HELLO! I just binged ur whole malevolent design series on the youtube. can i just say i adore how you draw.
I had a lovely little question⦠how do you go about stylization and such? Im someone who almost exclusively draws semi realism and struggle with any sort of stylization⦠so how do you do it? How do you make them so fun and funky??
Iām going to look deep within myself to try and answer this as concise and normal as possible without it turning into a novel:
I had a lot of trouble stylizing realistic characters because Iām not that great (and not that interested in) very realistic OR overly cartoonish styles. Being good at realism/semi-realism may give you an advantage here, because having a base close to reality and then working backwards is, in my experience, a lot easier than building a stylized character before you know what the character really looks like. Iād like to think Arthur and Kellin are some of my strongest human designs because I had a good idea of what they would look like realistically, which you can (sorta) see in the style of my first video.
Over time, I just got faster at drawing frames yet still needed everyone to have a unique face, so designs got smoother and more shapey. I felt most comfortable drawing side profiles and found it easier to make them unique than faces staring straight-on or at a 3/4 angle, so I focused on side profiles. I was able to compromise on my desire for strong shapes, my own preferred art style, and realistic-enough proportions by taking inspiration from styles human characters appeared in that I did like (WolfytheWitch was a huge inspiration), and looking at the styles Iād taken inspiration from in the past and noticing whats appealing about how they simplify things (Stan Sakaiās was a big one for my entire art style, and Iāve recently also found that I like the look of Sir Quentin Blakeās).
The cubism, honestly, was somewhat of a last resort because it simplified things down so much (without being cartoonish in a direction I didnāt connect with) that I was forced to give people unique shapes. I am also most comfortable drawing animals/D&D style fantasy characters (read: furries), so I (quite recently and mostly unconsciously) use shapes found in animals that vaguely match a characterās general vibe. Kayne looks so sharp with a big smile because I used a crow for his āvague general vibeā. However, this only really applies to Kayne (and Manny), Lillith, and Arthur so far.
To keep all of these characters consistent, they all have rules I keep in mind. Arthur will always have a hooked nose and smooth chin, John will always have a rounded forehead, Kayne will always look like a weird little bird, etc.
My best advice, consistent with my own experience, is to just draw a lot, and youāll find your own personal style. Try to get loose and comfortable with it. Take everything, anything, that you like in an art style and assemble it all together into your own perfect view of the world. Identify what your inspirations are, and what your ideal style would be, and never stop looking for things you can add. If you like how one person does eyes and another person does poses and another person does smiles or hands or colors or whatever, smash it all together and try to draw it. That collage will come together into something only you can do.