How do I come up with a pony oc design that is more appealing?

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

How do I create an oc design that isn't total crap? Any help is appreciated.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

Study up on color theory. Make your colors consistent with the pastel palette used in the show. Give the OC a good palette with harmonious colors, and avoid black like the plague.

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

Study up on color theory. Make your colors consistent with the pastel palette used in the show. Give the OC a good palette with harmonious colors, and avoid black like the plague.

What about a cutie mark and mane/tail style?

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

What about a cutie mark and mane/tail style?

That's totally up to you, though I'd look for some examples of manes and tails from existing characters and see what people like or don't like. Even an original design can use an existing one to build on.

[Eiwly 77]

I find that a good place to start when coming up with an oc is to start with a theme. do you want a nature based oc? or a city based? maybe something to do with collecting a certain object or a specific activity. this sorta lays a foundation and you build ground up. colours and design come next: working with an idea, then finding colours that fit. ie, an easy one, if you're making a nature themed oc, and you want them based of flowers, perhaps picking softer, brighter colours from flower petals. or if you're going for say a music based oc, pick vibrant colours that really 'pop'!

 

mane / tail hair styles are something that normally comes second to me. I find if I don't know what I want, I'll just play around & doodle a few styles, or search through pinterest for insp. & cutie mark / naming comes last. idk I just find it easier to build the pony then work on the individual character aspects after. these are more subjective, and really depend on personal tastes. I find working with symbols that reflect my theme help, and then finding ways to personalize / accent them. 

 

you don't ALWAYS have to start like this, but I do find it helps to build around a central idea. also if you need inspiration for themes / colour schemes, Design-Seeds is a REALLY nice place to start!!

[Baykush 328]

The question I didn't know I needed answered. 

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

I find that a good place to start when coming up with an oc is to start with a theme. do you want a nature based oc? or a city based? maybe something to do with collecting a certain object or a specific activity. this sorta lays a foundation and you build ground up. colours and design come next: working with an idea, then finding colours that fit. ie, an easy one, if you're making a nature themed oc, and you want them based of flowers, perhaps picking softer, brighter colours from flower petals. or if you're going for say a music based oc, pick vibrant colours that really 'pop'!

 

mane / tail hair styles are something that normally comes second to me. I find if I don't know what I want, I'll just play around & doodle a few styles, or search through pinterest for insp. & cutie mark / naming comes last. idk I just find it easier to build the pony then work on the individual character aspects after. these are more subjective, and really depend on personal tastes. I find working with symbols that reflect my theme help, and then finding ways to personalize / accent them. 

 

you don't ALWAYS have to start like this, but I do find it helps to build around a central idea. also if you need inspiration for themes / colour schemes, Design-Seeds is a REALLY nice place to start!!

Thank you I thought this was very helpful. Though unfortunately I can't draw myself. Also I sort of imagine my oc wearing a black trench coat and glasses. He'd be a unicorn and his cutie mark would be in magic. Thought maybe I'll soften his design. Also he'd probably be bright orange.

[Blood Moon 109]

I like to start off with a pony's personality before making anything else. Knowing that can help with how they carry themselves as well as give you a better look on how their mane/tail would be groomed and styled as well as any extras they might have, such as accessories. If you come up with a pony that's more on the refined side, maybe an elegant style with some waves or something that's done up nice and neat, or if they're the more carefree sort, it'll be something more messy.

 

Next would be the colors. Never go fully saturated for any color. Pastels are always a great choice, but darker tones can be used for pretty good effects as well. Just make sure they aren't so dark that it would make shading hard to see in any art done of them. That is never good. If you're having trouble coming up with a set of colors that you think would look good together, the infamous pony generator is actually a good place to go. Don't use whatever pony you make in there as your final character by any means, of course, but that tool can show you how a color scheme will look on a pony and help you see if anything needs to be changed before you start working on something.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

A good tool for visualising an OC is this: http://generalzoi.deviantart.com/art/Pony-Creator-v3-545889253

 

I find it very useful for seeing which colours work best together, choosing mane and tail styles and working out exactly what you want your OC to look like. Once you fit an OC together, you can head to Requestria and post in one of the many shops to get a nice pic of your OC done for you. I know a lot of people don't rate the ponymaker, but as a starting point, it's a good one. A lot of artists who will draw your OC for you like to have a visual reference to work from, and a ponymaker image is ideal.

 

As for names, there are quite a few name generators online if you are totally stuck, like this one: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/my-little-pony-names.php#.WLRcdjlnvIUOnce you decide on a name, work out a basic backstory for your OC. It's best to keep it fairly straightforward, with no cliches like dead parents or abusive guardians. These have been done to death and keep recurring over and over again. While it is possible to incorporate such elements in a pony backstory, it's best not to do so for your first OC as it takes a lot of skillful writing to make it work and if you're just starting out, it's best to keep it simple. Include such things as your pony's job, their likes and dislikes, their friends and family, and their special talent. This leads on to the choosing of the cutie mark.

 

So you've picked out a special talent for your OC. That will act as a starting point for their cutie mark. Just like in the back story, it's best to keep it simple; cluttered cutie marks just look untidy. The vast majority of canon ponies have simple, yet effective cutie marks. For example, if your OC's special talent is writing, a quill and scroll works better than a typewriter surrounded with books and different colour pens.

[Rhapsody 112]

You can always commission an artist as well. They can come up with some cool designs for you.

[Victoria Sponge 1,019]

I find that a good place to start when coming up with an oc is to start with a theme. do you want a nature based oc? or a city based? maybe something to do with collecting a certain object or a specific activity. this sorta lays a foundation and you build ground up. colours and design come next: working with an idea, then finding colours that fit. ie, an easy one, if you're making a nature themed oc, and you want them based of flowers, perhaps picking softer, brighter colours from flower petals. or if you're going for say a music based oc, pick vibrant colours that really 'pop'!

 

This theme idea is definitely a good place to start, my OCs are all based off cakes which gives me certain sets of colours to use as well as a name and general mane style. You just combine your theme with a personality of your choice to make a design that suits the pony then voila.