HUMAN Vs NON-HUMAN Character Design: Which Works Best?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
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Why I like the crocodile: he stands out in a group of human characters, the way you pose him makes him look rambunctious/cheerful which contrasts to how crocs are normally depicted, and he's got cute as overalls on! Foureyes or the knight dude would be my second pick (the knight because I love those sorts of designs, and foureyes because she is fashionable and confident)
I quite like both human and non human characters, it really depends on the design, personality, what the character is portraying.
One might even say it's... Subjective.
@@shinysnake u got a giggle out of me
I believe that the majority votes of lockjaw might also represent the interest of the subjectively community better because of its focus on non-human designs(pokemon, smaugust, mermay). I myself grew up drawing human designs and only now started making more animal designs because of this channel and maybe that's why I voted for Shrapnel, I wonder how different the results would be if the same pole was posted on a channel that focuses more on human characters
You’re probably right- we do tend to design a lot of non-human characters on this channel! We’ve cultivated a bias audience (we’re so proud of our little monster-loving fans)
Personally, I voted Lockjaw because he's a lot different than his design would suggest. On the surface he appears like a strong, tanky croc, but in reality he's highly intelligent and wise. The contrast between character and design makes him quite appealing :]
Couldn't have said it better myself
Yeah. That's definitely a factor: you almost always see big, reptile-type characters as brutish, dumb, or antagonistic. The inversion of that trope, and the way you convey that visually with the clever expressions and the cool gadgets definitely adds a ton of appeal.
I think four eyes and magic man are just like, the two that are hardest to interprete their vibe by just looking at them, while the other three are more easy to read.
It's not that their designes are bad but they are the more average looking ones when compared to the rest of the team, like I'd need to interact more with them to know what they are about.
That's exactly what I was thinking. They aren't bad designs at all, but at a single first glance, when we don't know anything about these characters, their personality isn't in your face. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's okay to have characters interactions be more important than the character on their own. And by the looks of things, Mr Magic Man and Fore Eyes have a great dynamic
That's exactly what i thought-
Yeah there more specific you get what the knight and crocodile are about just by looking at them the human characters are more vague
I agree. While they're not bad designs, my first impressions of them were standard Marval characters: The male protagonist and the love interest. The other characters have more interesting personalities and are easier to read because of their shape language/silhouette.
@@fluffernutter792 might be more me but being a love interest disnt even cross my mind, if anything I asumed thry were brother and sister
What you said about why people voted for Lockjaw, I think it's because his expressions can be stretched and displayed in a fun way, although my favorite character of yours is Sasha Shrapnal, because as an introvert I find her to be more relatable with her whole face being hidden.
It’s interesting, to think that people voted for a non-human character not because he omits human traits but because he actually exaggerated them! Never thought about that before 🤔
As much as I love humans, I love the different kind of expression non human designs offer.
This probably isn’t what was meant, but it’s one of the reason I really love object heads. Like, you’ve got human body language and then something that doesn’t even have a face in order to communicate. One I’ve seen is a deck of cards that fans out when they’re angry and shuffles itself when they think.
The first iteration of my sona has a… I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s like a floating sphere that’s half full of liquid galaxy. It changes color depending on its mood, but it boils when it’s angry, fizzes when excited or happy, fogs up when it’s unsure, and ripples when it thinks. It goes dim and still when it’s upset
My latest iteration added these glowing thought balls that orbit it like planets. Normally it tries to keep its thoughts in order, but when it gets to be too much, the orbits themselves start rotating like some janked up bohr atomic model or the eye wheels of a biblically accurate angel. If it gets bad enough, the whole system falls apart and it’s left with just the body until it can collect its thoughts
Object heads are great. Canti the TV head robot from FLCL and Zer0 from Borderlands 2 come to mind. Zer0's visor shows emoticons rather than human facial expressions since you'll never see his actual face (if he has one). Your character sounds really interesting!
@@mr.sandman7339 Aw, thank you! It’s just my little contribution to a friend’s choose your own adventure project. They had us all come up with deities and Etamir, god of identity and rumination, is mine. It has many forms, but that’s the one it tends to settle on
What I like about non-humanoid characters is that it helps me become more immersed in whatever they're in. For example, in most of my D&D campaigns, I have chosen more animal/monstrous races because it helps me become more in character if I know that my character both mentally and physically is different from myself.
Here's a few of my subjective thoughts about what I think about The Freelancers.
1.) MagicMan
- He's kinda like the default guy, which is like The First Character you get from every video game i.e. Jake from Subway Surfers. He's like The Classic Caped Superhero, The Rifle Wielding Soldier from every First Person Shooter Game, and Every Sword Wielding Adventurer from every fantasy game ever- Design wise that is, compared tor the other team members.
This isn't bad of course, it just lends to him being not as bright as the other stars in the team.
However, The thing that makes him standout to me as a Character is his Body Type. He's skinny but not in a femboy and Jack Frost kinda way, but he's actually Thin. I love it. I also find the contrast he has with Four-eyes to be very interesting which I will get into when I talk about her.
