A General Rundown on Making an OC

[95% Chance 78]

Let me first start off by saying that I am not the be all end all opinion man on the matter. I'm simply starting this topic for twofold reasons: One, I absolutely love seeing lovingly created OCs with a lot of heart and effort put into them, and two, having created so many OCs myself and being both reasonably skilled in the art of the pen and digital art, I can offer a lot of help to those that need it.

I encourage you to add anything that you also think is important for creating an OC into this thread, as I believe that it will benefit everyone!

I shall be starting off by posting a handy little rundown on what I've learned so far, complete with a few examples!

 

*ahem*

 

There are generally 5 parts to creating an OC.

• Personality
• Appearance
• Color
• Cutie Mark
• Name

 

Going in order, and assuming you aren't creating a ponysona, personality comes first. This is usually where you come up with your OC's defining character traits, and how they act in different situations based on how they were raised, life experiences, inherent genetics, etc. But to try and boil it down, I usually ask the following questions: "When faced with new experiences, how does your character react, respond, and feel about it?" "How hard will your character work to achieve a goal and how good are they at doing it?" "How comfortable is your character around others?" "How nice (or not) is your character, and how do they regard others around them?" "How emotionally stable is your character, and how will they react when the unexpected happens?" Granted, these are very big, sweeping general questions, and creating a character will boil down to more specifics regarding the above questions, but they're good jumping off points. For example, the character in my avatar, Anchors Aweigh, is a quiet, stoic stallion, but is generally friendly and helpful. He rarely goes out of his way to converse with others, but will always lend an ear to listen if needed.

 

Appearance is probably the most nebulous concept to try and explain, as it's the most nuanced and up to the creator most of all, but I'll do my best to impart my knowledge on the subject. Most pony OC appearances are made up of 3 core pieces; those being the body type and gender, eye shape, and the mane and tail. The body type for mares generally doesn't differ too much between the average mares in the show, but select characters like the Princesses, and the model mare body type (like Fleur de Lis) are some outliers. Stallions seem to have the more varied body types, with the average ones such as Braeburn, workhorses like Big Macintosh, or Clydesdales like Troubleshoes. There's no hard and fast rule for choosing body types, nor is there anything saying you have to choose just those. The eye shape is (for mares at least) the most prominent way of gleaning personality and character just at a glance. Here is an example of how eye shape is important:

 

 

just by looking at their eye shape alone you can tell how drastically these two ponies' personalities differ. Using the above as reference, look at the mane of both. Generally you want to think of something that isn't too crazy that can also convey personality. The blue mare above seems to have a somewhat proper, almost reserved mane style, while the peach colored one below has a much fuller, more voluptuous mane that almost seems a bit wild in a way. Again, there's no rule for mane styles, and it's mostly personal preference.

 

Color is a huge, huge part of making an OC. A bad color scheme can absolutely destroy it just as much as a shallow personality can.

Picking out a coat color usually comes first, as it's the basis for what other colors of your OC come afterwards (those being the mane, eyes, and outline if you're using show-styled artwork). For coat colors, you want pastel colors, different shades (adding black), tints (adding white), or tones (adding gray) of pure colors. It should never simply be a pure color, as those are generally reserved for accents or clothing.

Next comes the mane and tail. They should always match. There is no exception to this, and if there are, it does not look good. Mane color should not be the same as the coat color, and the mane color should be complimentary, or analogous. I haven't found a combination of highly contrasting colors that work, so I tend to stay away from them. It's also much easier on the eyes, and seems much more natural. As a rule, try and stick to one mane/tail color, two at the most. Three colors only complicates the design and makes it seem erratic and unfocused. This is not to say that it can't work! It's simply easier to work with one or two colors.

 

I would suggest reading up on some basic color theory, as it helps immensely when picking out a color scheme for your OC. 

 

 

Here is an example of a primary color used for an article of clothing on one of my OCs. Note that her clothing all use colors that are next to each other on a color wheel, and that the scheme of her clothes eventually bleeds into her color scheme further along on the color wheel.

