Ladybug, Frog, House and DUCK! Designs
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I really like the face of 7! It's a cute face, but it still has an older feeling rather than the other ones before it. I think with how my brain sees this, the bodies between 8 and 10 have an older feeling because the body is taller and longer, which makes them relatable characters to an older kid. When I draw, I usually make younger characters have a cutesy, squished, smaller body. Sometimes when I draw, I also squish an old person to make them appear cuter. Haha. And when I draw older kids, I do the opposite. I think for this age group, I like 10's stance and body! She has more action to her. What if you combined the face of 7 and the body of 10? I think that would make her seem like an older kid, but still cute and innocent. I also love 10's coat with buttons or patches on it! And the scarf! It makes her feel like she's a main character
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Sorry for writing a novel on your post, lol... I also would just like to add, I work in researching trends in toys, activities, games, etc. and one thing I have seen over and over again is that kids at this age group like feeling older than they really are. So a character like 10 is muah perfecto
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Thank you for everyone's suggestions and comments, they will really help push the concept towards a final stage. I really appreciate you all taking the time to lend your knowledge and would love to reply to every comment individually, but I got a lot more replies than expected
As it stands 9, 4 and 7 have had some great responses, so I will try to focus on those and see what can be improved to get it down to a final choice. The character designs were also posted on facebook and got over 400 replies for which a majority went for 7, however as some of you mentioned it could suffer due to restrictions in it's poses (i'm sure I can use it as a side/background character in a future project though...)
One thing that will be a big factor in the ladybug's design is the shape of her friend the frog, as both are of equal standing in the story and have similar qualities, but I still want to make them work together, yet stand out on their own design. I've played around with about 10 designs, but it's felt more of a struggle than the ladybugs. Personally I like G if it were to go with 9 or H if it were to go with 4.
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For what it's worth my kids really like ladybug 4. I think the face on 7 is very appealing. Maybe you could combine the two?
Frog H is a great design!
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@Gary-Wilkinson I really like C! I think the rounder frogs really complement the tall legged ladybug. C, G and J all have "gentle giant" vibes which work really great.
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E, F, J says my 8 year old. I like J. My son seems to like the larger characters which I think translates consistently across that age group.
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@Gary-Wilkinson I really like F and I for the frogs
They're all so cute though. -
@Gary-Wilkinson I totally agree with 4 and H as a great combo!
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Again many many thanks for the comments and advice! So at the moment it feels like we might be going for 9 for the ladybug and I still have to work out the design of the frog to make them fit together, but E, G and H are the forerunners. I really want to do H, but I think the design is too similar so i'll play around to see if there is some room for it.
In the meantime I did some character studies for the 9 ladybug and so far it feels like is quite a solid character, but no final thoughts yet.... I also did some sketches for her "quaint little house", however it's only on 1 page so it's not a major thing, but all design is important right
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Haven't had much experience with drawing frogs, so doing some study sketches and exploring other artist's versions.
Also trying some character studies of the frog character we might look at going with. I do like this design, but im a little concerned that it's not super unique and that it's head shape is a little too similar to the ladybug, but there is still enough time to play around with ideas. I also plan on doing another study sheet with a frog of a more round a large design too as many of you suggested
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@Gary-Wilkinson It's all looking really cute!
I just wanted to give you a quick observation about your frog character. In the full body pose where he is on all fours, his legs and toes are reading more turtle like than frog to me. Just something that caught my attention right away
I can't wait to see more progress on the development of these characters and the project overall!
Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/jacy13
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacy13draws/?hl=en
Portfolio: https://jacy13.artstation.com/ -
@Jacy13 I see what you mean. I'll have to play around with the legs a bit more.
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Hi @Gary-Wilkinson, loving your studies; thanks for sharing with us! Your chosen ladybug character design was my fav.
Regarding her home, I find the can house most interesting.
Cheers!
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All of them are amazing' I really l loved 7 the most!
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Ok last one I promise. So there is a 3rd character who is a duck and he is the somewhat crazy/panicky one, whereas the other 2 characters are more level headed. Any opinions on what fits in the trio?
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@Gary-Wilkinson I like G and H!
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@Gary-Wilkinson I think G for the duck fits best with the other two characters
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I really like A or C for the duck and just love the snail house or the van both very cute! Great sketches!!