2.) Four-Eyes.
I personally love this character. I also find Short haired Girls and Visors to be really rad and really cool. I love her spunk and attitude, but I ultimately think that the her being lancer to MagicMan is not really that obvious to me. The seem more like a Pair rather than Foils. They have more like a Jessie and James feel to them, rather than a Sonic and Tails one.
I do also love how Yes, they are Twins but they don't have that disgusting hive mind copy cat thing going on. They're clearly meant to be different characters and I was actually really surprised when I heard that they were actually Twins - which, yeah, cause not all twins are identical. LOL. Silly me.
But they still feel like one of those "Are you a Boy or are you a Girl?" Pokemon Question thing. Which kinda makes them suffer to have their own identities unlike Sasha, Gallant, and Lockjaw who distinctly have diverse design Identities.
3.) Gallant
I got not much to say about him honestly. Which isn't reflective on how much a value him. I genuinely love his composed nature and gallant features (Hehe), and yeah, that's just it. He certainly standouts with the kilt and armour he's wearing which I definitely love and yeah, no sht. This guy's design slaps and he slaps even harder literally.
4.) Lockjaw
Aaaaaaaaah, The Fan Favorite. He's got that Tahm Kench kinda vibe to him, Yanno? People can see the charm of this fella and how he could sweet talk his wise words into people and project a lot more stuff about him being just an overall chill and relax character.
Lockjaw opens the door to what is possible in the team cause for the most part, everyone's a human and him being an Anthropomorphic Crocodile opens the door to make people think that "With a design that's as wicked and unique as this, what more can we have that has charm to its wit?"
5.) Sasha
My Personal Favorite. Best Girl. I love her strangeness and alien-ness with a the weird ways she poses but I think I kinda prefer her having that more Androgynous looking look from when she had a Blue Theme Color going on, but overall, She is the one I picked in the poll.
From what I've seen of Lockjaw, he is designed in a way where he looks anatomically appropriate for a croc while also having a lot of human personality in his design. Kinda proves that you can turn a cold-blooded, emotional apex predator into a lovable looking character. Gallant is probably my second favorite, simply becauseI always love big characters but I hate when their proportions are too unbalanced, like their musculature being overexagerated or their heads being way too small. He fits a nice balance for me.
I think I gravitate more to non-human designs precisely because I can't relate as much, and thus it almost forces me to escape my own world and go to a much cooler one - a world where crocs can and do wear visors. It's also easier to directly reflect themes and personality in non-humans, because their shape is often directly inspired by it. Like Gallant from Jack's own cast, who you can immediately tell is not one for hugs or soft things just by the fact that he's a cold, stoic set of armor. For my confused, developing brain, having an exit wrapped in something easily digestible (not to mention cool, like, c'mon) is so much more appealing.
I had chills when you mentioned wanting to not be human to feel comfortable, I actually voted for Lockjaw because I empathize more with animal characters (animal and alien, etc). I'm so glad I watched this video today, I've been feeling terrible these days and having that little part of me understood by another artist just put glow in my eyes TuT Great video as always
I also would feel comfortable not being a human. You’re definitely not alone there
Yah me too, it just hits different
If I could explain in a simple way why Lockjaw has 50% of votes.
It would be because "The Freelancers" is more like a comic book group, in a world where most superheroes are human, seeing a crocodile with abilities makes it more interesting (e.g. Dinosaurus from Invincible) and seeing a cold-blooded beast like a wise-tech makes it more interesting.
4 Eyes and Magik man maybe they are not so loved because we don't know their abilities, powers or personalities, just by design they are simpler than the rest, maybe if it was a comic where we see how they relate they could be more interesting.
For the longest time I refused to draw humans for my world because I was sure I'd mess it up, then I added one who admittedly, didn't show their face and wore bulky clothes, but after that human and humanoid designs just started sliding into existence and some of them I really like
He good big boy that's all there is to it
I think people like the croc most because in general I've noticed people are empathetic toward animals universally, as they're seen as more "pure" in that even if they're violent it's seen as just how they are. But people can be harder to empathize by default, because if they suck it's intentional. So at least me personally, having liked so many celebrities that turn out to be weirdo ass clowns or being wronged by people, it's hard to just inherently like a human character until they PROVE their worthiness, where as animals are just good boys by default.
as a art student in high school I would love to see more character design videos. One thing a struggle with in particular is background and foregrounds of artworks, id love to see a video on this.
while i’d definitely appreciate a vid like that too, i doubt this channel would cover that since jack usually makes content on character and creature designs rather than general art
@@torquedawg1004 we need to get Claire onto this
It took me a while but this is as short as I can make it:
I created a dragon inspired mainly by crocodile and dolphin characteristics, which allowed me to combine the head shape of a croc but soften it with cetacean atributes like having its teeth hidden when it closes its mouth and leaving the skin smooth with no scales. When I showed a drawing of it smiling with its mouth open to my cousin they said that the dragon looked very friendly and nice, but it having it show its sharp teeth also made it give an aura of "you shouldn't mess with him".
