How to Design an Angel OC

This is part of our design series on how to make an OC! – The ultimate guide to character building.

Looking to design an angel OC for your next project? We’re here to help! No matter the kind of angel you’re designing, we have some tips to help you get started.

Angels are a unique and popular type of character, often seen in religious settings as well as modern media. So how do you go about designing a divine angel? Let’s talk about it!

Decide On Your Angel’s Character

First, you’ll want to decide on how to characterize the angel OC. While you might think of a perfect, morally good character when thinking “angel,” there’s more options to do for an angel OC! To create a nuanced character, try giving them flaws and specific goals. Some angels might not even be as noble as they first appear. Once you have in mind the kind of divine OC to create, you can choose design features that represent their personality or their objective. For some angel OC ideas, some options might be:

• An angel with a dark robe and a thorny halo for a more morally grey angel
• An angel with a blue gown and a pair of round wings for a trustworthy angel
• An angel with sharp armor and wings with pointed edges for an angel with goals of defeating demons
• An angel with a heart-shaped halo and pink wings for one helping mortals achieve love

If you need help coming up with goals for your OC, check out our article on why every OC needs a goal.

Angel Details: Wings, Halos, and More

Another thing to think about is the visual design choices to give an angel OC. There’s lots of different ways to go about an angel design, and there’s plenty of features to include. You can think about the form they should have and consider design elements such as wings and halos. Another option is to give the angel other ethereal features, like glowing eyes or a gradient on their limbs. Depending on how the divine character is designed, they might seem more angelic and larger-than-life, or more humanoid and relatable. Some angel OC ideas:

• Bird wings on a helmet and matching wings on their boots
• Multiple halos overlapping and an illuminated gradient on their hands
• Several eyes on their face and eyes scattered on their wings
• Multiple pairs of sparkling wings and iridescent eyes

Angelic Abilities and Limitations

While designing an angel OC, it’s also good to think about what the angel can do — as well as what they can’t. As powerful as an angelic being might be, they still have their limits! Angels might have powers relating to healing or protection, but there are other options as well. The design of the angelic OC can reflect their powers as well as their limitations. They might change their form when they use their powers, or perhaps using their abilities causes damage to their body. For some angel character design elements, you could try:

• Glowing hands and eyes when they use healing powers
• Multiple halos and wings when using enhancement abilities
• A shattered halo and torn wings when they’ve used their abilities too much
• Their halo and wings turn black when using destructive powers

Celestial Setting: Hierarchy and Ranks

Next, it’s time to think about the structure of an angel OC’s world. Oftentimes, angels have some form of hierarchy, with different angels having different roles and rankings. Depending on what rank the angel is, they might have a different design than one of higher or lower rankings. Some angels might have different roles in the divine kingdom as well. One group of angels might be messengers to humans, another might be in charge of guarding the heavenly realms, while a different group could be musicians of their kingdom. For some ideas on how hierarchy and rank could impact an angel design:

• A high-ranking angel with eyes along their halos and wings on their head and feet
• A low-ranking angel with small wings and a dull halo
• A commander angel with shining armor and a decorated halo
• A messenger angel with winged sandals and a mailbag

Deciding on Divine Bonds

As you continue designing an angel OC, it’s also important to consider how the character interacts with others in the story. While they might have bonds with their fellow angels, the OC could interact with other beings as well. The angel might serve as a friend to a mortal, or they might have a rivalry with a demon. Depending on the character, they could even form forbidden relationships with other beings. For some ideas on how the angel’s relationships could impact a design:

• An angel with a more humanoid appearance and a matching friendship bracelet with a human
• An angel who has a more divine and scary appearance with a flaming sword for one who’s rivals with a demon
• An angel with a darker color scheme and a spiked halo for one who’s betrayed their own kind 
• An angel secretly in love with a mortal who keeps their angelic features out of view and wears a heart locket

If you need more ideas on how to develop relationships for your characters, check out our article that explores relationship types for OC stories.

Where They Fit Into the Story

Lastly, it’s time to think about the role the angel OC will play in the story itself. There’s a variety of different roles an angel could have in the narrative. An angel might serve as a guardian or judge, but they also could be a fallen angel who serves as a villain. An angel might also be the main protagonist and serve as a reluctant hero who dislikes their angelic title. Just like with relationships, the design of the OC could be impacted by the character’s role in the story. Here’s some things to consider to get your creativity flowing:

• A reluctant hero angel who dresses casually and hides their angelic features
• A guardian angel with heavy armor and a white shield
• A judge angel with a scale and a hammer weapon
• A fallen angel antagonist with a broken halo and blackened wings stained with blood

Share Your Angel on Unvale

There’s a lot of options when it comes to creating an angel character for a story. By utilizing details, abilities, setting, and more, you can design an angel OC that fits right into your story.

Once you're finished designing your angel, come share them with us on Unvale. We’d love to see what you’ve come up with!