 

 

Next comes the cutie mark. Please, don't take something hyper realistic and stick it onto a flank then call it a day, it's very jarring. The cutie mark should of course relate to the special talent of your character, that much is a given. But you may not know that most cutie marks only incorporate 2 to 3 colors in their design. More than 3 will complicate the design of the butt stamp, and end up looking like a weird blotch. Simple designs are best when it comes to cutie marks, but should be informative enough to give a rough idea of what a special talent might be. Unfortunately, I don't have any examples of cutie marks I've made to show here. EDIT: Here we have a nice little update regarding cutie marks! In show styled artwork, cutie marks do not have the same outlines that characters do. They are flat, and as said above, usually consist of 2-3 colors.

 

 

 

 

Granted, these are only some I've made, and you are free to look up and research others shown in the show to get a better idea of what they're like. But be creative! Experiment!~

 

And finally, the name of your OC. usually this will coincide with their cutie mark, but this isn't always the case. Nobody can name your OC for you, of course, and it's personal preference. But from what I've seen and researched, most pony names range from 2 to 4 syllables in length. (Twi-light-Spar-kle. Ap-ple-jack. Pink-ie-Pie. Big-Mac-in-tosh. Brae-burn. Sun-set-Shim-mer. And so on and so forth.) Names in that syllabic length tend to roll off the tongue easier, and are more pleasing to the ear. Granted, I'm not the expert on the subject, so take it as you will.

 

Hopefully I've been of some help to you, and I hope I haven't needlessly complicated the process, but I love seeing well created OCs. If you need any further help, you can always ask me directly and I would be happy to lend a hand.

Edited February 17, 2016 by 95% Chance

[Rusted Gear 13]

I just wanted to say thankyou for those tips; they're really useful - I hadn't thought about using a colour wheel, for instance. I shall be taking what I have learned from this and perhaps adapt my OCs accordingly.

[Jest (Inactive) 875]

This is really good advice, I hope more of the fandom reads this so we dont have more  red and black alicorns who are the mother of celestia or some crap x) 

Edited February 16, 2016 by Jestwinged

[95% Chance 78]

I'm glad to have been of some help to you all! If I could get this pinned it would certainly help, but I'm happy that others can simply stumble upon it and pick up some nice little tidbits here and there!

[Kiri 7,288]

It looks like you put quite a bit of thought and work into this. Well done.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Quartz Aegis

[Starlet Harmony 128]

Perfectly said! Making OC's is so much fun when you know what you're doing haha!

[95% Chance 78]

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE

 

I'm performing dark arts on this thread to get it back up into the light so that others can see this and hopefully get some pointers.

 

But I'm not one to needlessly bump, so to add to this post, I'm going to put in some big DO NOTS that you should never ever ever under any circumstances do to an OC.

 

• Do not make your character related to the main cast in any way, shape, or form. I'm surprised that so many people have trouble with this, but it's a bit jarring. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to have your OC related to anypony from the main cast. Most of the fandom tends to be a little put off by things like that, and it's the number 1 way to get both rejected from the EQE application AND leave someone witha  bad taste in their mouth from your OC
• Do not give an OC an overly dramatic, sad, tearjerking backstory. Now this one is a bit of personal preference, but also has some groundings in truth. There is only so much that the universe is going to throw at somepony. They can be ground down into the dirt over and over, but at some point, it becomes almost cliche to find an OC with "a dark and tragic past" or "a heartbreaking backstory full of pain and emotional turmoil." Your suspension of disbelief can only take so much before the heartstrings become numb, so keep the sadness as a side dish, rather than the main course.
• Do not use a black and red color scheme. Now I have nothing against those colors. They're just colors after all, but in the pony community they've been a bit... Tainted, by a few bad apples. It's true that they go well together (then again what doesn't go with black) but giving your OC that color palette is just asking for a bit of backlash. Now this isn't to say that a pony with said color scheme can't be done well, in fact I'm sure they can and have been, but as of right now, they haven't been redeemed, so try and steer clear.
• Do not make your OC an Alicorn. There's only a handful of princesses in the pony universe, and your OC ain't one of 'em, sorry to say. If people have trouble accepting THE BABY and even Cadance at this point, I don't think they'll be too keen on accepting somepony else that hasn't even been shown. Again with the above do not, this isn't to say they can't be done well, it's just that they haven't been so far, and have been quite ruined by others trying to do so. SO stick to the tried and true trifecta, or even branch out and try another race! Creativity can find a form in any glass of course, and why not have that be a Zebra? Or maybe a changeling, even?
• Unicorns, do not have your magical prowess exceed that of a certain threshold. Twilight Sparkle is the Element of Magic ffs, and you aren't gonna be beating that any time soon. In fact, most Unicorns in-universe are only adept at a single facet of magic, usually based on what their cutie mark tells them. Focus on that aspect and how it can be used creatively, instead of trying to usurp one of the most OP characters in show. Remember, a jack of all trades is a master of none.
• Do not try and create a character based around a concept that you yourself know little about. This is a more esoteric "do not" because this one can be circumvented by a little research. Simply put, I'm not gonna try and write for a pony that has a degree in theoretical particle physics, because if I did he/she would come off as a complete idiot in their field. But with a little research (and I'm talking surface level, terms, lingo, general knowledge that you can write down) you'll have a much more believable character than if you hadn't. Sure, most probably won't know the difference, but that one theoretical particle physicist is gonna stumble upon the thread and give a contented nod because they saw you did your research.

