt one. They definitely have way too simple silhouettes
For a single animator they're probably the right level of complexity. They all have different colour schemes and unique silhouettes which is great.
I'm trying to see what you mean by plain but the only thing I can really put my finger on maybe you're playing it too safe with the proportions and the hair styles could be a bit more unique.
Some of them are strange enough in shape to not look similar to others at all, and the more normal ones look enough different between them to be differentiated by color, head shape, facial features, etc.
Note also that there are shows that having way more similar looking characters (South Park for example), still work. Take into account that animation (how they move), script (how they behave and act) and dialogue (how they talk) will also play a role in reinforcing the differences between characters.
They're a little bland to be honest, other than the paper bag character they don't have easy to interpret style hallmarks, funky jewelry, a notebook covered in stickers, a weird hat, just something to differentiate them more
It doesn't have to be super over designed and add ages to your animating, but it helps develop character and make their personalities more visual
Cause currently they look kind of like a lot of other low budget animated shows that exist already and if you're trying to make an indie piece that stands out and is memorable, you need memorable characters
Imma be honest: lots of them are not my style. I don’t like the whole thing where you make the head super unique and recognizable and the body is just kinda…basic. I think the bodies should get some more love in my personal opinion. These still work great for animation tho,
the shape language is really well done, the simplicity is nice, and lots of the colour schemes are pretty good!
Edit: I didn’t read the thing you wrote below the post, glad to know we both see the “plainness”, and that it isn’t just me. I think some work pretty great, I like making simple yet not basic designs, so I think every character should have their own “thing” that isn’t on their their head to fit the shape language and stuff. Like the bottom right tall girl with the long sleeves, her “thing” would be, she’s tall with long sleeves. That’s just one example, I would apply it to some of the male characters, cuz the bodies of them look particularly…boring, no offence. It’s a way to spice up the design, make it more interesting. But they all do look fairly distinct so you don’t need to, I’m just saying how I would do it.
OK! I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THIS KIND OF ART STYLE, I've said the same thing in another comment, but yk what? I'm free, so I'm gonna guess and describe each character's personality, (I've watched too many cartoons when I was a child)
I'm gonna go from left to right, then when I reach the end, I'm gonna start from the left in the second row.
1. This is the main character, he is really average and normal compared to everyone else here, he finds them all strange, kind of socially awkward.
2. A person who is scared of others, they try to hide their face with these masks.
3. An absolute science nerd, lab rat.
4. An overly active character who is a friend of the main character, he likes to eat so much.
5. An angry girl who has gone through so much, she's some sort of artist, maybe an athlete.
6. Twin of 7, really naughty compared to 7.
7. A kid who likes comics, cartoons or smth fictional like that, who thinks he has powers.
8. An introvert that looks really smart, but doesn't talk much with anyone because he is better than everyone else, because everyone else is too childish
9. An emo girl.
10. A really happy girl who loves socializing, but kinda shy mostly. Though people find her creepy.
11. A mentally ill girl.
Oh I see. True that he also looks normal compared to others. But I thought he was filled with way too much energy and happiness to be the main character lol, just because most cartoons have characters like that as side characters... But very well, good luck on your animation!
The two toddlers look like they would be animated 2x faster than the other characters and not adhere to laws of physics other characters are bound by. Like Mr. Frog from Smiling Friends.
Number 1 looks kinda basic compared to the rest imo and the two tiny kids don’t seem to fit with the rest but they work nonetheless. Pls tell me 4 and 5 are siblings? What are all of their names?
First row is solid, but the two babies on the second row can be workshopped a bit better. They don't fit well into the style with the rest of the characters.
I love this art style! Maybe it's cause I watched too many cartoons in my childhood... But this one's looking absolutely great. I'm literally trying to learn this style.
They're great! I think redhead girl's bandages/tattoos are maybe too detailed and likely to cause more headache than they're worth, animation-wise. I think one or two big bandages in bright colors would get the same message across. It just looks like the type of detail you see cut or simplified in season 2.
They look pretty tight! I’d be interested in seeing these characters animated. I’m not sure you intend for them all to exist in the same world, but the girl in the bottom middle doesn’t quite feel like she’s in quite the same style as the others. But she’s still a nice design.