I get that same sensation from Lockjaw.
Lastly, aside from crocs being cool, the idea of an animal typically represented as a cold eating machine turned instead into a wise and reliable figure makes for a very interesting character.
My two cents about your Freelancer characters that are my (and seemingly most people's) least favourite:
Fore Eyes and Mr Magik Man don't really feel visually distinct enough from each other for either one to stand out.
And there also aren't enough character-defining and complementing visual contrasts within a cohesive unity for them to be read as an expression of duality/ two sides of the same coin.
"why not a character who's just a slug?" *Coughs in flushed away*
When it comes to picking a human or a non-human design, I tend to just go with whatever suits the character best! I will say that I’m in the middle, having designs that are human-like but not directly non human. Traits like adding fins, furs, horns, tails and the like while changing the anatomy of the human body is what I do the most to have a good split between what they represent and their empathy.
That’s just my personal take on that tho, I’m interested in how other people prefer or tackle the topic!
I'm also somewhere in the middle. Currently, I tend to draw characters with demonic features (horns,wings, tails, etc.) though I still interpret them as human. When I first started art, I actually used to draw only animals because it was easier. But, later on I spent the next few years on humans because it got more attention. I've only now started to push myself to exaggerate proportions and add more animalistic features.
I honestly really like your video essay stuff, your pokemon and league videos are good too but I originally subscribed for your videos about character design in general
I think Lockjaw was the most different from the rest of the characters, since he is the least human, so he stood out and made it easier for people to pick. "One of these things is not like the others" is easier to identify and an easier way to make a decision. Noticing what stands out.
20:06 you kinda hit the nail on the mark at least with me. I really really hate common tropes with anthropomorphize reptile characters. They’re usually portrayed as dumb stupid lugging animals. I really like how you made him more cocky yet wise at the same time. If I’m being completely honest he reminds me a lot of Toby from Thomas the tank engine, not just any Thomas the Tank Engine but specifically the original railway series books. You know the thing that Thomas was based off of. I genuinely could see Lockjaw and Toby having a great conversation.
To be clear, the reason why I specifically say Toby is because Toby has the kind of wisdom where he knows how to get candy out of the machine if you kick it a certain way. I just get the same vibes from Lockjaw. He’s obviously old smart and wise but he is a true chaotic neutral character.
Also Crocotaco
I picked lockjaw honestly because he was prominent in the composition of the drawing you showed us, I also enjoyed (as you said) the obvious subversion of the troupe of villainy. He is also the only nonhuman character, immediately most of us wanted to know why and how a crocodile found it’s way into a team of superheroes. My last reason for picking him is that he just looks like a cool guy and I wanted to know why he had those shades on. Amazing video and very helpful! Thank you!
As a more active writer than visual artist, but a very anxious person, this really resonated with me. I have a bunch of interesting ideas I can't go anywhere with, and I realized thanks to this it's because of my anxiety issues. The best and most cohesive story I've written about people immediately shoved them into a fable by assigning them representative animal totems that defined their "true" personalities, whether they displayed them at first or not. The reason I can't tackle the story I want to is because it focuses on things my avoidance behaviors have hidden from me over the years
20:28 That life lesson though. It really makes me wanna explore through my art, more than I’ve currently have. Thank you!
Lockjaw is the most eye-catching because he's something so different from the rest of the cast. All the characters have a funny atmosphere to them, but a creature often seen as a basic mindless beast actually being intelligent and having a personality is very fun.
Loved this video, DEFINITELY want to see more of these kinds of artistic breakdowns. Lockjaw is my favorite because, like you said, his design subverts a lot of the reptile character tropes as well as genius and sage character tropes as well! He looks like he'd have a Bronx accent and speak very plainly about things before talking shop about particle physics or whatever.
Honestly I was someone who voted for fore eyes, she has a very distinct look, composure, and personality to me. But I believe lockjaw is popular because his anthropomorphic nature helps easily define his character in a unique way, Though he is intelligent, reptilian, and sharp, his chunky body and other ques like Sasha riding on him and calm nature give him a huggable dad type personality to me, one who would give you helpfull advice when you're feeling down. choosing an animalistic character also helps as a contrast to the rest of the designs and honestly wouldnt be as powerful if he were still a gorilla . Although a talking crocodile is nothing new, you've made the character unique by flipping the "evil" status quo Crocs have on their head, and breathing life into a unique and believable character, also I like his glasses
For me, Non Humanoid designs are my thing, I have a situation where its hard for me to feel sympathy and empathy. Because im kinda dead inside (Im NOT edgy im just built this way for some reason). Thats why basically all the Champions I play in LoL are monsters/not humans, exceptions are Pantheon, Jax and Nunu. I just find there designs more interesting, I don’t hate Humans/Humanoid Characters its just Monsters and Beasts are more interesting for me. Examples of this
I have alot of Deltarune OCs. 2 Lightners and alot of not humanoid Darkners.
