How To Use MUSIC To Design An OC!
Have you ever been uninspired with designing a character? Maybe it’s time for a new source of inspiration…music! Music can be a great source of inspiration when it comes to creating a character! But before we get into that, if you need some help with already existing characters, check out one of these other articles!
Now that we have that done, let’s talk about my favorite musical! Oh, uh, I mean…talk about using music for designing characters!
Music is a goldmine of inspiration when it comes to designing characters! You don’t have to be an expert on music, and it can be a fun way to get yourself motivated! Whether it be a current favorite song, a trending one, or one that’s relatable to you! So how do you design a character with music? Grab some headphones, turn on your favorite playlist, and let's talk about it!
Use the literal lyrics of the song as inspiration for your OC!
The first way you can use music for designing an OC is by using the lyrics themselves! Songs often use vivid language and imagery, and that can be a great inspiration for a character! Think about what you “see” in a song. You could take objects in the song and turn those into design features! If you’re not sure what to look for, here’s some questions that can help!
- Are there any characters in the song? (Like a lover, an enemy, etc!)
- Are there any animals in the song? (Like a wolf, a hare, ect!)
- Are there any plants in the song? (Like a rose, a tree, etc!)
- Are there any places or buildings in the song? (Like an old home, meeting place, etc!)
- Are there any other objects in the song? (Like a knife, a necklace, etc!)
- What’s happening in the song from a literal standpoint? (Like something burning, something breaking, etc!)
Oftentimes, the imagery in a song is representative of something else…but that doesn’t mean you can’t still use it for ideas! Maybe the imagery can serve as the character’s outfit, or personality!
The things in the song could be used as a motif for a character design. If there’s any plants or animals in the song, you could base your OC’s design off of that! Plants could serve as a pattern on a character’s outfit, or as part of their powers! Animals could be inspiration for giving a character animal features or fur accessories!
If you want to know a little more about motifs, check out this article on outfits here!
Use your interpretation of the song as inspiration for your OC!
While it can be fun to use the lyrics on their own as inspiration, using the meaning behind the imagery can be fun as well! What is the song about from your perspective?
The fun part about music (and art too!) is that everyone has a different interpretation of what its meaning is! Your favorite song might be interpreted differently by your friends, and that’s perfectly okay! If you're not sure where to start with deciphering a song, you can consider questions such as:
- What is happening in the song, and could it be symbolism for something else?
- What kind of personality does the character or characters in the song have?
- What kind of objects or animals are in the song, and what could they represent?
- What is the message or purpose of the song?
Depending on how you interpret the song, you could use that for your character design as well! If the character in the song feels aggressive or rude, you could give your OC a design with lots of sharp shape language! If a character seems mysterious or strange, you could make their appearance just as mysterious with a cloak or mask!
If you want to know more about shape language, check out this article on the topic here!
Use the vibe of the song as inspiration for your OC!
Sometimes, different music just has a certain vibe to it! It creates a certain feeling or mood. More than just happy or sad too!
Some songs feel wistful and nostalgic, others might feel eerie or mysterious! This can go beyond just the lyrics of the song too. Some songs might have a really cheerful, energetic beat…only for the lyrics to be really sorrowful!
When it comes to your character, you can use the vibe of a song as your inspiration for their design too! It can be based on the genre of music, or just on the feel of it! Here’s some ideas if you need some:
- A character based on a relaxing song could have a cozy outfit with a rounder silhouette
- A character based on a melancholic song could have a gloomier expression or eye shape
- A character based on an upbeat song could have a bright or wild outfit
- A character based on an intense song could have a more intimidating appearance
Try designing your character based on how a song makes you feel! Just like with your interpretation of the song, some people will get a different feeling from a song than you do! Using the vibe of a song can be a fun way to make design choices for your OC, and you can play around with the face and eye shape of your OC!
If you want to know a bit more on eye designs for a character, check out this article on the topic here!
Use multiple songs as inspiration for your OC!
When it comes to designing a character based on music, you aren’t limited to just one song for a character! If one song isn’t enough for your character design, try more than one!
If you’re not sure where to start when looking for multiple songs to use, try an album or musical with songs that tell a story! If you need ideas on how to use multiple songs for a design you could…
- Use the vibe of one song and the imagery in another for a character design
- Use the imagery from one song and your interpretation another song for a character design
- Combine all the aspects of two songs into one character design
Creating an OC design from a few different songs can be fun and create a unique look for them. Combining different aspects you like about multiple songs can help give you ideas for an interesting character too!
If you want to see some cool musical characters from the users of Unvale, check out…
- Sides’ OC Myoris
- Leel’s OC Octavous
- Alixya’s OC Aimhirghin
- Kaikaiju’s OC Kevo Bun
Using music for designing a character is both fun and can really inspire some ideas!
Whether you use the imagery in the song, your interpretation, or just the vibe, you can find inspiration for a cool character!
If you want some inspiration for more specific types of characters, there’s articles for designing a royal OC, designing a villain OC, designing an alien OC, and more!