They’re cute! I would recommend you look into using shape language. One of the best character design tips I learned in animation school. The more exaggerated the shape language the better :
https://www.waltdisney.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/T%26T_ShapeLang_v9.pdf
I think they're all good but I feel like I would dislike the 1st one as a charcter. Hard to quantify why, very bland, a little posh. I think he would make a great nemesis for a main character though if you made him a little smarmy, conniving
I really like them!! I would probably suggest slightly modifying the design for 1 or 4 because their silhouettes are quite similar, other than that I think they're perfect :)
The more simple and fewer details a character needs to stay on model, the easier it is to animate them. While I'll say these designs are good for animating, it would also benefit.you.to lean into a particular detail on each character relevant to their characterization. Some of your designs tend to the plain side I recommend making them pop with a contrasting background. They are low maintenance and helps keep the viewer's attention on the character.
These are literally all the youthful characters I have seen in animation. The only thing missing is the trio of the skinny protagonist, his chubby best friend and his love interest.
these are really good and varied designs. i really can't say if they can be simplified any further, or if they should be made more complex. i think they sit at a really good point between unique and recognizable but simple enough to draw. all i can point out to improve in regards to animation: what is the least number of a detail you can possibly get away with? do you really want to draw four leaves on the antlers when you could only draw one? or five arm bandages when you could draw two? or two stains on clothes when you could only draw one?
these look really cute and kind of quirky. they sort of remind me of the old school cn with a bit of a ed edd n eddy feel to it. imo, this is a good character design.
I would really lean into the more distinctive designs, both in terms of silhouettes but also massively in the outfits and colours. Paper bag head, purple girl, bow in the hair, and the toddlers (cute kids are always lovable) instantly give the impression that they have a distinct and interesting story/personality to them. The rest of the characters communicate a clear style and the to vary it, but seem more like extras/less important characters that might pop up in an episode to aid plot progression etc. This is just my opinion but I think the more you lean into the heavy distinctiveness, the more viewers will feel intrigued towards a characters story/personality. Love it all though!
https://preview.redd.it/xwgvxnnsnk2d1.png?width=212&format=png&auto=webp&s=de2ddf6d9fbfee54db74d8fc1619e5848026f173
This one might give a bit of trouble due to the physics of the clothes
https://preview.redd.it/8h1xsd4cok2d1.jpeg?width=1589&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9083d685a22287e94843562e1fc78c00150a1f91
How OP looked making these masterpieces
I love it! They all have clearly defined characteristics throw their design and they seem like they’ll be relatively easier to animate than other illustrations.
Kudos to you! Keep us posted on how this comes along!
Yes they're great! They follow a very clear style. I love em
https://preview.redd.it/9w6515bo6a2d1.jpeg?width=494&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b417d1ca1516b0706b24794e638c6973f31c9853
The only correct answer, there's no such thing as a bad character for an animation, it's how you animate it that matters!!
There is absolutely such a thing. Otherwise how could there be good designs?
Uh yeah there is, 1 of the 12 principles of animation is "appeal". If the design doesn't appeal to the audience then it's not good design. "It's the Nutsack" and "Food Fight" are good example of bad character design, along with bad animation. Edit: I meant "It's the Nutshack", but I'm leaving the original for the lol.
Nutshack. Losing that H makes it a very different show...
There is something about the character that matters that they did well here, which is to make recognizable shapes and silhouettes for each character. The animation is important, but the way it is animated kind of relys on this.
I like it! I saw someone using coloured lines, you could try too (to look ghosty :3)
The only two that seem 'samey' are 1 and 4, and that's only because of mildly similar silloughettes. You're gonna hate yourself for giving 12 those long flappy sleeves, though.
Idk, the sleeves could act as noodle arms with non-realistic physics, it depends on the animation style
You're not an animator if you don't make things that you'll regret starting later
I love the flappy sleeves. More fun than drawing fingers
Very distinct silhouettes and colors. Nice work.
very https://preview.redd.it/nh9pioaxsd2d1.png?width=417&format=png&auto=webp&s=725fbb35720c1d59366030bb068647cccb215a5c
very good and distinct poses https://preview.redd.it/4m1n4cmmud2d1.png?width=129&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e4e12f79b24201543354b348d9f90af877ef5e7
https://preview.redd.it/rny637j5yd2d1.png?width=366&format=png&auto=webp&s=014e1d7187d1a353b65b75442c55f8eb442850e6 okay okay, their *noses* are different, but otherwise they can literally be twins
I definitely see where this is coming and ive already decided to make a few changes to the 1st character's hair, but the poses are supposed to be the same here because this picture is just a height reference sheet. I appreciate you pointing out how these 3 characters are very alike tho, i really need to get better at drawing distinct hair styles. Thanks!
