The Design Evolution of Nigel
Writing this description I realized that I want to talk not only about Nigel's design evolution, but about mine too, as an artist. Because a lot of my characters have been with me for a long time, and they grew up with me. So Nigel isn't just important to me because of nostalgic reasons.
Nigel is especially important to me, because I always felt a bound with him. That's because on one hand I came up with his race completely myself. On the other hand, because I always wanted him to be a kind of an exiled character, who is trying to find his place in the world, and has a hard time making friends. At first I intended his inner conflicts to come from his heritage, because he was some kind of half-blood creature, and considered himself a mongrel. And he didn't even have any kind of special powers or abilities, and that's pretty sad if you are surrounded by many magical creatures, who can do all kinds of amazing things :D But this changed during his creation process.
In 2013, when I was only a kid, I adored Digimons and Pokemons, so I drew many characters who looked a lot like them. I even wanted to create Nigel's proportions similar to theirs.
In 2014 my taste regarding character designs and proportions finally started to develop a bit. I tried to come up with less „plastic” or „alien” kind of designs. I started to practice more simple, fantasy-like designs. But even then I wanted to make Nigel as some weird, mixed creature. I wanted him to be part dragon, and at one point he even learned to breathe fire.
When in 2016 I came up with a new design for him, it was an interesting period for me. I started to realize what style and logic I want to create my characters with. I felt I was overthinking all of my characters until that point. „Sometimes less is more” as they say, and I try to design according to that even today. Shapes and ideas started to interest me a lot more than details. After I simplified Nigel's design - and I liked it a lot -, I wasn't sure anymore if I wanted him to be some kind of „mongrel” character anymore. The Tree of Life universe will have a ton of weird looking characters anyway, so he wouldn't really stand out.
In 2019, after ignoring Nigel for years, I started to work on his design again. After the Tree of Life story went through multiple changes, and re-writes from the ground up, I felt I had to re-think some of the character's designs too. I still wanted to keep Nigel's design as some kind of mixed race, but without putting too much pointless details into it. He even got some clothes, just like the other Tree of Life characters, because before this point none of them wore any. And clothes can give a lot to a character's personality. And I realized it would look pretty dumb if the characters would fight completely naked, with their non existing genitals and nipples. For me it felt like I couldn't decide if I wanted to make something erotic or not. If a character doesn't wear clothes, it should come from a tradition or cultural reason, not because I'm too lazy to draw clothes, and I'd rather use my eraser to get rid of some NSFW body parts, to save time… XP
I'm still proud of Nigel's final design even today, and I hope you like him too :)
Nigel is especially important to me, because I always felt a bound with him. That's because on one hand I came up with his race completely myself. On the other hand, because I always wanted him to be a kind of an exiled character, who is trying to find his place in the world, and has a hard time making friends. At first I intended his inner conflicts to come from his heritage, because he was some kind of half-blood creature, and considered himself a mongrel. And he didn't even have any kind of special powers or abilities, and that's pretty sad if you are surrounded by many magical creatures, who can do all kinds of amazing things :D But this changed during his creation process.
In 2013, when I was only a kid, I adored Digimons and Pokemons, so I drew many characters who looked a lot like them. I even wanted to create Nigel's proportions similar to theirs.
In 2014 my taste regarding character designs and proportions finally started to develop a bit. I tried to come up with less „plastic” or „alien” kind of designs. I started to practice more simple, fantasy-like designs. But even then I wanted to make Nigel as some weird, mixed creature. I wanted him to be part dragon, and at one point he even learned to breathe fire.
When in 2016 I came up with a new design for him, it was an interesting period for me. I started to realize what style and logic I want to create my characters with. I felt I was overthinking all of my characters until that point. „Sometimes less is more” as they say, and I try to design according to that even today. Shapes and ideas started to interest me a lot more than details. After I simplified Nigel's design - and I liked it a lot -, I wasn't sure anymore if I wanted him to be some kind of „mongrel” character anymore. The Tree of Life universe will have a ton of weird looking characters anyway, so he wouldn't really stand out.
In 2019, after ignoring Nigel for years, I started to work on his design again. After the Tree of Life story went through multiple changes, and re-writes from the ground up, I felt I had to re-think some of the character's designs too. I still wanted to keep Nigel's design as some kind of mixed race, but without putting too much pointless details into it. He even got some clothes, just like the other Tree of Life characters, because before this point none of them wore any. And clothes can give a lot to a character's personality. And I realized it would look pretty dumb if the characters would fight completely naked, with their non existing genitals and nipples. For me it felt like I couldn't decide if I wanted to make something erotic or not. If a character doesn't wear clothes, it should come from a tradition or cultural reason, not because I'm too lazy to draw clothes, and I'd rather use my eraser to get rid of some NSFW body parts, to save time… XP
I'm still proud of Nigel's final design even today, and I hope you like him too :)
Category Artwork (Digital) / Doodle
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Male
Size 1000 x 3333px
Listed in Folders
I really like him and hope to see more of his arc in your comic. It may sound odd, but I feel like I can identify a lot with him, and want to see what happens.
