Create a Monster High Original Character

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So! You've found your way to this how-to with a burning desire to create the most freaky fab original character (OC) from Monster High! Read on to learn how to make a fantastic monster student!.

Steps

  1. Determine the gender of your OC. Sugar, spice and everything nice--or not.
  2. Select a monster. What monster do you want your OC to be child of? Some good examples are a dragon, were-animals, or even a sphynx. It's not very believable to use silly things like My Little Pony characters or stereotypes (like gypsies or fortune tellers) as monster parents. Also, try to avoid making your character sister/brother/cousin/etc. to a cannon character, such as Draculaura or Toralei. Most who try this end up making carbon copies of the canon character instead of a their own on unique character.
  3. Keep in mind family background, ties and relationships. After finding a good monster parent, make sure you have all the needed information to create a solid OC. Are they the child of a single parent? Is their family large? And so on. This can help shape the OC's personality.
  4. Decide on a body type for your OC. We all know Monster High style tends to lean toward the slender body shape. This is fine if your OC goes along with this, but don't take this as a rule. Just because the canon characters are all the same size does not mean you can't make your OC have a different body type. Think about what type of monster your character is. Don't be afraid to try something different for the sake of creativity! Click here for body charts of all types!
  5. Design your characters clothes. Be sure to pick reasonable colors. Think about the character's personality and origins. Where they come from and is there a specific type of outfit or style they are required to wear? Think about what makes sense in regards to the character you're creating. A mermaid wearing starfish clips in her hair would make sense, for example. However, a dragon girl who wears starfish clips just makes no sense. You get the idea.
  6. Choose a skin color for your OC. When choosing colors for skin, remember the great thing about skin on Monsters is that it can be any color. Remember with skin color, try not to go too extreme! Use the golden rule: match it with its monster. If you had a werecat, you wouldn't give it purple skin, because cats aren't purple.
  7. Name your monster! Make sure that the monster's name makes sense with the monster type. You wouldn't name Daughter of the Ice Sprite "Flama Blaze"! If you're having trouble coming up with a punny, Monster High-ish name, try going a different route and thinking of the character's strongest personality or physical quality. Then google a name which means that word. For example, a character who is a gray colored robot could be named Lloyd since that name means "gray". Of course you can always just choose a name because it fits how the character looks, or you just like a certain name!
  8. Decide on the type of hair your monster will have: highlights, length, color, cut, etc. When designing hair,you need to keep in mind your OC's scheme and monster origins. If they are pulling their look from a certain time period, for example the 60's, make sure to study up on hairstyles of that era. Think about how you want the hair to look. Straight? Curly? Wavy? Perhaps straight at the root and curly at the ends? The possibilities are endless! Don't be afraid to experiment! Dreadlocks, braids, cornrows, French braids, spiked, shaved, Mohawks, the list goes on. When choosing a color for your OC's hair, think about what looks good with their clothing color scheme. This is your OC and therefore, your choice completely! With hair it's pretty much anything goes. If they are a plant-based character then why not make them grow leaves along with their hair? The only real rule here is to stay with your character's personality! You would not give a quiet, book-loving mouse girl a big red Mohawk. It might look cool but does it make sense? Nope.
  9. Design your monster's computer graphic. Consider whether you want to use bases or not. Bases are a touchy subject. Why? Well they are a lot like a power switch with two settings. One is 'pleasantly helpful' and the other is 'extremely dangerous'. There is also a fine line between these two settings. What does this mean? Well, dear artist, this means that bases are supposed to be used as an aid. Getting the correct proportion and/or anatomy of the Monster High style is the wisest way to use a base. This is not always an easy task to do; sad but true. Of course, if one is determined enough it can be done! A base is 'dangerous' to an artist only when one uses it incorrectly. Many MH bases and character 'lineart' is saved as what it called a PNG file. When someone tries to color these in the art program such as Microsoft Paint, using the fill bucket or brush tools, it creates a messy, pixelated and ugly look which takes away from the original idea you had for you OC. It is scary, but in all honesty, it is far, far, far, far better to try to draw your OC by yourself without using a base. It's okay if you are not a great drawer. Many in the MH fandom also have no confidence in their drawing ability but use bases and use them incorrectly. It is far better to to draw the OC yourself because it is completely your creation and you don't have to link back to a base maker or worry about anything like that! Don't panic just yet! There are some helpful links below in the "Tips" section so hold on tight! To the right is a prime example of a misused base. This is commonly seen in the fandom but that doesn't mean it's okay or that it's right. While this is an example of what not to do, please understand that this is not to make fun of anyone's art skill. This is to showcase how bad it looks when someone misuses a base by using the wrong art program and/or tools. The coloring and line work is sloppy and no real time or care was put into it.
  10. Make sure you are not copying or plagiarizing another person's monster. So you've got your OC and they got the perfect, hair, fantastic color scheme and so on. They're all set right? Wrong! Keep in mind the important magical word 'plagiarism'. Plagiarism, or copying, is when you steal or "borrow" something from someone and claim it as your own creation (and naturally, it is illegal). Bases count as plagiarism, believe it or not! Even if you've made an OC, and it it originally yours you still have to think about plagiarism. Take a look at the other characters in the fandom. Sure, there may be children of the same monster parent that you chose but if you ever find a character extremely similar to the one you have just created, then its time to erase and re-write. This meaning, you have to avoid being accused of plagiarism by making sure any and all strong similarities are destroyed between your OC and another person's. Even if it is unintentional and you did not purposely "copy" the person. Now, this doesn't mean just because your OC and someone else's OC both hate math class, that it's plagiarism. In the image, it clearly demonstrates what this crime looks like. More information can be found here.
  11. Think about what kind of personality your OC will have, which is actually a bit more important than their appearance. Sure they have to look cool and freaky fab but in reality, how one thinks determines how one dresses and acts. A very, very, very, extremely common issue with artists who are new to creating characters is that they make what is called a "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu". Be sure to learn how this immediately ruins a character, no matter how cool, pretty, cute or handsome they look. (please note that there is further information and links to helpful sites below!)
  12. Upload your OC to the internet and start playing. So now that you've scoped the scene and have your horrifically wonderful OC all geared up and rearing to go you're probably ready to get the show on the road! As "easy" and "cookie cutter" as making an OC may seem, it's actually a very time consuming and intricate process which involves a lot of emotion, time, passion and care. Your OC is your baby. They do not just pop out of the womb and know how to walk, talk, and feed themselves. This means, that you cannot just shove your OC into the Monster High universe and let them waddle around until they find a love interest and cling. Let the character stand on their own for at least the first month or so of role playing and do not, do not immediately hook your OC up with another OC! The temptation is strong and like any proud parent, you will want your baby to fall in love but if it happens too quickly, it can basically ruin the character. Please, please refrain from giving your OC's "cupid syndrome".