Throw a hat on one of em
I feel like you're trying to make a point, but I'm not sure how giving the character a head transplant and some hair dye makes it.
Yeah except their noses, mouth, ear size, eye shape, hairstyle, skin, clothes, head shape, personality, they're same!
Right? Definitely not twins.
*edits one of the characters to look exactly like another character* "Wow he looks exactly like the other character"
I think they look a bit generic
I agree
Nah they're great, you can imagine a unique personality just by looking at each one
yes the designs are very unique
Blue dress girl has strange height proportions The two kids (or gnomes, the small ones) have a distinct style from everyone else. So long as that is consistent you're totally good. Like the Canadians in South Park- they just look different! Kids here look different!
The tiny kids arent really important and im just gonna use them for gags and stuff honestly. Also yeah thanks for pointing out the proportions thing! I might make her legs a bit more thick or make her taller eventually. Thank you!
I love how these guys show off so much just based off of first design, they are amazing
It's so cool This style reminds me of Steven Universe
they look really good at first glance, the quality of your animation will depend on how much you break them down. the more individiual layers you animate, the better it will look. for instance, the dude with green glasses: I'd break him down to hair back, hair front, glasses, eyes, mouth, head, shirt, torso, arms, hands, shorts, socks, legs, feet, shoes, etc. animate every single one of them according to his character. Is he shy? Is he an introvert? Is he super smart but deadly afraid to share? Project his character to each and every layer. You'll know you did right when he makes you laugh.
They're certainly appealing, and I would probably enjoy animating them. Character designs can't really be judged in a vacuum, though. It depends on what the goal is for them. Are they part of the same production? What medium is going to be used? Apart from those caveats, I'd say yes, they look great. The little ones and the girl in the dress seem a bit out of the style of the other characters, but not egregiously so. The girl in green's color choices are quite different than the rest of the cast -- muted and cool compared to the saturated colors and warm skin tones of the other characters. But I can certainly imagine a cartoon having that breadth of character design.
They look like they have a lot of potential to make a good show, like eddsworld but with more carachters
Very epic https://preview.redd.it/mzhgiaypfb2d1.jpeg?width=1575&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae09e4d084814b360bd2501ff968417989e7de56
Man everyone is making me sound like a dick but they all look like they come from different shows from one another, and I like the silouhetting but some characters have way more personnalities than others You got midget goth mime and demon baghead and then just people in plain clothes, and even just between the plain characters the bottom very right character looks totally different than all the others, idk it looks weird to me I feel like some characters are either overdesigned or underdesigned, they don’t look like they come from the same show Billy and Mandy is a good exemple of mixing paranormal and normal characters while remaining consistent, but this isn’t it in my opinion Of course it’s just nitpicking, they are still well drawn, though they do look very generic at times (almost half of them are just some normal guy in normal clothes) but maybe they have more synergy in the actual pilot
None of the characters are paranormal, they are just weirdos, but i agree with you. Im already redesigning a few of the characters and giving them more personalities, mainly the guy in the yellow shirt and the girl next to him, but thank you for the advice!
I think they are great in general. Some hair silhouettes follow the same lines. You could fill all your characters in with black to check this. I feel 1, 4 and 9 have similair hairstyles. Give 1 a bit more of an exagerated Conan curl. If you make 4s hoodie a bit puffier in his neck his silhoutte might be more distinct.
