With the holidays just around the corner, another kind of character is ready for the season…Elves! While not always related to the holidays, they’re definitely a popular character for them! But before we continue talking about elves, if you’re looking for other festive topics…check out one of these other articles!

• What’s a Secret Santa? Creative Edition!
• 5 Ways to Get Your OCs Festive for the Holidays!
• Making Traditions for Your OCs and Their Worlds!

Now, let’s get back to elves! You may know them from your favorite holiday movie, or a popular fantasy book! Elves are typically magical beings who can be ethereal, cutesy, or mischievous…It depends on the story or mythology! So how do you design an elf OC? Hop on a sleigh headed to the nearest magical realm, and let’s talk about it!

What kind of elf is your OC?

First off, what kind of elf are you designing? The little toy makers helping Santa probably won’t look the same as the elves of a medieval fantasy story! When designing your elf, you’ll want to consider what elves are like in your universe and what kind of character your OC will be! You can come up with different questions such as…

• What kind of world does your elf OC live in?
• What kind of story are they in?
• What mythology or story is the OC based off of?
• What’s their personality like?
• What kind of job or role do they have?
• Are they good, morally grey, or are they evil?

Planning out your elf will make it easier to design them. You’ll have a better idea as to what kind of looks would work better for them compared to other concepts!

Even if you go with a specific type of elf, aspects such as personality and their role will play a part in their design too! The questions above will help you brainstorm the kind of elf you want to create!

Give your elf a fitting outfit!

Elves often have iconic outfits! Whether it be enchanting and mysterious, or cute and creative, a fun outfit will make your elf shine! 

Try out a mystical motif for your elf’s design!

Since elves are magical beings, usually they have some sort of element or power relating to them! If your OC has some kind of ability, or if they’re a specific kind of elf, you could give their design a motif to represent that! If you need some ideas for different outfit motifs, you could try…

• A holiday motif
• A candy motif
• A water motif
• A star motif
• A frost motif
• A flower motif
• A gemstone motif
• An insect motif
• An animal motif
• An elemental motif
• A mushroom motif

If you decide to add a motif, you can let it influence all different aspects of the design! Whether it influences the shape language or the color theme, a motif can help bring a design together.

You can pick a motif based on your OC’s powers, their home, personality, or just pick a random one for fun! It’s all up to you and what you want for your OC!

A fun example of using motifs for an elf design would be Damien’s OC Emory! Emory has a cool celestial motif!

Another fun example would be Sobbie’s OC Elodie! Elodie has a cool solar motif!

Give your elf some fun clothes!

Clothes can play a big part in an elf design! It can tell you what kind of elf they are, or what their personality might be like! Since elves are often in a fantasy setting, their outfit often matches that! If you need some inspiration for what clothes you could give your elf, you could try…

• A festive holiday outfit
• A fun adventure outfit
• An elegant, flowing gown
• A dress made of flower petals
• A long, mystical robe
• A rugged outfit made of animal fur
• A fancy suit of armor
• A camouflaged plant outfit

Depending on what kind of elf you’re creating, you can choose a specific outfit based on that!

The role your elf plays can impact their design! If you’re designing a royal elf, you could give them an ethereal gown. On the other hand, an elf working for Santa might have a festive uniform!

A fun example of picking clothes for an elf character would be Raichana’s OC Ciella! Ciella wears a gorgeous white dress!

Another fun example would be Fiendology’s OC Lumi! Lumi has cool, dark armor!

Add some fun accessories to your elf’s design!

Does your elf’s outfit feel a little bland? Accessories can be a fun addition to your elf’s design as well! There’s plenty of cool accessories you could give your elf OC! If you need some suggestions, you could try…

• A pointed hat
• Pointy shoes
• Candy hairclips
• A long cloak
• Lots of jewels
• Golden necklaces
• A flower crown
• Leather gloves
• A belt with tools
• Ear cuffs
• Silver earrings

Incorporating some accessories to your elf OC’s design can create a unique look for them! If you decide on a motif for your elf’s design, you can pick accessories that match it as well!

Adding accessories could be a good opportunity to incorporate important details into your elf’s design! Where did they get the accessory from? What does it do? 

A fun example of using accessories for an elf design would be Enbyprincex’s OC Kethryllia! Kethryllia has cool golden accessories!

Another fun example would be Avnas’ OC Nealie! Nealie has a cute flower crown and other accessories!

Give your elf a magical appearance!

The overall appearance of your OC can ensure they look elf-like as well! You can play around with different design elements and see what works best for your elf! 

Consider your elf’s build!

Depending on the type of elf you're designing, you can decide on a build that suits them! Some elves are tall, some are small, it’s up to you as to what kind of elf you want to design!

The kind of build they have might say something about their personality, or what kind of role they might have! If you need some ideas for inspiration, you could try designing…

• A tiny elf with a loud personality
• A tall and graceful elf
• An evil elf with sharp shape language
• A friendly elf with round shape language

When designing the build of your elf, shape language can be fun to experiment with! The shape language could hint at the kind of character they are, or it could be purposely misleading for a fun twist!

A fun example of using build for an elf design would be KAilana’s OC Lyrei! Lyrei has round shape language that matches her caring personality!

Another fun example would be Link’s OC Sylk! Sylk has square shape language that matches their determined personality!

Give your elf a fitting hairstyle!

It can be fun to pick a cool hairstyle for your elf OC too! There’s plenty of hairstyles to choose from that are fit for an elf! If you need a few ideas, you could try…

• Long, ethereal curls
• Fun spacebuns
• A cute pixie cut
• A messy wolf cut
• Long twirly pigtails
• A spiky hairstyle
• A fancy bun
• A stylish dragon braid

There’s all kinds of different hairstyles you could use for your elf OC. Since elves are fantasy characters, you could even try out hairstyles that wouldn’t be possible in the real world!

If you need more inspiration, try looking at your favorite pieces of media and seeing what kind of hairdos the elf characters have! Does it match their personality? Does it match their role? Does it just look cool?

A fun example of using hairstyles for an elf design would be Kii’s OC Tifenn! Tifenn has long ethereal hair!

Another fun example would be AccursedPenner’s OC Friday! Friday has fun pigtails!

Add some magical details to your elf’s design!

Lastly, some magical details will really help your elf feel like…well…an elf! It doesn’t just have to be pointy ears. (Though pointy ears are pretty iconic for elf designs!) If you need some inspiration for details you could add to your elf’s design, you could consider:

• Pointy ears
• A unique eye design
• Glowing eyes
• Glowing tattoos
• Glowing hair
• Sparkly hair
• A gradient on the hands
• A gradient on the ears
• A fantasy skin tone
• A unique hair color
• Animal-like features

Incorporating some cool extra details to your elf’s look can really help them feel magical or otherworldly! 

Magical details will help your elf feel unique…and make them look awesome in the process! It could even reflect the powers they have; their design could change as they use their abilities!

A fun example of using magical details for an elf design would be HiddenOasis’ OC April! April has cool glowing details on her design!

Another fun example would be Sleepykisune’s OC Valya! Valya has cool animal features as part of her design!

If you’re looking for inspiration from elves of the festive variety specifically…check out these OCs!

• ConcreteRobo’s OC Mary!
• Liilypad’s OC Isobel!
• Mystiny’s OC Eira!

There’s lots of different ways you could go about designing your elf OC. Experimenting with outfits, accessories, build, and magical details can all help create a unique look! Design your elf however you want…and make sure to have fun with it!