And that's about it for now, I'll probably post again with some more helpful tidbits here and there.

Stay beautiful pony people, and go forth and create even more beautiful OCs so that I may interact with them in the future!~

[4HFan 476]

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE

 

I'm performing dark arts on this thread to get it back up into the light so that others can see this and hopefully get some pointers.

 

But I'm not one to needlessly bump, so to add to this post, I'm going to put in some big DO NOTS that you should never ever ever under any circumstances do to an OC.

 

 

• Do not make your character related to the main cast in any way, shape, or form. I'm surprised that so many people have trouble with this, but it's a bit jarring. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to have your OC related to anypony from the main cast. Most of the fandom tends to be a little put off by things like that, and it's the number 1 way to get both rejected from the EQE application AND leave someone witha  bad taste in their mouth from your OC
• Do not give an OC an overly dramatic, sad, tearjerking backstory. Now this one is a bit of personal preference, but also has some groundings in truth. There is only so much that the universe is going to throw at somepony. They can be ground down into the dirt over and over, but at some point, it becomes almost cliche to find an OC with "a dark and tragic past" or "a heartbreaking backstory full of pain and emotional turmoil." Your suspension of disbelief can only take so much before the heartstrings become numb, so keep the sadness as a side dish, rather than the main course.
• Do not use a black and red color scheme. Now I have nothing against those colors. They're just colors after all, but in the pony community they've been a bit... Tainted, by a few bad apples. It's true that they go well together (then again what doesn't go with black) but giving your OC that color palette is just asking for a bit of backlash. Now this isn't to say that a pony with said color scheme can't be done well, in fact I'm sure they can and have been, but as of right now, they haven't been redeemed, so try and steer clear.
• Do not make your OC an Alicorn. There's only a handful of princesses in the pony universe, and your OC ain't one of 'em, sorry to say. If people have trouble accepting THE BABY and even Cadance at this point, I don't think they'll be too keen on accepting somepony else that hasn't even been shown. Again with the above do not, this isn't to say they can't be done well, it's just that they haven't been so far, and have been quite ruined by others trying to do so. SO stick to the tried and true trifecta, or even branch out and try another race! Creativity can find a form in any glass of course, and why not have that be a Zebra? Or maybe a changeling, even?
• Unicorns, do not have your magical prowess exceed that of a certain threshold. Twilight Sparkle is the Element of Magic ffs, and you aren't gonna be beating that any time soon. In fact, most Unicorns in-universe are only adept at a single facet of magic, usually based on what their cutie mark tells them. Focus on that aspect and how it can be used creatively, instead of trying to usurp one of the most OP characters in show. Remember, a jack of all trades is a master of none.
• Do not try and create a character based around a concept that you yourself know little about. This is a more esoteric "do not" because this one can be circumvented by a little research. Simply put, I'm not gonna try and write for a pony that has a degree in theoretical particle physics, because if I did he/she would come off as a complete idiot in their field. But with a little research (and I'm talking surface level, terms, lingo, general knowledge that you can write down) you'll have a much more believable character than if you hadn't. Sure, most probably won't know the difference, but that one theoretical particle physicist is gonna stumble upon the thread and give a contented nod because they saw you did your research.

