How Do You Consistently Draw The Same Character Without It Looking Weird Or Off Every Different Time??

how do you consistently draw the same character without it looking weird or off every different time?? also how do i coordinate faces, i always make the eyes too far apart or too big or too small or make the mouth too close to the nose or chin edge. If you have any advice I'd really appreciate it since it looks like you have your art shit figured out 🙏

Oh man SO so much of it is just practice, and you're not alone! I honestly think everyone struggles with a sort of "generification" of their characters' features the more they draw them, even seasoned professionals. There's a tendency to just sort of average everything out into an unrecognizable mush over time, and it takes a lot of conscious effort to push back against that.

Here are a couple tips and tricks that I've found to be helpful over the years:

Make turnarounds and model sheets. There's a reason animation/game studios do this, and it is because we are all still bad at drawing a consistent face. Despite being gainfully employed. What are we, graphic novelists?? We wish. Anyway it's a great way to familiarize yourself with your character's face from multiple angles, and it gives you a single source of truth to return to anytime you need a refresher:

How Do You Consistently Draw The Same Character Without It Looking Weird Or Off Every Different Time??

Gather real-life reference. Anytime I'm designing a character I'm pulling together a ton of reference of actual people who look, to some degree, like the character in my head. It's always a collection of analogues, never just a single person, but it can be a great cheat sheet for understanding how your character might move, emote, etc:

Make a 3D model. I know it seems daunting, but with the advent of programs like Blender and Nomad Sculpt it's becoming remarkably more accessible. Heck, even James Gurney was sculpting maquettes out of clay for Dinotopia back in the day! It doesn't have to be particularly detailed—just a sort of proportionate lump will do—but it's another great way to have dynamic reference that you can rotate and light accordingly:

Practice, practice, practice. Make expression sheets for your character! Either right there on the spot, just start drawin' expressions, or you can slowly collect drawings of your character that you like, as you draw them, and compile them all in one place for your own reference. Need to draw your character's head from a weird angle? Maybe you've already drawn it before and you can copy your own homework! Doesn't count as stealing when the call's coming from inside the house 😎

I'd love to pretend there's a magical point where you can just immediately rotate your character's head in your brain like some sort of photorealistic apple in a twitter meme, but a lot of the time it's reference, hard work, and whole lotta repetition. 😐👍🏼

Sheridan models for calarts, and forces a confession out of calarts

Sheridan had always been fascinated by Calarts's art, and when the other anthropomorphized animation school offered to let him be his private model, he couldn't say no.

He knew that Calarts was a bit of a tsundere, always pushing people away even though he secretly yearned for their affection. And as he posed for the other school, he couldn't help but feel his own feelings for Calarts growing stronger with each passing moment.

But as the sessions went on, Sheridan began to notice that Calarts was acting a bit strange. He would get flustered and embarrassed whenever Sheridan complimented his art, and he would often turn bright red and refuse to make eye contact.

It was clear to Sheridan that Calarts was falling for him, but the other school was too stubborn to admit it.

One day, after a particularly intense session, Sheridan decided he had had enough. He walked over to Calarts, who was sitting at his easel with a frustrated look on his face.

"Calarts, I know you have feelings for me," he said, his voice soft but firm. "And I have feelings for you too. Why won't you just admit it?"

Calarts looked up at Sheridan, his eyes wide with surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Sheridan sighed and sat down next to Calarts, taking his hand in his own. "I know you're scared, but I promise I'll be here for you no matter what. Just please, don't push me away anymore."

Calarts looked at Sheridan, his eyes filled with emotion. He took a deep breath and finally spoke. "I do have feelings for you, Sheridan," he whispered. "I'm just afraid of getting hurt."

Sheridan smiled and leaned in for a gentle kiss, trying to convey all the love and tenderness he felt in that single touch.

"I'll never hurt you, Calarts," he whispered back. "I promise."

And as they sat there, finally admitting their true feelings for each other, Sheridan knew that they were destined to be together, no matter what challenges they might face. The end

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mr-sheridan

2 years ago

Once in 7th grade I saw my math teacher pull up his school email with what I now consider a measly 10,000 unread emails in his inbox. Back then, I was a simple lad and thought him to be incredibly important so I made it my goal to surpass him in emails. I am proud to announce that my email now contains nearly 40,000 unread emails and continues to grow.

I will be judging the responses, silently.

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challenge me i dare you.

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mr-sheridan

1 year ago

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mr-sheridan

1 year ago

Hello! I've rewritten this ask like five times so I'll just come out and say, you're one of my favorite artists, thank you for all the good stuff you put out, it's inspiring <3 I wanted to ask, what's your method of studying anatomy and expressions?

Thank you! <3 Ngl the last time I studied anatomy with effort, I was a kid in high-school. The only book I had on the subject was the Anatomy for the Artist from Jeno Barcsay. It was huge and detailed, literally muscle and bone deep, but I think my brain is wired more for the feel of things than the understanding 😅

I try to find nude or mostly nude pics for anatomy stuff. Adult photo sites rule as a source, people contort their bodies in all sorts of weird ways and I can usually find someone with the build I'm looking for.

When I sketch based on a ref, I try to pay attention to the silhouette, negative spaces and alignments. They help me correct mistakes.

Hello! I've Rewritten This Ask Like Five Times So I'll Just Come Out And Say, You're One Of My Favorite

And obviously I love to exaggarate things. (Evident on the waistline and pulled up leg here.)

Same with expressions, I guess. I try to push them but stay within the realm of believable. It's so easy to make a face look uncanny or creepy or w/e with a smile too wide. I have had a couple commissioners ask me before to tone down the initial expressions on their characters, and I think that was a nice reminder to pull me back to reality lol It can get especially weird with long narrow faces like Buttons'. I find it a bit tricky to make him have a large open smile while fitting it all on his head.