My 2 FNaF OC Ideas are. 1 wheeled long necked TV head. And a Snake Hydra thing
Thank god I got the creepy stuff warning before a youtube premium ad, would've been terrified without it
I feel like the reason lockjaw was the favorite because as an animal in an otherwise human group, he stands out, so people remember him the most. Meanwhile, magic man and 4 eyes are kind of the "default", so people don't really remember thrm. EDIT: I would love to see more videos like this
As someone who loves to do character design it's nice to have videos like this I can look towards for guidance. Ever since I learnt how to draw my parents have constantly prompted me to move towards graphic design and logos- which I do enjoy- but I always end up circling back to drawing my own characters. They typically shoot down the idea when I present what I've made, but videos like these keep me determined to keep going. Thank you
Man, I haven't even known how much I missed those types of videos from you guys...
The more educational videos about creating art, charecter design and a little history as well.
The Pokemon stuff is really fun, and I'm a huge fan of the league redesigns! But watching a video like this every once in a while is really refreshing :)
Keep up the great work!
P.S
crocodiles with sunglasses? Yep. You got me there.
Jesus I’m SO happy to see a video like this again. I think I’ve commented on plenty of videos that I miss and love the way you explain designs and choices.
I think four eyes and Sam were on the bottom of the list the same way so many people don’t say the main character when you ask for a favorite character. It’s nice to have the “basic” or something to compare all the other characters
Honey subjectively is on
I love Gallant because it represents a gentleman with vestment of two different era, modern era with his suit and medieval era with his armor and I thinks thats pretty cool and awesome.
I really just wanna say thank you for this channel. I've been here since your pokemon redesigns and becaue you and your group of friends I've defintley improved so much more with character design. I've grown to extremely enjoy the designing process. You and speculative zoology has helped a lot. Speaking of spec zoo, I think you should look into it too! I think it's all really cool what can be made going from a small animal and see how many species can come from it. Design based on science for the most part. Thank you thank you 100x thank you, you've got me thru a lot.
I think obscuring anthropomorphic features on villains/grey area characters is a favorite art trope of mine. Heck, one of my favorite character archetypes has always been the silent, masked ninja.
And it can be done... terrifyingly well. One of the scariest villains I've seen in a long time- stick with me here I don't watch many scary things, and he's genuinely unsettling- is Soundwave, from Transformers Prime. I've heard people jokingly refer to him as TFP's Slenderman. He wears a blank, reflective visor, and is one of the farthest from human, in design. Almost looking like a bird, with digitigrade legs and elongated, wing-like arms. Both terrifying, and really cool. Ironic, how they took him down.
Shockwave also has non-human features, but I feel they don't hit as hard as Soundwave's do.
Anyways- I don't remember where I was going with this, so yay, here's a ramble.
10:25
I get to immediately think about District 9, what a movie
Both designs are awesome for me. I do enjoy drawing a lot but scenery is just my favourite of everything.
Before I get into the first character, I want to say I probably could make a decently canny ant design considering the obvious what not to do designs in Ant Bully, Bug's Life, and especially Antz.
If I did vote in the poll (which I have no idea if I did or not) I would have chosen Lockjaw as well, with Gallant as my second pick. Crocodiles are cool, but also Lockjaw and crocodiles in general look like they have this grin on their faces, and the soft croc throat gives Lockjaw a friendly vibe akin to a chubby/round character or a protective character with a tough outside and soft personality (and they are excellent parents). Couple that with his more intellectual features and the fact that crocs generally are relaxed due to their casual pace in movement or basking in the sun/floating in the water and I just vibe with Lockjaw.
It is actually very nice to have another one of these, as nice as having pokemon, LoL, or any media as a baseline to explore a theme in art, sometimes you just need to talk about it bluntly.
I love your videos! They help me a lot with character design and art in general, you give me a bunch of inspiration!
Dammit, that one-frame joke when you mentioned Invincible got me
This was super interesting. I still personally prefer watching speedart, but this was dope. I’d watch it here and there, but speed art while talking about the character design process is what really draws me to your channel.
Though I did not vote, Lockjaw would be number 1 for me. There is something just so fun about the world they would live in that he as a character make me think about. Aliens, time travel, demons/ghost/supernatural stuff, etc. With him on the squad, I can only imagine the animated series where this crew flies in a big space ship with him as the helmsman, spinning in chair and directing and steering( and staying on board/behind at space docks to handle repairs and cut animation budget down). My mind goes wild with the thoughts since with him, it feels like if the idea would be fun, it would have a chance to exist.
Sasha and Gallant also have a similar feel to them as characters. Zany, wild, and over-exaggerated. Lively.
