Tell me, /tg/.
When looking for artwork for your player characters, do you:
>look for or commission original artwork in favor of a more unique and personalized design
>use artwork of a specific canon character in favor of a much larger library of illustrations
I go for the latter option myself. It's nice to be able to browse through tons and tons of pictures which all fit my character, even if I have to delude myself a bit to do it.
Also, post reference artwork for your characters!
I try to keep tons of character art for reference, and use them sometimes for NPCs. I use them to draw my own subpar but personalized art. Pic related, from session 1 in OotA.
>>43967163
I absolutely cannot just use existing art to depict my characters. It makes them no longer feel like 'my' character.
I'll get inspiration from existing art and run from there. Once the game looks like it's going to last and my character feels like they've developed since conception, I'll try to get them drawn.
>>43967295
It starts off that way for me as well, but if you brute force your way through that stage, it starts to flip in the opposite direction. When I look at pic related, for example, I only see my character. It feels like she has more of a right to that design than the original now.
Using canon characters that you aren't particularly familiar with, or don't particularly like, might be part of it. The less you like them, the easier it becomes to mentally 'overwrite' them.
I don't like to use somebody's else's art for character art. I usually just draw my own art. It might not be pretty, it might not be the best well done or even in color, but using other peoples' art feels like stealing.
>>43967339
Pretty much this, I usually end up with a collection of pictures that I cherry pick specific details from.
I don't invest money in a comission until I am sure I will get my money's worth out of the campaign or it was a very memorable character that I wanted memorialized.
>>43967379
>>43967163
I can't get over how cute that haircut is.
10/10 would adventure with.
>>43967163
Look for original art - using canon character art just feels weird to me, and finding an image I like helps shape my perception of my character as well.
>>43970202
I'm glad you like it, anon. Now my choices are validated.
I pick artwork that I think fits the character, then if the campaign goes well and I keep using that character I either commission them or pitch the idea in a drawthread.
>>43970279
>>43970202
>>43967379
>>43967163
I want Toukafags to leave.Really, though, she's best grill.
On a more serious note, I tend to use either depending on what fits them the best. It's all about finding a fitting aesthetic I like.
I've developed a problem that I can only use animu art or fully armored characters nowadays. Non-weeb shit just has too ugly features for me nowadays.
>>43967163
I tend to go for browsing online galleries for art, sometimes I'll even do it before I have an idea in order to get a character concept.
I don't use characters I recognize though, since that would be odd.
>>43972363
Blame tumblr for pushing their fucking agenda in art.
>>43974017
>Tumblr noses everywhere
>Morbidly obese characters
>Butterfaces everywhere
It's sad, isn't it?
>>43967163
I usually try to use art of unestablished characters, but don't mind resorting to the latter. But it does feel sort of degrading to write off an existing character as your own.
As someone whose ability to draw people is roughly at the same level as a ten-year-old's, my options boil down to a) taking already existing artwork and just straight up stealing it or re-coloring it to fit my needs, or b) use online character makers, dress-up games and character creation segments of games like Skyrim and similar resources.
Quite often it ends up being both.
>>43967163
Heromachine is my go-to, personally.
Even if 90% of the time it's only "close" to my vision of the character.
>>43967163
Its a boy? :3
>>43976877
I'm sorry, anon, but it's a girl. Inoperable.
I draw them myself. I've made characters based on art I've found though, and also made characters after drawing them.
When I make a character, I either:
a) Have a general idea of what they might look like, and search for something fitting my criteria. In a pinch, I apply a little Photoshop.
b) Pick out an image I like, and base the character on my impression of the person depicted
Either way, original art or not, I just take what fits my idea.
>>43967163
I usually search for some art online. Usually of characters that are not well known.
But I might start to try and convince my art-gifted sibling into drawing a few things for me in the near future.
>>43967163
As a general rule, I don't use anything that's easily recognizable. Either it's OC art by some artist who draws the same character multiple times or a rather obscure character that likely no one from my group will recognize.
>>43980298
I recognize that character, so you done fucked up.
I use a bit of both, generally, depending on the crowd. Stylized fanart of established characters usually hits the sweet spot. If I'm outright using licensed art an established character, it's always a really obscure one. Pic related.
I always draw my own characters, using the setting to add flavour. If it's a pre-established setting I look at the art used and try to incorporate it into my designs. I usually start of with a general idea or character I want to try out and incorporate them into the setting. I hate things that go against the fluff/lore.
But when I'm DM I just rip whatever I can find off the internet and develop a personality and setting-related details for it. If the character is well-established I try to distance the new character from the original, deliberating contrasting or adding more details until my NPC can stand alone. Over time I've found the players more often than not have a stronger relationship with your character's identity over the original image/person it was based on.
>>43980433
It's OC art, so that's fine.
>>43980536
Demonbane isn't all that obscure.
>>43980653
It's kind of weird, really. Someone has to be pretty deep into anime and such to have even heard of it, and even then it's usually just "Is that the thing with the robot that's supposed to be really overpowered?"
I've met exactly no one ever who could identify any character, or even the robot.
>>43980666
>Someone has to be pretty deep into anime and such to have even heard of it,
Or lurk any power level thread.
>>43980698
...which would require one to be a 4chan user.
Which is quite esoteric unto itself.
I use this picture of Ian Anderson for all of my characters. Male, female, dwarf, elf, doesn't matter. They all look like bald jazz flutists.
>>43981667
>Using present-day, clean-cut, button-down Ian Anderson
>Not using him when he dressed and acted like a D&D character
