Tips for Designing a Wizard or Witch OC!
Many cool characters can be found in the world of Unvale! You have aliens, elves, magical girls, and more! Speaking of magic…That’s the topic of today! Wizards and witches are popular characters in movies, fairytales, and other stories as well! You might recognize the names of some such as…
Magic users often use spells and potions to accomplish their goals! Sometimes they’re a helpful side character, other times they can be a powerful villain! It depends on the story. So how do you go about designing a witch or wizard character? Grab a magical wand…and let’s talk about it!
What kind of magic user is your OC?
First off, you should figure out what kind of character your magic user is! Some gain their magical abilities in different ways and some have different intentions than others! Having a clear idea of the kind of witch or wizard you want to create can give you an idea as to what design you want to give them! If you’re not sure where to start with figuring out your magic user, here’s some questions you can answer to give you some ideas!
- How did they gain their powers?
- What do they use their powers for?
- What kind of magic do they have?
- What kind of world are they in?
- What kind of personality do they have?
- Are they good, evil, or morally grey?
- What role do they play in the story?
Answering the questions above might give you a better idea as to what you want to do with your wizard or witch OC! The type of character they are can influence all kinds of different aspects of their design.
The questions above are just a few things you can consider. You can come up with questions of your own to answer if you need more ideas!
Give your wizard or witch a magical outfit!
The outfits of a magic user can be really fun to design! It could be mysterious, mystical, elegant, or something else entirely!
Try incorporating a cool motif into your magic user’s design!
When it comes to a magical character, a motif can be a fun addition to their design! Since some OCs have powers centered around a specific type of magic, a motif based on that could help make your OC stand out! Here’s some ideas to get your creativity flowing…
- A water motif
- A fire motif
- A plant or flower motif
- A celestial motif
- An animal motif
- A skull motif
- A wind motif
- A mushroom motif
- A jewel motif
- An insect motif
- An arachnid motif
If your witch or wizard has a different power that doesn’t match any of the ideas above, that could be used for a fun motif as well! They could have a couple motifs as well if they use multiple different kinds of magic.
A motif can be cool for getting started with your wizard or witch OC’s design! It can be as subtle as the shapes of little jewels on your character’s cloak, or as obvious as a fun pattern on their robe!
A fun example of using motifs for a magical user’s design would be boredtennis’ OC Pumpkin! Pumpkin has a cool pumpkin motif!
Another fun example would be Teya’s OC Frðrik! Frðrik has a cool star motif!
Pick some fashionable clothes for your wizard or witch!
There’s definitely plenty of options for clothes to give your magic user! They often have mystical outfits that fit their character. If you need some ideas, you could try…
- A long robe
- A flowing gown
- A lace-up corset
- A top with draping sleeves
- A fancy vest
- A mysterious cloak
- An elegant skirt
There’s more to choose from than the list above as well! If you decide to add a motif to your OC’s design, you can incorporate elements into their clothes.
The type of wizard or witch your OC is could impact their outfit as well! An evil wizard might wear a tattered robe, while a good one might dress more fancy. It’s up to you what type of clothes you give them!
A fun example of using clothes for a magical user’s design would be LORT’s OC Riv! Riv has a cool fancy outfit!
Another fun example would be Leel’s OC Magolor! Magolor has a cool fancy robe!
Add some magical accessories to your wizard or witch’s design!
Accessories are another thing you can add to a wizard or witch design! It could anything from a pointy hat, to a belt with potion bottles. Often, magic user designs have lots of fun accessories! If you need some inspiration, here’s some ideas:
- A pointed hat
- Lace gloves
- A bag of potions and tools
- A long staff
- A cute wand
- Flower hair accessories
- A chain belt
- A sash belt
- A lace choker
- A glowing necklace
- dangling earrings
- Mysterious rings
Accessories, especially for a magic user, can be more useful too! A wizard or witch might carry around a spellbook, potions, a wand, or something else. Other accessories could be enchanted, or have a different special use!