I find that Four Eyes and Mr. Magic Man, while really well done, need to be seen interacting with the others. As stand ins for the audience, yet the heads of the team, they fall flat not in their design, but in their inability in single screenshots to truly capture who they are. They are reliant on the dynamics and relationships within their team and each other that need more than a few images to go off of. I am certain that a comic with these two having to rescue their crew by themselves and escape as a unit could easily bring these two (and Sasha and Gallant, if also given some key moments) to help shine.
I really appreciated this video, and would love for more work based on topics such as this! Doing specific case studies is fun, but making videos on art topics is just as important in my opinion.
19:56 crocodiles look nice
I personally tend to gravitate towards more monstrous characters, I've always loved dinosaurs and dragons and just in general love the aesthetic of reptiles - scales, horns, long body structures etc. it all is just foreign to the everyday monotony a lot of us experience. That being said I also tend to fall in love with characters that express a very unique or charismatic personality. Some of my favourite League champions are monstrous like Urgot, Rek'sai, Warwick and Fiddlesticks, but then again I also really like Akshan and Jhin. So I suppose for me character preference doesn't come down to whether they're human or not, it's whether they have something, a spark I guess, that really grabs me.
My decision to vote Lockjaw was a combination of both, he's a crocodile, and I know you said not to say it but I'm a simple man, crocodiles are cool. You don't see them often, outside of zoos really and he has a really interesting personality that contrasts against the initial assumption someone might have looking at him.
My opnion about the Freelancers mirror exactly the pool. I see in non human characters the potencial that is often lost in human characters, a human will more often be skinny, pretty and conventional, but a crocodille can't be those. You cant use the conventional when making a monster character. That's why I chose Lockjaw, he exercises creativity since you cant make him just another skinny hot guy.
Now, every time a characters body and identity is not part of the design they always default to white skinny man, Missfortune design is of a "pirate capain * lady *", and Braum is of a "friendly * strongman * caretaker", everything that is not implied by design falls into fair skin, male or skinny, that's why Ezreal, the "cocky treasure hunter" is all of the three, his design never required anything outside of the default, so he is default. Thats why all Freelancers fall behind the crocodile imo, everything that is not "required" by design defaults in white skinny man. Gallant and Sasha being above the rest as they are the ones that distanced most from the default
TL DR: the furthest they are from the default the more unique and interesting they look, Lockjaw has a rare shape, Gallant and Sasha dip their toes into novel ideas and Mr Magik and Fore-eyes are default characters with different clothing and hair.
I'd LOVE to see more of this in the future! I'm a fledgling character designer and I happen to find it hard to pay attention to overly strict teachers in my choice of subject, having videos like this helps so much with my comprehension. Thank you for making art the way you do, it's freaking amazing!
Oh man, Jack! You're turning into a super talented video essayist, and I would 100% be here for more content like this. Also, Galant and Lockjaw are definitely the two members of the Freelancers that I am most drawn to. I think it's because they have more instantly-discernable design intentions, especially in their most recent iterations. Something about the "big" geometry of their silhouettes just makes them stand out. I think if there was a similar visual shorthand to quickly identify the other three, they would probably be similarly iconic.
Recently, I've been watching a bit more of character analysis, development, and general writing videos (partly as a result of an reinterest in Arcane). From some of these videos, they discussed how character should make the design, not design making the character (god I'm really hoping I'm not butchering this, or else I'll have to go back and rewatch the video, they were genuinely informative). Regardless, they discussed how a character should fit into their design, not as a representative, but an individual.
After watching this video, I think that the concept of human vs nonhuman still applies, although still different.
I didn't see the poll about favorite characters, but I too would've picked Lockjaw because he sticks out (like how a lot of people are mentioning). However, this isn't a bad thing. When faced with human vs nonhuman, I think that while human or humanoid/anthropomorphic are much easier relate to, they also require more character to become interesting/relatable. Nonhuman on the other hand (and this might just be personal opinion) might be harder to relate to, but as nonhuman, they stand out more to us. Overall, they are both two sides of the same coin - Human = Require more design to become interesting/ Nonhuman = Require more character & personality to keep interest.
The reason why Lockjaw in most people's favorite I think is because he is the most visually interesting (I myself have little experience with the group, so this is just speculation). This is supported by the characters ranking below Lockjaw. Foureyes & Magic Man are both the most normal looking characters, and so they both require more personality to become interesting, however, this is easier because they have the most capabilities to become relatable.
Finally, overall, it comes down to principles similar to - Show don't tell - Nonhuman characters need to tell who they are, be it through words or actions. But human characters need to show who they are, by being relatable and through expressions.
Actions speak louder than words of course. Nonhuman characters must convey themselves in a very small window to become relatable, but that comes with have more open design options and possibilities.
(God, I'm really hoping this all makes sense, cause it does it my head...)
I found your fixing pokemon videos yesterday ando bien and a Big fan, keep with The good work and I really need the fixing pokemon of the rest gens.
Lockjaw is a contrast to the 4 humans. So he stands out and is therefore a favourite character
one of the seminal works of dutch literature is "van den vos reynaerde" written in the 13th century in the Flemish Waesland, it's very similar to Zootopia... it used antropomorphic animals in order to criticize the king and clergy, without explicitly doing so.