From an animation production standpoint, presuming 2D rigs: avoid placing textures at joints. - The striped socks on the artist-goth-clown will look bad when they bend their knees, because the stripes are right on the knee. I think thicker stripes will fix it, so that one stripe covers the entire bending motion of the knee. - the amount of bandaids/stickers on the pink dress girl might cause trouble as well (her scraped knees are fine) - the shoulder patch on the hoodie boy might have to be a little lower, not sure. Like imagine him lifting his arms straight up, migh cause extra work to make the patch look good because all the folds are at the shoulder
I forgot to mention in my post but im not gonna use rigs, its gonna be frame by frame traditional animation. But i appreciate the advices! The second one specially. The stickers on that girl will change every episode; its not a static design and its just a little trait of her personality (She puts a sticker on herself for every fight she wins and they eventually fall off) but i might reduce the amount. Thank you for the advice tho, i think ill actually lower the shoulder patch a bit on the hoodie boy :]
Totally agree that it's a very good idea, good luck with your project! ✨❤️🔥
Looks really nice and consistent!
They follow a very clear and lovely style. I think they’re perfect! They all have a clear personality in their style. I love it!
I need the last girl’s fit so bad, especially the bow, I need that bow
I love these designs! What is it called?
Atm the name of the pilot will be Downhill Springs but its not official yet!
I love these designs. They feel distinct enough from each other with different silhouettes, colors and shapes, while still feeling coherent with each other as they all feel like they fit the same art style. This looks great in my opinion.
They look great. The purple one on the top right is a mood
Goated ngl Nostalgic too I'm brought back to my childhood now I feel enlightened I don't want to return to myself in present form now It's just👌👌👌👌👌👌🗿📈📈📈📈📈
I LOVE the bag creature edit: forgot to include this but what will the pilot be called?
So far im thinking of calling it "Downhill Springs" (named after the town where these characters live), but there is a small chance ill change it after the pilot is finished.
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Idk if you're keeping the white outline on the left side or if that's just for this picture, but I think that works really well. It's new and fresh. Very good characters also. Have fun animating!
The character second to last in the first row might be a little annoying to draw over and over due to the many little elements on their arms, but otherwise they’re all great, and if you think you can make it work then I don’t see any problem
I love them!! Amazing, though The shape language Gets repetitive. Thats a Bit of a nitpick and More a personal opinion though. I love The little box Guy!!! Hes adorable
I like the silhouettes. The bag head and bottom right look the most interesting to me. Where can we watch this when it's done?
Ill post it on youtube, but it will take me a LONG while to finish this
It truly depends on the show itself, all characters have their way to fit in their story. They are charming, but I feel some of them will look weird running or walking. I would make the legs thinner in n. 6 and 7 or separate each other in n. 3, 4 and 5. They have to be longer in n. 2, if you compare it with the others its skirt starts where there should be the pubis, a normal skirt starts near the belly. I would vary their postures, some of them (n. 3, 4, 5 and 6) seem following one straight line with their spine. Overall the second line has the best designs and you should start from those to correct the other. In the first line they all look similar because you changed their colors and heads, but they all have similar body shapes. For example n. 5 is identical to n. 4. You can change that by asking yourself what you want to convey with the design. She looks stout but not as stout as n. 10, rather than making her a little bit thinner ask yourself why she is stout. If she's athletic she should be taller, have stronger harm, comfier and airier dresses. If she's stout because she's well fed she must have wealthy and attentive parents too. So she would have bigger cheeks they have pinched them for all her childhood, more cured hairs, richer dresses, a bigger belly. She would stand more often with her hand behind her back to hide something, so she would push her pelvis forward and her chest backwards, and her feet would be way thinner than her thighs as they should convey the idea of an unbalanced pose, and they would not be made for running.
Thank you so much for the advice!!! Im already working on redesigning some of the characters you mentioned.
The children’s faces seem more squashed than the other ones so it might be harder to pick out details when watching them.
These are great. They all clearly belong within the same universe and you can tell so much about them just by the design. It's very reminiscent of the old cartoon network style is what I got at first glance. Great job
Same here! Reminds me of the early 2000s shows.
Looks great! Are you going to post your progress on the show somewhere?
Probably ill post some stuff here and the animation tests on my youtube :)
looks really cool but i personally dont enjoy this steven universe like style. in cartoon perspective they don't look quirky enough to hook me in they look normal.
Okay: I'm going to be the smart-ass: Do you have any 👉voice-actors👈 in mind?? I seem to recall that back in the early days of cartoons, the voices of the characters were the first priority of the animators/directors. Sóóó... wassup ???
