Tips for Designing a Werewolf OC
Awooo!! Wait, I’m a vampire, not a werewolf!
A type of character lurks in the shadows of the moonlit night…they’re not the ghosts…Sometimes they’re considered the enemies of vampires…You might consider them a kind of monster…This type of character is…the werewolf! Werewolves are another popular character in media and stories! You might recognize the names of characters such as…
Werewolves, also sometimes known as Lycanthropes or Lycans, are characters who shapeshift into wolves or wolf-like creatures! In popular stories they change into their wolf form under the light of a full moon…Usually against their own will! In more modern stories they might be the nemeses of vampire characters too. Werewolves are an interesting kind of character that you can find in films, shows, and stories! So how do you design a werewolf OC? Well, first you need to wait for a full moon before we can start…Just kidding! Let’s talk about it!
What kind of werewolf is your OC?
First off, what kind of werewolf is your character? Werewolves vary in different kinds of stories and there’s different kinds your OC could be! Some werewolves may only have werewolf features during a full moon, others may still have animal ears or other features regardless.
Some werewolves may have better control over their abilities, others may have no control at all! You’ll want to consider the kind of werewolf they are as you design them. If you’re not sure where to start, you could consider questions such as…
- How did the character receive their powers?
- When do they turn into a werewolf?
- Do they have control over their abilities?
- Do they have wolf-like features only while transformed?
- When they transform, do they turn into a humanoid wolf, or a normal wolf?
- What’s their personality like?
- Are they good, evil, or morally grey?
The questions above will give you an idea of how you can design your werewolf character! A werewolf with no control over their powers might have more ragged clothing since the transformation was unexpected, or if they have control they might be more prepared for it. Thinking about how a werewolf’s powers affect them can help you design them!
Give your werewolf an interesting outfit!
Since werewolves appear in modern stories and old myths alike, there’s a lot of different outfits you could give your werewolf character! You’ll want to consider the setting as well as the personality of your character when designing their outfit.
Incorporate a motif into your werewolf’s design!
For starters, a motif could be a great addition to a werewolf design! The motif could be based around their powers or what causes them to change into a werewolf. A motif could be the audience’s hint to the character being a werewolf before it‘s revealed too!
There’s several different themes that could be used as a motif throughout a werewolf design! The motif might take the form of jewelry, or it might be a pattern on the OC’s outfit! If you need some motif ideas to try, you could consider…
- A moon motif
- A wolf motif
- A plant motif
- A skull motif
- A fang motif
- A pawprint motif
The motif could be whatever you want it to be! There’s a lot more than the list above, and the motif you use will depend on the character you want to create. The motif could be a large part of the design…or it could be more subtle! A more subtle motif could be fun for a character who’s secretly a werewolf, and the reveal could make for a fun plot twist later.
If you plan on writing a plot twist in your story and you need some ideas for that, check on this article on the topic here!
Give your werewolf some cool clothes!
The kind of clothes your OC wears might depend more on the setting of the story. Werewolves are in all kinds of different stories. Some werewolves may be in a story set in the modern day, others might not be!
Other factors could impact the clothes your werewolf wears too! A werewolf with less control over their powers might have clothes that are more worn-down or torn up due to their transformation…Or they might keep extra clothes handy just in case! If you need a few ideas to get you brainstorming, you could try…
- A coat with a fur trim
- Torn jeans
- Ragged shorts
- A torn shirt
- A leather vest
- A wool skirt
Just like with motifs, the werewolf character’s clothes could hint at them being a werewolf too. Maybe they have a lot of fur details in their design, or they have a T-shirt with a wolf design on it!
A fun example of using clothes for a werewolf design would be Yaèl, NiniBini’s OC! Yaèl has cool medieval clothes!
Another fun example would be Ezra, Namscabbagepatch’s OC! Ezra has a cool jacket with a fur trim!
Add some accessories to your werewolf’s design!
Accessories! Accessories are always a cool thing to add to create some more interest in a design, and werewolf designs are no exception! An assortment of accessories could be your chance to incorporate the motif you chose (if you decided to add one!) into the design, as well as just being a nice addition!