I loved this video, it’s different from the other stuff you make and it’s very informative and helpful for artists like me, really like your work and keep it up, and one more thing, I think 4 eyes’ visor is pretty unique :)
I loved this essay-style from you, Jack! I also voted for Lockjaw in the community poll. I think I gravitated to him because his personality is immediately apparent when you look at him. The "cool older brother" type character is what I took away from the drawing you posted, while the personality of the other characters kind of fell into obscurity
I personally love non-human characters for a handful of reasons, mainly because it creates some interesting designs those show abilities humans cannot naturally have like natural wings
Another kind of design I love is the incomplete human, and this is a bit weird to explain but I like characters those are only an extremely of a human, like an eye, a floating hand, or the legs in classic cartoon parents, is just fun and interesting how by removing everything else we can focused on what the character is capable, for example, if our character is a single hand we know it can grab stuff, point at things, salutate, snap fingers, slap someone in the face, etc. If is a leg it can run, kick people, play football, stomp in enemies, jump, etc. Is just a really fun yet unexplored kind of design, at least that's how I feel it.
I voted for Gallant because i find his entire fit to be adorable and unlike anything i've seen before, but my absolute second pick is Lockjaw: he just radiates so much personality with a crocodilian body, and I think they both have a nice contrast in their design.
Sasha would be my third, mostly because of her cool mask but also because I empathize with her as an introvert (plus she has that oversized drip)
Magik Man and Fore-eyes are perfectly functional design-wise but I just feel like I've seen Magik in some other superhero comic before (i love his matchstick-like body though).. Fore-eyes feels like she'd have a sibling-like relationship with Magik, since their designs contrast each other. I don't like them as much because I just feel like they don't have the same sort of quirky design flare that the other team members have, and I feel like they follow design principles of a generic superhero (but thats just me, theyre perfectly fine characters)
The prawn from district 9 are a great example of insectoid character design. They're alien enough but with expressive eyes and brows that give them a sympathetic quality
Honestly i mostly do non human designs bc I know that you can make something in human to be even more human though good writing, personality and even their design and the video really helps my confidence into reaching out of places that I don't normally go
The answer about why anthropomorphic designs are broadly more successful as "protagonist" designs was so obvious yet it really opened my eyes, idk how I couldn't pinpoint it so easily.
And the whole discussion just makes a lot of sense and was very pleasant to listen, I love this kind of content (in fact I'm an avid watcher of TB Skyen as well).
As for your character contest, I voted for Lockjaw because:
1) crocodiles are cool
2) I love wacky designs and funny characters, and the guy is just so silly
3) I like the subversion of expectations, when you think about a human-crocodile hybrid you think about something like Lizard, or something ferocious anyway. Instead you get this fella who is a wise inventor and it's just that good.
4) crocodile with glasses.
Love this kind of video, please do more of this kind :)
I voted for Gallant in the pole, but honestly I didnt know the personalities of the characters, you dont mention them in the pole, and I wasnt aware of them before now. I think I am pulled towards the knight style characters because I see them as protectors and heroes. Also being in a suit made it funny. The way he is walking in the image used I didnt get the "restraint and composure" side of his personality, he looks quite confident and maybe a little flamboiant. Now knowing that is what his personality is, I would even more vote for him. My second choice was Mr Magik Man.
I’ve been helping a friend of mine with a game of his, that doesn’t have any human characters. It’s sort of made me prefer non-human characters, because of how varied some can be.
Honestly, no matter what type of video you put out, it is always enjoyable to me. This one was very insightful, for example. And the editing was TIGHT (as usual).
I think part of the reason why the other designs don’t interest me as much is because what they do/ are capable of isn’t immediately apparent. Now note, all of this is subconscious for me I assume, I’m just looking into each one to make a point.
Lockjaw can obviously bite people and use gadgets. Plus, crocs don’t normally have intelligence, so that kinda boosts him up.
Gallant can use brute strength, and…business? Intimidation? He’s still really cool to me, but I think a lot of that comes from silhouette and the mystery of what exactly he is.
Sasha Shrapnel can probably do parkour, and looks like she can get into a scrap and come out unscathed. Nothing else is quite apparent though. She’s just some lady who’s into street wear.
Mr. Magik Man has a neat helmet? He can probably move quick or something? Probably has some cool sight thing going on? I assume he can use some sorta magic judging by the name, but that’s the name, not the design.
And finally Fore-Eyes. She’s uh. She’s got sight powers, or something.
So I imagine the lack of interest in some of the designs comes from not being able to tell their abilities. I’m sure there’s some more visual interest you could work into them and maybe a lil bit of cooler silhouettes (I’m a sucker for exaggerated proportions), but as for something that I noticed off the bat, that’s it.
17:18 UhHhhHhh Sasha be stealing my heart in that painting you did. I love her mask!
