How to Make an OC: A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome to Unvale, home for your OCs! Whether you're dreaming up a reimagined character from a favorite video game, a mythical fae from another world, or even a potted plant come to life, there's a place for it here. From your first spark of an idea to a full backstory and world to live in, this guide walks you through how to make your own original character from scratch – or add a little more personality to one you already have.

Step 1: Brainstorm OC Concept Ideas

I always say the best way to drum up new OC concepts is to draw from as much as possible, and a wide variety of it. Read books, watch movies, notice which animals you gravitate toward, and think about your own hobbies and interests. Inspiration doesn't only come from fandoms; it can come from anywhere that genuinely excites you.

While exploring, you might find characters and fandoms you like and want to incorporate into your own work. You might also notice a favorite animal's traits sneaking into a character's personality, or a film genre you love shaping a character's backstory or world. Follow what inspires you, wherever it comes from, and don't be afraid to borrow and expand on the ideas that stick.

At this stage, don't worry about locking anything in. Maybe a unique name popped into your head, a mood board captured a vibe you love, or a single line of backstory just clicked ("She used to be royalty, but nobody knows."). No matter what it is, it's a perfectly good place to start. Everything can change once the character begins to take shape.

Step 2: Design Your Character

When it comes to creating your first OC, it never hurts to start with a design concept and build off from there; you can always update their outfit or design as needed as you set up their personality and backstory later. If you’re not an artist or you struggle with designing the perfect character, you can check out our favorite – and free – character creators.

Designing an OC can be tough, but with our guides, you're never starting from scratch:

• Tips for Simplifying an OC Design
• How to Avoid Same Face Syndrome When Designing an OC
• How to Use Things in Your Daily Life for OC Inspiration

When designing a character, you can show a lot about their personality through your design decisions such as their color palette, outfit, hairstyle, eye design and other unique details. If you need help to pick a specific aesthetic for a design, we have a guide for that too.

A great design is only half the story, though. It's worth thinking a bit more about things that don't show up in their look, but shape who they are – their job or role in a group, a companion creature, or a superpower, to name a few. I’d personally recommend giving your OC some strengths and weaknesses to balance them out. Even without a full backstory, details like these bring a character to life.

A few questions to help you get there:

• What makes your OC unique in their family, friend group, or society?
• What do they do for work, or what would they like to do?
• What's important to them, and what do they prioritize in life?

Step 3: Write a Backstory

Giving your character a backstory is entirely optional, but it can open the door to more OCs for them to interact with, more looks to try, and more scenes to draw. A backstory can grow from a simple description to a full blown novel-in-the-making. Backstories bind your character to their world and give them purpose. And if the backstory is flexible enough, it can be adapted to fit another world or story. If you'd rather skip the writing, just give your OC a goal to work toward.

If you need help with character backstory building or development, check out Unvale’s Question of the Day to discover something new about your OCs every day. And if you ever get stuck on plot holes, using fear in your backstories, or even writing scary scenes, come find me in the Unvale community for writing advice. It's full of other Unvalers happy to help.

Step 4: Build Their World

Building a world for your character is optional but incredibly fun. Coming up with concepts and developing a whole new world can be difficult, so don't rush it. Revise and edit as you go; new ideas will pop up along the way. Even if you finish a character and their backstory, a world can continue to expand with more OCs and more stories to tell.

Build a rich, lively world with these helpful resources:

• World Building Using Genres
• Ways to Add Magic into Your OC’s World
• Making Traditions for Your OCs and Their Worlds
• Tips for Using Mythology in Your OC Stories

Time to Bring Your OC to Life

Now that you know how to make an OC, from first concept to a fully fleshed-out world, it's time to bring yours to life. Unvale has everything you need to create, organize, and build the lore of your original character – all in one place. Start designing your own OC on Unvale!