Need some character design critique

[ObscureTen]

I've redesigned one of my characters and need some advices/critique on her look. Specifically if it gives right vibe about her character, but als avoiding overcomplicated look. I've tried as hard as possible to make her feel energetic, smug and sloppy, to feel like someone charismatic and capable, but who steel overestimate themself:

• wild hair
• added frickles, because they feel "childish" (and because they so damn cute)
• in older version she had plasters as a simbol of her ready to get beatn up, in new one I replaced them with one but big scar on stomach
• lab coat wrapped around waist because it "get's in a way of hands", but the fact that she even has it should show that she's not just a brute
• in old version there were stickers on her face, but they made it messy on a distance
• first aid kit on leg because she's a nurse, and also becase she's ready to help friends
• added wide trousers to make bigger actent on legs, because she's constantly moving (plus trouser legs having different length, for sloppines)

So... wich version is better, and what could be changed in this version/what you don't like in it?

[Czyszy]

IMO the old one did in fact have too many band-aids. :P

[NecroNovaNG]

At 12/21/23 03:20 PM, ObscureTen wrote: I've redesigned one of my characters and need some advices/critique on her look. Specifically if it gives right vibe about her character, but als avoiding overcomplicated look. I've tried as hard as possible to make her feel energetic, smug and sloppy, to feel like someone charismatic and capable, but who steel overestimate themself:
So... wich version is better, and what could be changed in this version/what you don't like in it?

As a fellow character designer, i think this actually looks good for the most part!

Main thing i have to say is about the bandages. The older design had too many, but i think the new design could benefit from them by just reducing it from (however many there were before), to just 1 on each arm.

Other than that, i think the vibe i get from her is extremely close enough to the one you envisioned. That being; Brash but artistic with their possible abilities at the same time.

[PerKGrok]

At 12/21/23 03:20 PM, ObscureTen wrote: I've redesigned one of my characters and need some advices/critique on her look. Specifically if it gives right vibe about her character, but als avoiding overcomplicated look. I've tried as hard as possible to make her feel energetic, smug and sloppy, to feel like someone charismatic and capable, but who steel overestimate themself:
So... wich version is better, and what could be changed in this version/what you don't like in it?

I would suggest making eyes and mouth very clearly visible. You need them to show emotions.

I also moved the ear to a more correct position from an anatomical point of view.

The thumb on the hand saluting seems to be on the wrong side.

I think the new clothing is better than the old. I wondering a bit though on how the coat is tied around her waist. I would have expected that the sleeves would be used for that, but they seems to not have been used.

[Skoops]

The new design is an improvement.

That said, there's still a lot you're trying to convey, and some of it feels contradictory. The more you lean into the slovenly disheveled look, the less I'd want her anywhere near me when it comes to needing medical aid. The baseline expectation is that a medic character will take care of their patients about as well as they take care of themselves, and you make a point of showing that she doesn't take care of her appearance. That can work for a Mad Scientist character where you're supposed to think of them as too crazy to practice regular medicine, but I don't think that's what you're going for. I'm not really sold on that contradiction.

[ObscureTen]

At 12/21/23 04:22 PM, NecroNovaNG wrote:

At 12/21/23 03:20 PM, ObscureTen wrote: I've redesigned one of my characters and need some advices/critique on her look. Specifically if it gives right vibe about her character, but als avoiding overcomplicated look. I've tried as hard as possible to make her feel energetic, smug and sloppy, to feel like someone charismatic and capable, but who steel overestimate themself:
So... wich version is better, and what could be changed in this version/what you don't like in it?

As a fellow character designer, i think this actually looks good for the most part!
Main thing i have to say is about the bandages. The older design had too many, but i think the new design could benefit from them by just reducing it from (however many there were before), to just 1 on each arm.

Other than that, i think the vibe i get from her is extremely close enough to the one you envisioned. That being; Brash but artistic with their possible abilities at the same time.

Right now I'm playing with placing some bandages at her hands, and I think your right. Her hands looked kinda doll, but I was afraid of adding something on them because I don't want to overcomplicate the design, but adding few of them actually makes a huge difference

[ObscureTen]

At 12/21/23 05:06 PM, PerKGrok wrote:

At 12/21/23 03:20 PM, ObscureTen wrote: I've redesigned one of my characters and need some advices/critique on her look. Specifically if it gives right vibe about her character, but als avoiding overcomplicated look. I've tried as hard as possible to make her feel energetic, smug and sloppy, to feel like someone charismatic and capable, but who steel overestimate themself:
So... wich version is better, and what could be changed in this version/what you don't like in it?

I would suggest making eyes and mouth very clearly visible. You need them to show emotions.
I also moved the ear to a more correct position from an anatomical point of view.

The thumb on the hand saluting seems to be on the wrong side.

I think the new clothing is better than the old. I wondering a bit though on how the coat is tied around her waist. I would have expected that the sleeves would be used for that, but they seems to not have been used.

Aside from anatomy problems I will think about how to change the face, but when you talked about the coat I just blue-screend. Because I look at the art, and I have no idea what I thought while drawing the coat. I will probably remake it from scratch with the better references.

[ObscureTen]

At 12/21/23 07:05 PM, Skoops wrote: The new design is an improvement.

That said, there's still a lot you're trying to convey, and some of it feels contradictory. The more you lean into the slovenly disheveled look, the less I'd want her anywhere near me when it comes to needing medical aid. The baseline expectation is that a medic character will take care of their patients about as well as they take care of themselves, and you make a point of showing that she doesn't take care of her appearance. That can work for a Mad Scientist character where you're supposed to think of them as too crazy to practice regular medicine, but I don't think that's what you're going for. I'm not really sold on that contradiction.

Well, some of it is kinda intensional, she's not really good of a nurse. Her main conflict (at least at the beggining of the story) is that she thinks too big of herself, always wanting to be important but ignoring obvious problems (thats btw the reason why she is always with close eyes, she's metaphorically "don't want to look at the reality" of her not being some living ideal). She's constantly changing jobs, and thinks that the reason why she is still not some super important expert despite her passion (and talant, she is pretty capable after all) is because of some deep problem in the world wich needs to be heroicly resolved, not because of her own flaws and disability to stick at one thing.

To be fair, her conflict is kinda personal for me as the creator. Thanks for your thoughts

[VanVeleca]

I might simplify some stuff such as that thingamajic on her arm

The wrapped coat around her hips might also get a bit difficult to draw for more dynamic poses, I'd suggest perhaps making her wear a ripped up lab coat or have her wear a vest instead