I have a few friends who are going to voice act for me but i cant really hire people cause i have no budget, im doing it for fun
Kudos, you are far better informed than I had expected. BTW I'm not implying that every single character needs its own "professional" voice-actor. Because "Back in the days," a voice actor would do several characters. So maybee you could also have fun experimenting/collaborating with amateurs who own home studios? Try some voice distortions?
i think i’ve fallen in love with the bottom right one
I’m very intrigued by this, the designs are awesome, I can’t wait to see the full pilot.
https://preview.redd.it/1qq0caj04d2d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3cea81ed8f1495dea3e42f67dfd48029437a46d
Yes. But I'll say that style is half the battle with animation. Plot and character is the other half. There's so many animated shows I can't stand because the writing is awful even though I like the animation. Good luck.
I like em… second guy has me truly intrigued
I do kinda agree with you on them being a tad plain. Hm. My first reaction was "make some of them way wider and play with proportions more" but that would change the visual style a lot. One thing you could do is try to add patterns or textures inside of the characters clothing. Like plaid or corduroy. You can use the flat colors as masks and add the textures inside them. They won't move with the characters, so it'll be a very graphic look, but it could add some visual interest without increasing your workload a lot. In general tho, it's not that bad. If your background characters have more proportional variety, these characters will stand out better. I think the only change I would make is to change either orange shirt guy or yellow shirt guy. Their shapes and vibes are _very_ similar. Switch one of them up and then all of the characters should look sufficiently different from each other.
Thanks for the advice!! Ive already changed the orange kid's hair a bit and i might completely redesign the yellow shirt one. They definitely have way too simple silhouettes
If you can play the Silhouette game by taking the shapes ONLY and they're still identifiable, then absolutely.
For a single animator they're probably the right level of complexity. They all have different colour schemes and unique silhouettes which is great. I'm trying to see what you mean by plain but the only thing I can really put my finger on maybe you're playing it too safe with the proportions and the hair styles could be a bit more unique.
Their cute!! I like the lil goth kid on the top right, they’re a mood.
Steven universe esk
Yes i could imagine it being in Cartoon Network
The duality of man https://preview.redd.it/mqwvbvq5ld2d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63349b706aa449475b8489098aa694b31d033b48
YES! In my opinion anyway. Hope you make something cool!
Omg I love this already!! What’s ur animation gonna be called?
The name is probably gonna be Downhill Spring, but its still a wip
v niceee
Sorry for the critiques.. But there's something off about the blue skirt girl heights proportion, something just seems off..
Some of them are strange enough in shape to not look similar to others at all, and the more normal ones look enough different between them to be differentiated by color, head shape, facial features, etc. Note also that there are shows that having way more similar looking characters (South Park for example), still work. Take into account that animation (how they move), script (how they behave and act) and dialogue (how they talk) will also play a role in reinforcing the differences between characters.
Idk, but gumball came to mind😅
Y e s
They're a little bland to be honest, other than the paper bag character they don't have easy to interpret style hallmarks, funky jewelry, a notebook covered in stickers, a weird hat, just something to differentiate them more It doesn't have to be super over designed and add ages to your animating, but it helps develop character and make their personalities more visual Cause currently they look kind of like a lot of other low budget animated shows that exist already and if you're trying to make an indie piece that stands out and is memorable, you need memorable characters
Yes! I would watch this show
Imma be honest: lots of them are not my style. I don’t like the whole thing where you make the head super unique and recognizable and the body is just kinda…basic. I think the bodies should get some more love in my personal opinion. These still work great for animation tho, the shape language is really well done, the simplicity is nice, and lots of the colour schemes are pretty good! Edit: I didn’t read the thing you wrote below the post, glad to know we both see the “plainness”, and that it isn’t just me. I think some work pretty great, I like making simple yet not basic designs, so I think every character should have their own “thing” that isn’t on their their head to fit the shape language and stuff. Like the bottom right tall girl with the long sleeves, her “thing” would be, she’s tall with long sleeves. That’s just one example, I would apply it to some of the male characters, cuz the bodies of them look particularly…boring, no offence. It’s a way to spice up the design, make it more interesting. But they all do look fairly distinct so you don’t need to, I’m just saying how I would do it.
Not an animator, but from a general audience viewpoint the characters hold my attention. They look interesting.
I'd definitely watch something with these guys in it
i love the 4th character. ginger with hoodie.