Accessories can be a good way to incorporate motifs just like with clothes! Accessories can be good for subtle motifs too since their often smaller details in a design. Try changing the shapes of different accessories to match your OC’s motif!
A fun example of using accessories for a magic user’s design would be Gimble’s OC Valor! Valor has a cool hat with glowing details!
Another fun example would be Vi’s OC Jasper! Jasper has a cool cape!
Could you use your magic user’s appearance to enhance their design?
The appearance of your magic user could be designed in a way that makes them feel magical! You could also use things like shape language and special details to help the audience tell what kind of character they are.
What kind of build should you give your witch or wizard?
The build of your magic user can be used to enhance their design! It could hint at their personality, role, or just look cool! If you need some inspiration, here’s a few different ideas you could try!
- Sharp shape language for an evil magic user
- A long and graceful build for a wise magic user
- Rounded shape language for a friendly magic user
- A strong build for a powerful magic user
There’s lots of things you could try for the build of your witch or wizard OC! A combination of different shape language could be fun to try and give the audience an idea as to what kind of character your magic user is!
If you wanted their design to be purposely misleading, you could give them shape language that wouldn’t seem like it would match your OC’s personality too! A witch or wizard with lots of sharp shape language might be more friendly than they look, and one with more round shape language might be more deadly than they seem.
A fun example of using the build for a magic user’s design would be Mirrkun’s OC the Garden Witch! The Garden Witch has lots of round shape language!
Another fun example would be Arwy’s OC Luna! Luna also has lots of square shape language!
Give your wizard or witch a magical hairstyle!
What kind of hairstyle could you give your magic user? There’s formal ones, messy ones, cutesy ones…The hairstyle your witch or wizard has could reflect their unique personality or style! If you need some ideas, you could try…
- Long wavy hair
- Long elegant braids
- A fun half-up half-down ponytail
- A fancy bun
- Cute bubble braids
- A neat combed back style
- Low pigtails
- Messy bangs
A highly-ranked wizard might opt for a more elegant hairdo, while a fun-loving one might opt for something more cute or wild! The hairstyle they have could be more based on practicality if they are more serious, and a more extravagant one for a more frivolous witch or wizard.
However, just like with the magic user’s build, their hairstyle doesn’t always have to reflect their personality! It could be the opposite, or you could just pick one you like!
A fun example of using hairstyles for a magic user is Vim’s OC Maiev! Maiev has cool wild hair!
Another fun example is Court’s OC Merin! Merin has a cool neat hairstyle!
Incorporate some magical features into your witch or wizard’s design!
Since magic user’s are, well, magical…It could be fun to add some magical elements to their design! Some fun things you could try adding are…
- Glowing fingers
- Hands with a gradient on them
- Glowing eyes
- A magical eye design
- Glowing hair
- A fantasy skin tone
- An animal tail
- Animal ears
- Animal wings
- Insect wings
- Long horns
- Tall antlers
Magical details like the ones above could be features the witch or wizard has naturally, or ones they gain while they use their powers! A magic user’s eyes might glow while casting a spell, or they might be able to gain animal features through their magic!
Extra details could make your witch or wizard feel more unique and make them more fun to draw as well! The rule of cool is perfectly fine too and details don’t always have to have an explanation if you don’t want it to!
A fun example of using special details for a magical user is Starbornsea’s OC Cassius! Cassius has a cool crystallized eye!
Another fun example is AleksanderRune’s OC Hyacinthe! Hyacinthe has cool horns!
There’s a lot of ways you could design your wizard or witch character. You could give them fitting clothes and accessories, or some magical features! Make sure to have fun designing your character!
If you’d like to explore the cool witch and wizard OCs here on Unvale, be sure to check out the wizard and witch tags! The same tags can be used if you decide to post your magical character here!
Need tips on other concepts for your OC? There’s articles on creating a language for your OC's world, making traditions for your OC's, ways to add magic to your OC's world, and more!