Thoughts on this character design? harshness is encouraged :D

[Sydneythearist]

I am curious to hear what would your first impressions be if you saw this little character on a television show, movie, or maybe even book. What would you want to see differently to make the character look better? What do you like and what do you not like about the design itself? Thanks so much! These are just rough drafts btw so i obviously need to fix things like erasing lines, making feet and toes (kinda dreading that part lol) and shading of course! so yah don't be afraid to be harsh but at the same time helpful! I appreciate it!

[enkithrice]

The necks seem off on all the characters for which they are visible. In the top picture, the necks don't seem to fit into the torso very well, most noticeably on the left most character. In the bottom colored picture, her neck is bent at a rather odd angle, almost as though it were made of of silly putty, stretched out, and beginning to succumb to the will of gravity.

[Sydneythearist]

The necks seem off on all the characters for which they are visible. In the top picture, the necks don't seem to fit into the torso very well, most noticeably on the left most character. In the bottom colored picture, her neck is bent at a rather odd angle, almost as though it were made of of silly putty, stretched out, and beginning to succumb to the will of gravity.

Oh my goodness thanks so much for pointing the neck on the lower picture out! i didn't even notice it looks like her head is going to fall to the floor any second lol anyway i will go fix that! thanks again!

[sweetguts]

There are a lot of proportion and anatomy problems all around, and I really think you would benefit from going back to the basics for a while before you dive into cartooning. Believe me, knowledge of how the real human body works is immensely helpful when you're drawing cartoon characters. That way you'll know how to push shapes and features into really striking and memorable character designs.

But as for what you have now, I think your designs are a bit generic. Look up some concept art from animated movies and TV shows you enjoy and try to break down the characters into basic shapes. Compare the characters to each other and see how they stand out from each other. For example, Spongebob Squarepants has a square, a star, and a ball on a stick as characters. You should be pushing your designs to be unique, but also to fit in the world they were made for.

[arenhaus]

Study real figures, and real human anatomy. You can't really do animatable characters without at least some of that, and you certainly can't do good stylization of human face and figure if you know too little of the real thing.

I recommend to sketch in pencil, and use computer for finished work. Pencil is easier to control and offers more freedom and precision in arm movement.