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the crux of my troll designs is that theyre not people and they do not resemble people beyond being humanoid. to cement this, 1) they all have exoskeletons that cover the dorsal part of their body, with the ventral side being soft, 2) they also have countershading because I thought itd be cute, 3) their claws are non retractable, 4) their teeth are yellow but theyre not dirty. its just a natural enamel over them, 5) theyre very diverse, possessing many features and traits, and 6) three fingers. okay moving on from my headcanons, onto actual design stuff🧍🏾‍♀️

Aradia:

her face resembles a lamb’s, she and tavros share similar nose bridges because i see them kinda like siblings. her nose bridge actually slopes down into her top lip, creating a weird faux beak

i made her hair coily to really push that lamb motif and her tail tuft also mimics that. the top part of her hair with the two smaller coils is actually supposed to give off this look of her having cute lamb ears, which i based off of chirin from ringing bell. i imagine her as being partially black too, so that also explains her hair texture

i redesigned her outfit to be more practical since she has an interest in archaeology, but her canon outfit seems pretty weird to be doing excavations in. her skirt is shorter and she wears digging boots now. she wears a vest with a rust colored undershirt to hint to her academic interests

her silhouette is generally more rounded and poofy because i think its adorable and fits her. shes slightly chubby and her hands and feet are kinda small. it all gives the impression that she walks with a bounce. i also imagine she sounds like twilight sparkle🥹

Tavros:

his eyes are widespread because of his nose bridge. it only extends down to slightly above his top lip, so he has something of a faux nose. i did this because 1) it gives him the look of a prey animal, specifically a baby cow which is befitting of him, and 2) i referenced a lot of lilo and stitch concept art when finalizing his design because he reminds me of the song “hawaiian rollercoaster ride”

hes pigeon toed and bow legged since i think it conveys his lack of confidence, but i also think its cute and more in line with the concept art i referenced. hes chubby as well because i always imagined tavros would be on the bigger side (twin)

i didnt change much about his outfit besides giving him cargo shorts where he can store his little cards and knickknacks in. i didnt draw them for simplicity’s sake, but theyre in there. he also wears socks and sandals because of course he wears socks and sandals. his shirt has a bronze colored trim to balance out with his sandals. if i described his look, itd be like… 80s (F)LARP god

his silhouette is generally supposed to scream “down to earth” and dorky, hes just a weird kid who wants to play fiduspawn and FLARP :) i imagine whenever he walks, his head slightly wobbles because his horns are so large lol

Sollux:

hes supposed to look like a bee in the face, having large eyes and a comparably smaller mouth. i changed his teeth shape to look more like mandibles to reinforce this motif. I also think it represents his vision twofold ability pretty well too. below is an older drawing i did while i was still figuring out his face shape, but you get the jist

i gave him locs because i really like the idea of sollux being black or partially black because its cute. i also didnt want gamzee to be the only black coded boy in the troll line up. sollux also reminds me of the album “in my mind” by pharrell, so blackness becomes an inherent thing i think of when it comes to him

his outfit takes inspiration from some of pharrell’s fashion during the early 2000s with the hoodie and the jeans in particular. i decided that the black and white color scheme would basically be present throughout his outfit, alternating through the inside of his hoodie, drawstrings, and shoes. it functions as the equivalent to the red and blue of his glasses, which i relegated only to his face to draw attention to it

his build is slim but slightly pudgy, which you cant really see with his hoodie on. i imagine that hes tall for a lowblood, so hes still short compared to the highbloods. his tail is also bifurcated to represent his duality. his silhouette is like… slim and droopy, thats the best way i can describe it

Karkat:

i made his face broad and reshaped his horns to be more bulbous so they resemble crab eye stalks. this in combination with his square-ish profile makes his face look slightly like a crab. i also wanted to make him look ugly since i imagine itd add more to his insecurity in a way thats more grounded

i changed his hair style too because i found his canon one so tedious to draw so i said “fuck it” and gave him chris cornell hair spikes instead. his front bangs do shape into a heart, which hints to his interest in romance. also its cute!

his outfit is reinterpreted to be more grunge, bordering on nu metal but its still simplified. this is because i think karkat’s whole demeanor and angst is reminiscent of this genre of music, but he also reminds me a lot of dan mandel from dan vs. his double sleeve shirt is actually just a white long sleeve undershirt layered with a black t shirt, and his jeans are especially baggy to convey his grunge. I also changed his shoes a bit to match with his shirt

the others having something about their clothes that clearly conveys their blood color is supposed to make karkat stand out even more, since he doesnt have any significant coloring on his outfit that isnt monochromatic

his silhouette is supposed to be short and stout since i feel like it fits with his insecurities and his boisterous fronting. hes big and brawny with large hands and very expressive gesturing. the best way i can summarize how i think of him is that he stands on business and he be on “walk em down” energy.

my general opinions of these guys are that aradia and tavros are adorable sweethearts and sollux and karkat are little sourpusses (they have valid reasons to be sourpusses, but still). I love all of these guys but my favorite definitely has to be tavros, thats my son right there.