Yeah, he's got a pretty cool design :) And as for in the comic, poor guy's been through a lot and not dealt with it well!
It's fascinating to see and hear the changes your art has gone through. I do love the final design you came up with for Nigel. It's very distinct, and not too complex.
Very informative and interesting!
It's fascinating to see the generations of his design. I definitely think his final design worked out marvelously.
It's fascinating to see the generations of his design. I definitely think his final design worked out marvelously.
That's quite the history lesson, very interesting to see how Nigel has evolved over the years
Hope the lad gets his happy ending in the comic, maybe a little payback against his crazy parents.
Great job viktria. Deep down, we all want the scruffy boy to get better.
I really like his design, and its such a creative combination of Rabbit and rhino!
And 2016 looks SO DARN HUGABLE!
And 2016 looks SO DARN HUGABLE!
He looked much more furry and softer, he looks bony today. XD So he's not soft at all. Except his ears.
I recommend reading One Piece and taking inspiration from it. I also implore changing the clothes over time for characters, so it doesn't get old and show their change.
While I don’t like him as a character, the design is really good and it’s always super interesting to see how a character’s design is developed.
The process of how Nigel came to have that final appearance is quite interesting. :3
Oh my god, got mad respect for having character deleop as you do!
Like i did a peice for mine after i had them for 10 years, but unlike you and digimon/pokemon i was sonic/pokemon to inspire XD
Like i did a peice for mine after i had them for 10 years, but unlike you and digimon/pokemon i was sonic/pokemon to inspire XD
Wow, you started your journey from fanart OCs too and you did your best to make the characters more unique and original :D
I think it’s a much prouder feeling for an artist to have original characters, especially in the long run. You have to work on to people get to know them and start to love them. It's way more work and time than doing fanarts, but it was very worth it to me.
I think it’s a much prouder feeling for an artist to have original characters, especially in the long run. You have to work on to people get to know them and start to love them. It's way more work and time than doing fanarts, but it was very worth it to me.
Like my gosh yesss! Totally agree, like fanarts a good kick off point!
But having your own characters just.... Just adds to much when that characters liked and people care about them!
Same kinda way the the saucy erotic stories are, you give us a background for them, and the pay offs so much sweeter than you're basic instandt gratification scenes with no charaters having chemistry!
But having your own characters just.... Just adds to much when that characters liked and people care about them!
Same kinda way the the saucy erotic stories are, you give us a background for them, and the pay offs so much sweeter than you're basic instandt gratification scenes with no charaters having chemistry!
Regardless of what happens in the world around him, with his family, with the Tree, with Guardians, I hope he's able to find some inner peace finally.
"In 2013, when I was only a kid,"
No. No. You're not allowed to be this productive and talented if you were a minor in 2013. You give some of that back, mister/missy/something in between/other.
No. No. You're not allowed to be this productive and talented if you were a minor in 2013. You give some of that back, mister/missy/something in between/other.
I was pretty lonely and depressed idiot when I was a teenager and the drawing helped me to communicate with others and initiating some kind of conversation, please let me be this productive XD
He's certainly grown up over the years! Nice improvements, Zoomy!
I love the design, ( I adore characters with large droopy ears). Now that I know his backstory I am really rooting for him.
I see you've only been making plans for Nigel for quite a while now! ;p
The growth of this cute exiled dork fills me with life and determination...
Thank you Vik for the share! It was nice knowing more about how you came up with these things :3
Thank you Vik for the share! It was nice knowing more about how you came up with these things :3
Even in the first design, you can see those little elements that carried over to his final design today. I really love his design! And the clothing style you have in your fantasy series. Designing clothes by itself is a feat, and when considering long ears, horns, digitigrade legs or even wings makes it all the more challenging. And Satisfying! When you find stuff that works.
I agree that the wings, big horns, clothing, difficult anatomy and stuff like that give up the lesson pretty much :D Sometime I want to add more details to a character I intend to put in a comic, but to draw the same details a hundred times is horror XD Mainly if you have a time limit to draw a page. Though I’ll take on a little more detail sometime to be satisfied with the design and the character's vibe.
The progression of an artist and their OCs always fascinates and inspires me. It's wonderful to see the time and thought put into it over the span of many years, how an OC can serve as an outlet with many purposes when needed at different times; like some vent art emo phase OC evolving into a detective in a noir story a decade later, or a sparkledog from DeviantART evolving into a fursona and then a fursuit and possibly changing species but remaining the same colors or themes, and so on. That kind of development is so cool and it's comforting to have a character mature with you and go through your style changes. So keep on keeping on!! This is a wonderful character.
I like the 2013 design.
It looks like a creature that would make for an exotic pet.
It looks like a creature that would make for an exotic pet.
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