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Top 3 Tips for Entering 2026 with OC Inspiration!

Whimsy

• 5 min read
Light and regular purple gradient background. Text reads "Top 3 Tips for Entering 2026 with OC Inspiration!". A doodle of Whimsy surrounded by confetti and the number 2026
Here’s my top 3 tips for inspiration…I’ll be using them during the new year too!

The new year is almost upon us! The new year is the perfect time to try out new ideas, create new characters, and develop new stories! Before we get into the tips, if you need some other ideas for your OCs, try one of these other articles!

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get back to finding inspiration for your characters and stories! So how do you get ready for the new year with OC inspiration? Let’s talk about it!

Tip 1: Set a goal about what kind of OCs you want to create!

When finding inspiration…You want to know what you should look for! Figuring out the goals you have for your OCs will help get you motivated and help you learn what you should look for when searching for inspiration! 

Whether that goal is just to create some cool-looking OCs, or it’s to develop OCs for your passion project, it can still help you out to know what you want! If you need some ideas on what you can think about, try answering some of these questions!

  • What is the purpose of the OC?
  • Do they have a design theme?
  • Do they have a story theme?
  • What’s their personality like?
  • How do they develop in their story?
  • How does their story end?

The questions above are just to give you some ideas to think about for your characters. You don’t need to answer all of them, and the goal you have for your OCs doesn’t have to be super elaborate if you don’t want it to be! A clear end goal can help inspire you to work more on your characters!

For some further ideas for figuring out your OCs, check out this article on developing your OCs here!

Personally, I find having an idea for what I want to do makes it easier to get motivated and inspired for it!

Tip 2: Look for inspiration from your favorite media!

If you’ve been creating characters for a while, it might start to get boring or you might lose interest! One of the best ways to get your inspiration back in such a scenario is to try out different kinds of media! 

There might have been a specific show, book, or something else that originally inspired you to create! Try checking out your favorite media and looking for inspiration there! If you need some ideas you could try…

  • Seeing how your favorite show handles the themes/morals of its story
  • Seeing how your favorite animated show utilizes poses and action
  • Seeing how your favorite book handles character development
  • Seeing how your favorite creators design their characters
  • Seeing how your favorite comics lay out their pages
  • Seeing how your favorite video game 

Sometimes a rewatch or reread of your favorite stories can give you new insights! Maybe a book you love has a character arc that’s similar to one of your OCs, or maybe your favorite anime has a similar theme to the story you want to tell! How do you like the characters and their stories? What don’t you like? What would you do differently? Try looking for similarities to your own stories and OCs and see if you can use it for further inspiration! You could always try out some new media as well. Maybe there’s a game you’ve been wanting to play, or a show you’ve been dying to watch! Those could be a good place to start looking for inspiration too!

For some more ideas on using different kinds of media for inspiration, there’s also articles on using music to design an OC, using mythology in your stories, and using public domain monsters for your OCs!

A favorite game, YouTuber, show, or book could all be good sources for inspiration!

Tip 3: Incorporating current interests!

A third tip for finding inspiration is incorporating your current favorite things into your characters and stories! It doesn’t have to be just a favorite show either, it can be something else as well. If you have any current hyperfixations, those could give you ideas too! You could use interests such as…

  • A favorite animal
  • A favorite artstyle
  • A favorite location
  • A favorite mythical creature or cryptid 
  • A favorite subject
  • A favorite aesthetic
  • A favorite color palette
  • A favorite anime
  • A favorite comic
  • A favorite hobby
  • A favorite food or sweet
  • A favorite item
  • A favorite outfit

The things you’re interested in can be a fun addition to your characters and stories. Using what already interests you can be a big inspiration for your creative projects and help create ideas for them!

You could try taking your favorite concepts or interests and create some moodboards for them! You could also make a list of the interests and decide which ones you want to use for your OCs. Try and use your current favorite things to inspire your characters!

If you need some more ideas for using things as inspiration, try this article here on using daily things for OC inspiration!

Do you have a favorite hobby? An animal you’ve done a crazy amount of research on? A favorite mythological story? All of those could be great inspiration for characters too!

Cool characters from the users of Unvale!

Now that we’re done with the tips…You know what I find really inspiring? The amazing characters and stories you can find here on Unvale! There’s plenty of talented creators with characters worth checking out! Here’s a bunch of awesome OCs you should totally see!

There’s all kinds of cool characters here on Unvale…be sure to check them out and show them some love!

Unvale’s first ever Original Creation Awards also featured many cool users, stories, and characters! If you’d like to see the results of the award show, you can find a recap of it here!

I hope your new year is filled with cool ideas and inspiration! Happy creating!