This is such a well explained video. Even though I feel like I somehow know all of this already by being a human and a constant consumer of all types of art, this explanation is very valuable to hear in concise words.
You even explained the curious reasons of identifying with non-human characters well.
Please post more videos like this, id love to see more of your insight on character design
Personally I really enjoy creating human characters, but I find that nonhuman characters allow me to loosen up and make more creative visual designs.
Would love to see more videos like this. Pokemon and LOL videos are fine, but I miss the character design discussions. Great video!
Your story about the professor provoked some thought in me. I recall being a young artist and finding human designs (particularly faces) to be way too intimidating to depict properly at my skill level at the time. Even after picking up Phineas and Ferb's style -- which intentionally has simple, non-standard human designs as a way to keep younger artists in mind -- as a starting point to give myself some confidence, and over a decade of continued practice later, at times I still don't quite feel like I've moved forward into a place of being able to render my own human characters without falling back on the same handful of easy features or just oversimplifying them altogether. This is something that I'm hoping and planning to get better at but can't seem to prioritize, and now I feel like taking the time to evaluate this beyond aesthetic preferences or skillset limitations might be good for me.
love this type of content, the video game stuff is neat but i originally followed this channel for the old character design videos
I like Lockjaw because crocodile characters aren't really something you see very often, and I'm notoriously attracted to novelty (or so I'm told)
I just wana say that I assume that vids like this wont pull the same numbers as Pokemon or League vids, but I really do enjoy hearing your opinions and observations as an artist. Its a unique and interesting viewpoint that is unfortunately rare on TH-cam
I voted for Gallant because I think the contrast between a medieval knight helmet and a modern business suit is funny. Also I like the way his face isn't shown. I'm not exactly sure why, but I find it pretty charming when a character's face is obscured. Maybe it's because it's fun to see a character express themself more with their body while their face is static. Dunno
Oh also I like his kilt
Agreed on the obscured face point
Thank god I got notified before going to bed.
I’m considering making non-human OC soon, so this is good help.
EDIT: Making this 7 hours later since I was going to bed, but I’m actually giving a 4 minute informative presentation in my public speaking class regarding how animation causes attraction, and one of those aspects involves how non-human characters immediately bring your attention when they exist on completely different plane. I list SpongeBob, Twilight, and Perry as examples, but millions of others exist as well that act as an artist’s excuse for making characters you can relate to without being inspired from the same species as us humans, rather (as Jack said) having anthropomorphic attributes.
Good luck!
@@EtamirTheDemiDeer THX 😁🙏
I figured the latter two got the least votes because they look the most simple at first glance, even if their design has more complexity behind it, by no means bad of course.
On Lockjaw, I merely have always loved reptiles, especially crocodiles. What makes him special is that you use an animal that is often used for intimidating and is known for its brutality, but manage to bring out a perhaps cuter or goofier personality, yet keeping a good balance between the two. You don't expect to see a crocodile design with cool shades. They're also rather lazy slow bulky animals. Putting Lockjaw in that group, with those designs, contrasts that a lot, makes him look more active, slick and is a unique way of looking at a crocodile. The sharp edges also help towards that feeling. Aside from that, the first time I saw them I kind of associated him with a pet of the group, which I guess helped on the endearment towards him, even if I now know he's as sentient and rational as the rest of the group. Additionally, you didn't stray too far from the design in order to bring out the concept, which is something that, in my opinion, King K. Rool for example, fails completely to do, nothing in it speaks crocodile to me aside from the elongated mouth and it prioritizes making him look goofy a lot more, rather than keeping some of its intimidating traits (the eye is unnerving but it seems unfitting still, at least to me). It makes me think that there were SEVERAL other animals that could translate its design concept better. With Lockjaw here, you still look at him and say "It's a crocodile" and that's the very first thought, without it feeling out of place.
I think Gallant and Lockjaw did so well in the poll because they stood out the most Gallant being so big and his face being a knight's helmet really sets him apart from the others, and of course Lockjaw is a crocodile, what else is there to say...
But the other three, especially Four-Eyes and Mr. Magic Man feel a lot more uniform in their designs. With their headgear, jackets and other similar parts in their design they feel more like different itterations of one character, instead of three distinct ones
I really like character designs like the characters in the splatoon games. A semi humanoid creature with squid and octopus motifs really gives individuality and stands out of a humanoid sea creature from a mammal. And these designs have sticked with me in my heart for years and with every players inkling or octoling being different from any others.