Tips

  • Search "Monster High lineart" to use a base.

Warnings

  • Also avoid stereotyping. Cool as they may sound and look in movies, gypsies, pirates and fortune tellers are not monsters. Just because your OC is the son of the Loch ness Monster does not mean he has to be a stereotypical Scotsman. If your OC is genie that doesn't mean she HAS to grant wishes.
  • Avoid creating OC's just to "go with the crowd". Creating vampires, werewolves, and skeleton kids just because everyone seems to love them is a waste of your time and talent! Get really creative! You can do it!
  • Creating the kin to a canon character is difficult to pull off. Likewise a good OC parent should never create a character just to date or have a romance with a favored canon character. Avoid creating a female OC JUST so that she can be with Heath Burns. While it isn't the worst thing to do, it's usually done wrong. Don't let a ship be the sole reason your OC was created!
  • When dealing with plagiarism:
    • Do not begin accusing someone of "stealing" something for their previously created OC, from the OC you just created.
    • Do not get into an argument with someone because your OCs are too similar! Be the bigger person and try to compromise! If you cannot think of a way to "fix" your OC, or you are too stubborn then find a way to change or edit the similarities so they are more mundane and no longer and issue!
    • Don't rush! Avoid trying to race the clock and create an OC because it seems like everyone has one. Take your time and think about what makes sense.
    • There is a difference between inspiration and copying. If you were "inspired" by someone's OC to create your own this does not give you the right, or mean that it's okay to design your OC to look or be similar to your muse! This is plagiarism.
    • Do not create an OC that is a family member or friend of someone else's OC without the owner's consent and permission. This is plagiarism.
    • Do not add someone else's OC as your OC's friend or family without the owner's consent and permission. This is plagiarism.
  • Do not make your OC the child of a tv/anime/cartoon/movie character just because they are the villain. Remember that villain does not equal monster. The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy are prime examples of common human (or normie) characters which are always mistaken as monsters. Just because they have super powers, mutated genes or what have you does not mean they are justified as a true monster.
  • Don't be afraid to ask for help! Don't be scared or embarrassed to message a fellow artist and ask for critic and/or tips! Someone else might now just what you need to!

Things You'll Need

  • Scrap paper and pencils to sketch ideas and concepts

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