The accessories could be more than just a cosmetic part of the design too. They could have significance to the werewolf character too! Perhaps they have a necklace with a charm that keeps their powers under control, or they carry their favorite weapons with them! If you need some ideas, you could try…
- Gloves with a fur trim
- A tooth necklace
- A ragged cloak
- A leather belt with weapons on it
- A chain belt
- A choker necklace
- A pendant
- A weapon with a strap to hold it
- A fur pelt cape
Accessories could be a cool way to make your werewolf OC’s design more unique and help them stand out among other characters! You could add as many, or as few as you want. It’s up to you!
A fun example of using accessories for a werewolf design would be Adelene, FlareBlaze45’s OC! Adelene has a cool moon clip and other accessories!
Another fun example would be Cyrus, Bug’s OC! Cyrus has a cool knife sheath and other accessories!
What kind of outfit will you give your werewolf? A fang necklace? Some skull details? A fur-trim coat?
Could you use the appearance of your werewolf to enhance their design?
The appearance of your werewolf is an important aspect of their design! Their design could tell the audience that they’re a werewolf, or hint at what kind of werewolf they are.
What kind of build would suit your werewolf?
Whether your character’s in human or werewolf form, the build of your werewolf can play a big part in their design! The shape language you use could suggest what kind of character the werewolf is, or it could show how powerful they might be! For some ideas, you could consider…
- Lots of sharp shape language for a powerful werewolf
- Softer shape language for a more friendly werewolf
- Square shape language for a stubborn werewolf
- A more muscular build for a stronger werewolf
- A thinner build for a faster werewolf
Since your werewolf will likely have a normal form as well as a werewolf one, there are more opportunities to use shape language as well! You could use shape language in the fur, ears, and tail! Even though features like wolf ears are triangular, you could draw the shapes sharper or with rounded edges depending on the kind of look you want!
While soft shapes are usually associated with friendlier characters and sharper shapes associated with more action-based characters, the opposite could be used too! Perhaps you want your werewolf to seem more menacing at first…But really they’re just a gentle giant! You could give the character lots of sharp shapes to make them look more intimidating.
A cool example of using the build for a werewolf design would be Abraham, Floppy’s OC! Abraham has lots of square shape language!
Another cool example would be Ava, Tinylion08’s OC! Ava has lots of round shape language!
Give your werewolf fun hair!
There’s lots of cool hairstyles you could give your werewolf character! It’s fairly common for werewolf characters to have messier hairstyles, likely due to the sudden transformations!
They don’t always have to have a messy hairstyle though, and you could pick something that suits their personality better! A higher-ranking, or just really fancy, werewolf might have something more elaborate! If you need a few hairstyle ideas to help inspire you, here’s some ideas:
- Long, wild hair
- A wolfcut
- An untidy bun
- A long beard
- A bushy mustache
- A thick ponytail
- A messy jellyfish cut
- Unkempt bangs
There’s plenty more hairstyles than the ones listed above too! If you decided on a kind of shape language to use for your werewolf character, you could use it in their hair as well!
A fun example of using hairstyles for a werewolf design would be Wren, RedactedDream’s OC! Wren has a cool spiky hairstyle!
Another fun example would be Nicolas, Imaginaire’s OC! Nicolas has a cool hairstyle that works well with his animal ears!
Add some special features to your werewolf’s design!
Time to add the werewolf features! There’s several different details a werewolf could have as part of their design! Some werewolves may have more subtle werewolf features, such as sharp pupils or yellow irises, while others may have more obvious ones!
Some characters keep their wolf ears and tail even in their humanoid form. You can choose what features to add depending on the kind of werewolves your story has! If you need some ideas for cool details to add to your werewolf OC, you could try…
- Pointed ears
- Animal ears
- An animal tail
- Special markings
- Sharp fangs
- Unique eyes
- Claw-like nails
- Paws instead of feet
- A unique eye design
Some interesting details can also make your character feel more intriguing! You could give your werewolf a lot of different features…or you could stick to just a few for a more subtle look!
A fun example of using special features in a werewolf design would be Vash, Sourdough17’s OC! Vash has cool, sharp teeth!
Another fun example would be Harrow, Mockrates’ OC! Harrow has cool hands with a gradient to them!
Wolf ears! Wolf tail! Wolf eyes! What will you choose to add?!
Designing a werewolf character can be a lot of fun! If you want to find more cool werewolf OCs, be sure to check out the werewolf tag! You can also use the tag yourself if you post your werewolf character on Unvale. Happy creating!
If you need other ideas for your already-existing OCs, there’s articles on reviving old characters, creating a reference sheet, using fear in a backstory, and more!
Share your new werewolf OC on Unvale!