Any advice on making a tf oc look better/more cannon?
I'm struggling with a redesign
Bahaha well, the only TF OC I have is Chatterbox ! I think they kind of stick out like a sore thumb and don’t exactly look or fit into the canon TF style but I will provide what advice I can
For the most part, I think it comes down to studying how different continuities stylize transformers. For example, if you’re going for a G1 kind of design, characters are usually shaped blockier because they were designed to be 2D animated
Vs a show like TFP where the general shape language theme is Sharp and characters have a lot more details. Since they’re 3D animated, there’s a lot more liberty for details. In general, it’s good to study canon character designs and the shape language, theme, amount of details, etc if you want your OC to fit into that universe !
Chatterbox’s design is mostly based on G1’s simpler character designs with a touch of IDW ! What I did was gather characters who have a similar alt mode/vibe to what I wanted Chatterbox to be and basically use them as a general guideline for what parts should go where !
For Chatterbox in particular, I had Wheeljack and Soundwave as my main inspirations. Since Wheeljack has a similar alt mode to Chatterbox, I took loose inspiration for the placement of the car parts from him and I was mostly inspired by Soundwave’s general helm shape and legs !
Then I got a picture of the irl alt mode (Lancia) and started to deconstruct the vehicle
Visualizing how they transform in my head and understanding what parts go into where helps a lot but you could also mostly make it up (like the kibble on Chatterbox’s ankles aren’t really realistic with their placement but they are fun ! They’re like exhaust pipe.. booster. Things.) they’re alien robots and if it looks cool you can totally just add some fun kibble to give your character more detail !
For Chatterbox in particular I kept their design more shape focused and simple rather than detail focused so it was easier for me to draw But if you are going for more of a detailed design look you can totally break down the vehicle parts more.
The comics are a good place to study that because a bunch of artists have their own design takes and still make them fit into the same universe.
Breaking down shapes, adding bevels and more layers onto your character can give you a nice detailed design
Or you can keep it simpler like this ! These ones are closer to G1 designs but still have little extra detail/stylization that make them different and visually appealing
Another thing is studying 3D shapes. Studies and technicalities may seem a little dull and boring but it helps a lot when it comes to mechas. It gives them more dimension and helps sell that believability that they really are mechanical transforming robots !
Best of luck with designing !
