Tips for Designing a Vampire OC!
When the sun goes down…While many magical girls and pirates are fast asleep…another type of character emerges from the shadows. They’re iconic and they can make great villains…Everyone give it up for…vampires! We’ve covered one of my favorite types of characters to design, fairies, and now it’s time to cover my other favorite! (Psst…If you missed my last article on designing fairy characters, check it out here!) Vampires are a pretty popular type of character, and you’ve likely seen all kinds of them! You might recognize names such as…
Like I mentioned before, vampires are one of the types of characters that are my favorite to design! They’re often known for their mystery, dark aesthetics, and mystical appearances! So, how does one design a vampire character? Well, step into the nearest spooky castle, say hello to the bats, and let’s talk about it!
What kind of vampire is your OC?
First of all, you need to decide what type of vampire your OC is! Vampires living in dark spooky castles are most definitely cool, but they aren’t the only options. They’re a popular type of character and you can find them all across different media! In older stories a vampire might be more scary and evil, while a vampire from more modern media might be more of a charming heartthrob!
Since vampires are typically known to be immortal, that gives a lot of different opportunities for the time period they’re from! The kind of story your vampire is in and what type of vampire they are will help you choose how to design them! Here’s some questions you can consider before designing your vampire:
- Are they based on vampires from folklore?
- Are they based on vampires of modern stories?
- Are they good, evil, or morally grey?
- What kind of story are they in?
- What time period are they from, and which are they currently in?
- What’s their social status?
- What are their powers?
Thinking about what type of character your vampire is can help you decide how you go about designing them. The kind of look your OC has can tell the audience a bit about what kind of vampire they are and make them look stylish at the same time!
You can incorporate all kinds of different aspects into your vampire’s design based on what kind of vampire you want your OC to be! As we go through this article, try thinking about the above questions above to help you get an idea for what you want to do for your vampire!
Give your vampire a cool outfit and accessories!
An iconic part of vampire designs is the stylish outfits they wear! Regardless of what kind of vampire they are, you can give them a fashionable outfit that’ll make them look chic as they roam the night! (Pst…you know what also helps with outfits? Color palettes! If you want to learn more about that, check out this cool article here!)
Try giving your vampire a spooky aesthetic!
There’s lots of different aesthetics that just scream “vampire”! Vampires often have dark, mysterious aesthetics. Picking an aesthetic that fits your vampire can add to their design! Depending on the kind of vampire they are, they might have a different aesthetic than other vampires. While not always, different kinds of goth aesthetics are often popular! Some common aesthetics fitting for vampires include…
- Vampire goth aesthetics
- Romantic goth aesthetics
- Victorian aesthetics
- Pastel goth aesthetics
- Gothic lolita aesthetics
- Aristocratic goth aesthetics
- Grunge aesthetics
- Cyberpunk aesthetics
- Dark academia aesthetics
When choosing an aesthetic, you’ll definitely want to think about where your vampire is and what story they’re in! There’s lots of different options to choose from, and there’s way more than the aesthetics listed above!
A good example of using aesthetics for a vampire design would be Dralicire’s OC Marilyn! Marilyn has a stunning gothic aesthetic!
Another good example would be FancyFishSticks’ monsterfied sona FancyFishsticks! She also has a gorgeous gothic aesthetic!
Can you give them a motif that pulls their look together?
Another way you can really add to your vampire’s design is by utilizing a motif to bring everything together! There’s lots of things you can use as a motif for your vampire character! Here’s some ideas for vampire motifs to get your creativity flowing!
- A ruby motif
- A fang motif
- A bat motif
- A celestial motif
- A heart motif
- A spider motif
- A rose motif
- A skull motif
There’s plenty of options when it comes to what kind of motif you can give your vampire! Depending on their personality, you don’t have to give them a dark one either!
A good example of using motifs for a vampire design would be AngieAKAskull’s OC Lilah! Lilah has a fun bat motif!
Another example would be RosieJewel’s OC Jewel! Jewel has a cute heart motif!
Pick a fangtastic fit for your vampire!
Some are fancy, some dress more sleek…Choosing clothes that fit your vampire is a fun part of designing them! There’s all kinds of different clothes vampires are seen in. Here’s some clothes ideas to get you thinking about how you can dress your vampire!
- A long-sleeved shirt with ruffles
- A long trumpet dress
- Dark leather pants
- A vest
- A long coat
- A corset
- A velvet top
- A frilly dress shirt
- A long cape
There’s quite a few options for what kinds of clothes you can give your vampire! When and where your vampire is from will also play a large part in what kinds of clothes they might wear!
An example of a good outfit for a vampire would be Mikeytymian’s OC Valeron! Valeron has a fancy outfit great for a vampire!
Another good example would be DreamKnightmare’s OC Theia! Theia has a stylish red dress that’s fitting for a vampire!
Add some artistic accessories to your vampire’s design!