And that's about it for now, I'll probably post again with some more helpful tidbits here and there.

Stay beautiful pony people, and go forth and create even more beautiful OCs so that I may interact with them in the future!~

Well, I've already broken three of those rules. One of my OC's is a red and black Alicorn with a somewhat sad backstory. But I really like him, I put lots and lots of time brainstorming on how his story would unfold, and it's not bad. But, I'd really like your opinion on how well I made his character and if there's anything else I could do to improve him.

[95% Chance 78]

Small Update Time!!

 

Another bump, but as I've said before to nobody in particular, I'll be periodically updating this thread with more little snippets of information on creating OC's and whatnot. And today's lesson is...

 

 

Siblings and Family Members

 

So you've got your character all made, you've got their backstory (which I'll go over in another lesson later) and their important information done. But you perhaps wanted to add to it, or perhaps you wanted to flesh them out more by giving their family a visual aid. Where do you go from here? Well that's what I'm here for!

 

Start by looking at real life, as it draws a nice parallel. We'll start with siblings.

•  
• Assuming that the siblings come from the same parents, and one wasn't adopted or something (*gasp*) you'll want to follow some very loose guidelines:
  •  
  • Unless they are identical twins, don't make them look exactly alike. Depending on the artstyle chosen this'll be easier or harder, but for the traditional vectored show style, it's easy to get lazy and just recolor your OC to make a sibling. Don't do this. Instead, give them similar characteristics, such as manes or tails, even eye color is a good linking characteristic. Here, I'll show a visual example:

 

 

 

 

Take Mr. Steel Vaults here...

 

 

 

 

 

And his brother, Anchors Aweigh.

Notice that, at first glance, it's easy to draw a parallel between them, as they use the same body type, but that's where the similarities end. Instead, the method I chose to give a subtle visual link between the two ponies is via their mane and tail. Anchors Aweigh has a spikier, windswept and unkempt mane/tail. Whereas Steel Vaults's mane and tail are smoother, there are still pieces of it that jut out, betraying his natural mane and tail style and giving hints that, were he not to take care and style his mane and tail, they would resemble Anchors's, say, if he had just woken up.

 

But this is just a very minor way of establishing a familial link, and I encourage you to get creative with your OCs! I would link other examples that weren't my own, but then I'd have to get permission from the creators and such, and I want these to go up as soon as possible so that I can help out the community.

 

Now, onto parents.

I will say up front that I have no visual examples of such, but it's a pretty good idea to work backwards when making parents (obviously). Keep in mind high school biology with dominant and recessive genes, and use those to give traits to the mother and father of your pony. In the case of the two brothers up there, I would end up giving the father the spikier, wilder hair (with some noted differences, perhaps it being longer) and green eyes, with a large, greenish body. The mother on the other hand (hoof?) would be given Anchors's golden eyes, and a blue-hued body color. "Why is the color important?" Some may be wondering. It has to do with the color theory I discussed in the first post of the thread, and while I may be wrong on how genes and color are passed down in-universe, I'd like to assume that it works the same as both color mixing and simply straight up passing down colors to descendants. Blue, as it stands, can be mixed with both green and red to make both coat colors of the two brothers. Don't ask me where the red came from. Anomalies happen! (And this is an imperfect pseudoscience.

 

If there are any questions, simply ask here in the thread, or PM me. I'm always around to help.

 

Go forth and create, and have a wonderful day!

Edited May 8, 2016 by 95% Chance

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

I would add, regarding parents, to NOT have a "dead parents" or "abusive parents" backstory. I've seen it done countless times, and never good. Absent or divorced parents, neglectful or absent minded, or the type who either insist their foals work hard or, alternatively, allow them to be lazy. These are far more likely in real life and far more original than the stock "My parents are dead" or "My parents hit me all the time". Especially if the "dead/abusive parents" backstory is used to justify an OC's bad attitude.