i really enjoyed this more in depth video, it would be great to have more of this kind
I was so excited to see the bear from Annihilation talked about! I absolutely love the design and horror in Annihilation and I feel like it doesn't get the love it deserves so it was nice to see a channel I love reference it :D
I really like your design of the twins! I myself am a girl with a twin brother, so I identify with them for that haha. I also love when there's a dichotomy between two characters
And also the whole lockjaw thing. I just love reptiles. Also rocket powered reptile. Comes zooming at you jaws wide open
Honestly, I like lockjaw because he, for like of a better term, goofy! He looks like a big squishy crockadile, ready to give a big hug to a kid. I think it's mostly his head, like his big goofy smile and underjaw, it's low and saggy like old grandma skin
Personally i like Gallant the most. I love how he’s this big, intimidating-looking knight that also strikes me as the silent type, but he’s also wearing a suit and a Scottish skirt, which gives him a lot more character than just a knight. Also i really like gold, and the way you drew it looks real nice. :D
yeaaaaaah! ovo
always loved these videos, you explain things SO well.
i think the reason we like lockjaw more than foureyes is because lock jaw is different (personally i wanted to pick sasha or four eyes but galland reminds me of escanor so)
13:23 I love how his accent came out really heavily in this one moment
although I didn't vote in the poll, I would have picked Lockjaw lmao
Im a huge fan of reptilian characters, and I think of all the freelancers, he's probably the most memorable, because he's the most unique. ofc I like all the characters, but an anthro crocodile with cool glasses definitely isn't a common thing to see lol
I liked Gallant’s silhouette, being cartoonishly top-heavy in combination with the suit. Plus, slapping things that don’t normally go with a suit (knight helmet) on a character with a suit always looks cool.
I absolutely love this squad - it reminds me of the original Uncanny X-Men team (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Iceman and Beast - with Lockjaw being the 'Beast' of the group) I would love to see more fleshing out of the world that The Freelancers live in, what adventures they go on, what villains they face (maybe you could draw some of these :))) overall a rlly solid squad of wicked, designs. I would love to see more!
Great video, always love these discussions.
So, I like all of the freelancers, their designs all are fun and super rad, I like Shasha and Gallant because I like masked characters and themes like Arsonist and Knights, Lockjaw reminds me of a dad and his proportions are wacky but realistic enough to keep the design super entertaining, and crocodiles you don't see often. Four eyes and Mr.Magicman, while designs I like because of their bright colors and unique designs, and body types I enjoy. I feel lack of a clear theme is what I'm thinking, they should have something that makes them stand out just a little more next to a huge knight, a little blue arsonist, and an anthropomorphic croc, while the eyes on Four eyes are a great touch, maybe go into the fact she might be a bomb waiting to be set off because she's stubborn and has a temper (IDK, it's your character) and maybe with Mr.magic man, maybe a little more beaten up, like he's the punching bag clumsy one, if he's the "leader" has him look confident and charismatic, but also maybe a little incompetent.
Idk
One reason I like Lockjaw's design alot is his outfit, it seems really mismatched but somehow really works all together. As well I think putting these human articles of clothing on a crocodile brings up a few fascinating questions of why he's wearing them. Is he trying to blend / fit in with humans? Was this a practice he grew up with or one he adopted later? I might be looking too much into it but it's an amusing concept regardless.
I didn't like 4eyes at first, but after seeing your more rendered drawing of her, I think the design actually works quite well. Her hair being flipped forward instead of back and the exclamation point like markings on her visor being made of 1 line instead of 2 both make her design more personally appealing in that more rendered artwork.
Either way each character does stand out from the others while still feeling like a group, which I think is really cool.
I mean all this in the most honest and inoffensive way possible, I'm sure I would love any of the characters in a greater context but all I know of them is the first glance I've seen here.
The crocodile is my second favourite, I think he has a swagger to his personality that isn't cruel or arrogant, but my favourite visual element is his suspenders, it was unexpected but made sense as soon as I took it in, it was something I wish I could've come up with because it's so simple yet so effective.
Sasha was my favourite by far, I've always gravitated towards spunky or slightly out there characters, they usually act a little less like real people and more like a scripted fictitious character which helps draw me out of reality and into the story world; visually masks are one of the strongest motifs imo in character art and always seem to resonate with me (jhin from lol, kitsu masks from demon slayer, bane etc.) so I'm definitely biased in that department
Magik man and Fore-eyes aren't bad at all but I mostly glossed over them since they seemed like the prototypical leader/lancer(or comic relief) foil, these characters usually earn their place in the audience's heart by interacting with their world and have the least exotic visual elements to intrigue a viewer, I just felt like I already knew them and they weren't anything new or exciting so I need something else to break my initial impression before I get invested.
Man i love me some subjectively. I mean I like the pokemon stuff sure, but videos like this or apoctober/draugust make me think "man when was the last time i drew these oc's" that is to say I love all the stuff you guys are doing. more of this please.
I like lockjaw because he’s a crocodile with cool glasses and a jet pack, it doesn’t really get any better than that.
I like Lockjaw because of the pure personality that he shines with not only with his posing and description but also for the wise collectedness that only some people have. The kamina-style sunglasses also bring a mental image of a wierd heavily calm battle wisdom even in the worst of times and the fact that Lockjaw is a wise crocodile who survived not by pure unrestrained strength but by wisdom and skill despite so much strength enabling a more brutish possibility speaks volumes to me.