Additional ways to enhance your vampire’s design are including fun accessories! Depending on what aesthetic and motif your vampire has, they might have accessories dissimilar to accessories other vampires would have! There’s many accessories you could give your vampire, and here’s a few ideas to get your imagination fired up!
- Lace gloves
- A choker
- Ruby earrings
- A black pearl necklace
- A chain belt
- A spider crown
- A large hat
- A jabot
- A bat-shaped bag
- A rose pendant
- A tie
There’s many different accessories that can make your vampire’s appearance more appealing! You can add as many, or as few accessories as you want. Your vampire could have a signature spooky accessory, or have a bunch of different accessories!
A good example of using accessories for a vampire character would be Sunkiller’s OC Vampire Queen! The Vampire Queen has elegant gloves and silver accessories that show off her status!
Another good example would be Becca’s OC Bram! Bram has a fancy jabot and gold accessories that make him look fancy and elegant!
Don’t forget to design your vampire’s overall appearance!
Vampires are also well-known for their fabulous appearances! Using your character’s appearance to your advantage is both fun, and can make your character look great in the process! There’s lots of different things you can consider.
Try using shape language and build to your advantage when designing your vampire!
When designing your vampire, you can try using shape language and build to tell the audience more about your vampire! Depending on the shape language they have, they might seem more dangerous, or more friendly! Here’s some ideas to get your creativity flowing!
- A dangerous and quick vampire with a thin build and sharp shape language
- A friendly vampire with a strong build but lots of round shape language
- A protective vampire with a blocky build and square shape language
Incorporating shape language into your vampire's design can be a fun way to help your audience know what kind of vampire they are! This can be especially helpful if you have a friendly vampire, but still want to give them a dark aesthetic. They could have more friendly shape language to show that!
A good example of using shape language for a vampire design would be Cecil’s OC Virgil! Virgil has lots of square shape language that make him seem unwavering!
Another good example would be Neil’s OC Julia! Julia has some round shape language that makes her look sweet and friendly!
Give your vampire a stylish hairdo!
Hairstyles are another thing you can think about when it comes to your vampire’s design! They might have a different hairstyle depending on what kind of vampire they are. A more elegant vampire might have a fancy updo, while an assassin vampire might have a short hairstyle! Here’s a few hairstyle ideas to get you thinking:
- Elegant braids
- A blunt bob
- A voluminous half-up hairdo
- A fancy bun
- A long ponytail
- A pixie cut
The kind of hairstyle your vampire can have will depend on what they do and what their personality is like! Some vampires might need a more practical hairstyle for fighting and others might just want to look stylish!
A good example of using hairstyles for a vampire character would be Chris’ OC Caspian! Caspian has a long, wavy ponytail that suits his fancy design!
Another good example would be Sage’s OC Romeria! Romeria has long, voluminous hair that matches her sweet but stubborn personality!
Can you give your vampire cool or spooky eyes?
Oftentimes, vampires have cool eye designs! They usually have unique eyes that make it easy to guess that they’re vampires amongst the other characters in the story. Sometimes it’s something simple like an abnormal eye color, and sometimes it’s a little more obvious! Here’s some ideas you can consider for your vampire’s eyes!
- Yellow irises
- Red irises
- Purple irises
- Sharp, animal-like pupils
- Skull-shaped pupils
- Dark scleras
- Red scleras
- Glowing eyes
You can play around with different colors, eye shapes, and pupil shapes and see what works best for your vampire and the world they’re a part of! It’s all up to you! Some choices might make them seem more scary, and others might make them feel more mystical.
A good example of using eye designs for a vampire character would be Croc’s OC Heinrich! Heinrich has spooky red scleras and yellow irises!
Another good example would be Enbyprincex’s OC Shiro! Shiro has subtle red eyes!
Try adding some unique design features to your vampire!
You can’t have a vampire without some cool extra details! Well, you totally can, but some extra details can be fun to add! Vampires are typically known for having fangs, but that’s not the only thing they can have! Some other things you could add could be things like…
- Pointed ears
- Bat ears
- Bat wings
- Sharp claws
- Cool tattoos
- Limbs with a dark gradient
- A fantasy skin color
Depending on what kind of vampire look you’re going for, there’s some different options to choose from for special details! Some vampires might have a more subtle look, while for others it might be pretty obvious that they’re a vampire too! Some vampires also have more bat-like features as well.
A good example of using unique details for a vampire would be Millabel’s OC Waffeln! Waffeln has cute bat wings and ears!
Another good example would be Necrokirby’s OC Astrophel! Astrophel has pointed ears that have a dark gray gradient on them!
Vampires are really fun characters to design! By thinking about different outfit ideas, aesthetics, special details, and more are all ways you can come up with a fabulous vampire design! When it comes to designing your vampire, do whatever you like best! Have fun creating!
Want a couple more ideas for different aspects of your vampire? Try a makeup look, or give them some cool powers!