Hes actually the main character
Yes, very distinct silhouette and colors
yes omg they’re so cute and charming i’m kinda obsessed
Ur the enemy of the same face syndrome. Congrats
OK! I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THIS KIND OF ART STYLE, I've said the same thing in another comment, but yk what? I'm free, so I'm gonna guess and describe each character's personality, (I've watched too many cartoons when I was a child) I'm gonna go from left to right, then when I reach the end, I'm gonna start from the left in the second row. 1. This is the main character, he is really average and normal compared to everyone else here, he finds them all strange, kind of socially awkward. 2. A person who is scared of others, they try to hide their face with these masks. 3. An absolute science nerd, lab rat. 4. An overly active character who is a friend of the main character, he likes to eat so much. 5. An angry girl who has gone through so much, she's some sort of artist, maybe an athlete. 6. Twin of 7, really naughty compared to 7. 7. A kid who likes comics, cartoons or smth fictional like that, who thinks he has powers. 8. An introvert that looks really smart, but doesn't talk much with anyone because he is better than everyone else, because everyone else is too childish 9. An emo girl. 10. A really happy girl who loves socializing, but kinda shy mostly. Though people find her creepy. 11. A mentally ill girl.
These are pretty accurate! Although the main character is actually the 4th kid :,)
Oh I see. True that he also looks normal compared to others. But I thought he was filled with way too much energy and happiness to be the main character lol, just because most cartoons have characters like that as side characters... But very well, good luck on your animation!
Lol I just noticed that I skipped the actual 6. Well I can't really tell, she also looks like an emo kid.
The two toddlers look like they would be animated 2x faster than the other characters and not adhere to laws of physics other characters are bound by. Like Mr. Frog from Smiling Friends.
They were heavily inspired by the Fun Twinz from smiling friends and that’s EXACTLY what i wanna do with them lol
I like it!
If you can consistently draw them, yeah. I think they‘re simple enough to comfortably draw in all sorts of situations. I think you‘re good.
Those are awesome
Yes, so what's the story
yes x 100
Good is subjective. But they do follow a style
Yes!
Certainty will
Yes, but those two childs are not good.
Number 1 looks kinda basic compared to the rest imo and the two tiny kids don’t seem to fit with the rest but they work nonetheless. Pls tell me 4 and 5 are siblings? What are all of their names?
I say yes, and they seems also easily riggable on too boom or another software.
It's so nice!
Is there a name for this art style? It seems to me they are characterized by bold lines and uniform colors
Thought it was a show already
Yes, they are. 👌
Yes, these would be great for puppetry and even sub-fbf.
Cute !!!! 😘
Not overthinking it !!! Probably not !!! 😉
It’s cool !!! 😎
They look great imo!
I think they are simple but distinct enough to standout so yeah those are some good character designs
First row is solid, but the two babies on the second row can be workshopped a bit better. They don't fit well into the style with the rest of the characters.
Ya won't know until you animate!
whats the name of the pilot
The current name is "Downhill Springs" but i might change it after the pilot is done. Im still working on it
kewl! im really good at voice acting (i think) so if u need help lemme know
i really like them!
I like em all.
Thye look so familiar...
Looking good
I love this art style! Maybe it's cause I watched too many cartoons in my childhood... But this one's looking absolutely great. I'm literally trying to learn this style.
There Are No Bad Characters, It's Wether They Fit in With the STYLE
Super cute
Can I voice the characters of color?
Maybe incorporate some patterns/symbols to their clothing just to make the designs a little less basic, otherwise these are basically perfect
very very very very good!
Yes.
I like them
I love bag head
I love these so much!! I would totally watch a show with this animation lol
They're great! I think redhead girl's bandages/tattoos are maybe too detailed and likely to cause more headache than they're worth, animation-wise. I think one or two big bandages in bright colors would get the same message across. It just looks like the type of detail you see cut or simplified in season 2.
I like bag guy
Pretty interesting, give off a feel that a show with these characters could’ve been featured on the old Cartoon Cartoons segment.
They look like the would make a good animation. You should use them!
yes
They look cool. Can you tell me the name of this project?
They look pretty good to me.
I know nothing about animation Yes
Yes, those look so epic oh my lawd💯💯💯💫
Add some more hats, those provide character, and give more distinctive hair styles
Yes, but those little ones are kinda ugly, doesn’t match. The rest of them are really nice.
