How does one draw characters with extremely complicated designs?I always struggle to draw them, having to see the character from multiple angles, and even then I end up messing up certain details or things just don't "fit" in the character in bizarre an unexpected ways. For example, let's say a character has 3 details between their knee and foot; When I try to draw it, there's no room for all 3, they just don't fit. The more details a character has, the more "lost" in the design I feel. I start losing sense of shapes and where everything should be, and everything just becomes a blob of details. It gets really bad with stuff like complicated japanese kimonos with layers that I just can't wrap my head around where they begin or end.I know one solution is heavy reference, understanding how the clothes work. But that's not always an option, and is not always needed: Some people draw characters full of details with no issue, with barely any art or reference to draw from. And I want to know how.Picture related. Not really talking about this picture or character in particular, just thought hoyo designs in general fit this bill pretty well and am using it as an example, but it's not limited to their designs, and this is probably not the most complicated hoyo design, it's just the one I had at hand.
1. Construction2. Proportions3. Fundies
OP here, one thing I forgot to mention.I also observed that the ability to draw complicated designs seems to be completely detached from general drawing skill. I've seen people with very beginner tier art not struggle at all and draw complicated designs like it's nothing.
Draw on a bigger canvas. Now you have a place to fit in all the detail and when it's scaled to whatever the viewer is looking at it from it seems impossible that you could have fit it all in
>>7839649Rules applying to bodies, clothes etc. are universal and the better you get at drawing people in general the easier it's gonna get.>How does one draw characters with extremely complicated designs?The same way Loomis taught you to draw heads: by breaking it down into big baby shapes that you can easily toy with. If you take notes of how the different shapes interact and their relative sizes, you can convincingly recreate them in different angles. Is there anything jutting out? How big is this void of the sleeve compared to the other? You don't even have to convert them into *3d volumes* unless you're deep into perspective shit, just loosely mimic them while keeping their "rules" in mind and it'll work. Picrel, keep it as simple as possible.>When I try to draw it, there's no room for all 3, they just don't fit. I'm still learning about it but what I've learned lately is that you can simplify or omit details that aren't as important. There's a hierarchy to it and you have to respect it. For example in this sleeve its more important to respect the general proportions I outlined than to recreating the various holes in the sleeve ornament perfectly.That also applies to line weight. If you look at the pic you posted, the "big" elements are generally more strongly outlined than the shapes present in the clothes.tldr if it LOOKS hard then break it down until its simple. Copy 1 clothed man every day and it'll magically become simpler. idk your level but if you struggle to understand basic proportions, try doing Barge Plates for a while.
>>7839649You are likely drawing "inside out" rather than "outside in". You are trying to build layer upon layer of clothing and design elements from the bottom up, as if you were putting on clothes yourself.Don't do that. Rough in the outermost layer first. Rough in the largest elements first. Draw from big to small. Don't over-commit. You will need to make adjustments.
>>7839649I don't know. I really don't like it when characters get too complicated. so mine are pretty simple.here's my OC , mr. Stikk
box rotations
>>7839675....Box rotations like this work but only if you know how that object looks like at that angle the box you're imagining or drawing inside of you've chosen. Boxes and cylinders are useful for general orientation, but they don't solve proportional or shape knowledge that's more important
>>7839649Carefully
>>7839649>How does one draw characters with extremely complicated designs?start with the big shapes, draw the medium shapes within, and then the small shapes within thosenot every big shape needs shapes within it
>>7841134you're retarded
>>7839649>The more details a character has, the more "lost" in the design I feel.That's busy designs in a nutshell. Consider taking out a detail or simplifying said details.>I always struggle to draw them, Sounds about normal. The more details and gradient colours a character has; the less identity they have because they're basically relying on trinklets and render effects to stand out. Hoyo designs are pretty but despite the amonts of effort that go into them, they're paradoxally generic. It's a problem with modern jrpg-inspired game in general. Designs from FF7 to 9 may just be the result of tech limitation but their simplicity and limited palette colours is a big part of why people can easily identify them. Nintendo characters are another example or that (ex: Samus, Link...).>>7839656> completely detached from general drawing skill.Much like a solid and polished render can distract people from some abyssmal lineart work or some bad anatomy. It's one tool in the kit. There used to be an organic order to learning how to use these tools but art softwares allows people to take shortcuts so artist who grow frustrated with something can jump to the extra classes and master renders or effects long before they understand the essentials.