They look pretty tight! I’d be interested in seeing these characters animated. I’m not sure you intend for them all to exist in the same world, but the girl in the bottom middle doesn’t quite feel like she’s in quite the same style as the others. But she’s still a nice design.
They’re cute! I would recommend you look into using shape language. One of the best character design tips I learned in animation school. The more exaggerated the shape language the better : https://www.waltdisney.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/T%26T_ShapeLang_v9.pdf
I think they're all good but I feel like I would dislike the 1st one as a charcter. Hard to quantify why, very bland, a little posh. I think he would make a great nemesis for a main character though if you made him a little smarmy, conniving
Very nice collection. I love the detailing.
hell yea
These look nice! Can’t wait to see the animation.
I really like them!! I would probably suggest slightly modifying the design for 1 or 4 because their silhouettes are quite similar, other than that I think they're perfect :)
They look great! I love it!
The more simple and fewer details a character needs to stay on model, the easier it is to animate them. While I'll say these designs are good for animating, it would also benefit.you.to lean into a particular detail on each character relevant to their characterization. Some of your designs tend to the plain side I recommend making them pop with a contrasting background. They are low maintenance and helps keep the viewer's attention on the character.
Of course they are.
Yes
They’re all great 👍🏽
These are really good and feel like Cartoon Network so yeah they’d be pretty good to animate
These are literally all the youthful characters I have seen in animation. The only thing missing is the trio of the skinny protagonist, his chubby best friend and his love interest.
They are amazing, gave me that old cartoon vibes, the one cartoon network used to have in the early 2000s. Love it
these are really good and varied designs. i really can't say if they can be simplified any further, or if they should be made more complex. i think they sit at a really good point between unique and recognizable but simple enough to draw. all i can point out to improve in regards to animation: what is the least number of a detail you can possibly get away with? do you really want to draw four leaves on the antlers when you could only draw one? or five arm bandages when you could draw two? or two stains on clothes when you could only draw one?
The little angry one in the red shirt. That one resonates with my soul.
Their Interesting!
Where are you gonna post it? I'd love to see it, all the characters look so huggable! (and the tiny kids look punchable!)
these look really cute and kind of quirky. they sort of remind me of the old school cn with a bit of a ed edd n eddy feel to it. imo, this is a good character design.
I think so! It's also easy to imagine how they would move and what they would sound like when speaking
Doug had characters in it that looked like different styles and colors. It worked for them.
Ooh I wanna see a face reveal for the bag head
I would really lean into the more distinctive designs, both in terms of silhouettes but also massively in the outfits and colours. Paper bag head, purple girl, bow in the hair, and the toddlers (cute kids are always lovable) instantly give the impression that they have a distinct and interesting story/personality to them. The rest of the characters communicate a clear style and the to vary it, but seem more like extras/less important characters that might pop up in an episode to aid plot progression etc. This is just my opinion but I think the more you lean into the heavy distinctiveness, the more viewers will feel intrigued towards a characters story/personality. Love it all though!
They're nice !! Very consistent style through all the characters and they're very recognizable from each other
Yes all very simple and familiar
yeah these are incredible !! i love them
Pretty much the mascot for what an animation would look like.
Hey, I love them. Tey are very interesting. I wish I had your talent for making the art in my games.
It's simple and looks great, it's animation ready for sure.
https://preview.redd.it/xwgvxnnsnk2d1.png?width=212&format=png&auto=webp&s=de2ddf6d9fbfee54db74d8fc1619e5848026f173 This one might give a bit of trouble due to the physics of the clothes
https://preview.redd.it/8h1xsd4cok2d1.jpeg?width=1589&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9083d685a22287e94843562e1fc78c00150a1f91 How OP looked making these masterpieces
These look straight out of an animated TV show from like cartoon network, great work! Love the designs. Not too simple at all!
They are cute
Omggg so cuteeeeee
I love it! They all have clearly defined characteristics throw their design and they seem like they’ll be relatively easier to animate than other illustrations. Kudos to you! Keep us posted on how this comes along!
Ye
I think they are really cool. I am getting into character design myself and I feel sort of inspired looking at these designs. They are cool
I think they look fine