Hello! My name is Liz Staley and I’m a long-time user of Clip Studio Paint (I started using the program back when it was known as Manga Studio 4!). I was a beta-tester on the Manga Studio 5 program and for Clip Studio Paint, and I have written three books and several video courses about the program. Many of you probably know my name from those books, in fact. I write weekly posts on Graphixly.com and on CSP Tips, so be sure to come back every week to learn more Clip Studio Tips and Tricks from me!

VTubers seem to be everywhere right now, and for good reason. I think the technology of being able to livestream as a cartoon character is so cool and if it had been around when I was younger I definitely would’ve wanted to be a professional VTuber for a job! Watching these professional streamers has, of course, made me think about what kind of character I would want to be if I had a VTuber model. So, since I’ve been contemplating it, let’s talk about the things you would want to consider if you’re interested in designing your own character to “wear” while live streaming! 

In this article we will cover the following topics:

What to Think About Before You Start Designing

Doing Research

Tips for Sketching in CSP

What to Think About Before You Start Designing

Okay, first I want to say that we will NOT be covering how to actually create a VTuber model, but rather how to start the process of designing a character. The process of actually creating a model is very complex and there are far more talented people out there to explain that process than me (as someone who is just dipping their toes into thinking about this). Think of this as a more intense method of character design since there are some unique things to think about. 

That being said, let’s get started!

If you’ve gotten this far and somehow don’t know what a VTuber is, let me briefly explain! A VTuber is a content creator who has a virtual avatar, usually a fictional character they have created, that they use as a stand-in for themselves. This usually takes the form of a livestreamer on Twitch who has an anime character avatar that is then animated based on their own human movements. The technology to accomplish this is, I think, absolutely amazing! 

When creating a VTuber persona, the sky is the limit. I have seen everything from cyborg voice-actors to fallen-angels-become-demons to escaped child experiments to fairies, dragons, and even an anthropomorphic plane! 

So what sorts of things should you think about before you start designing a VTuber character?

What kind of equipment will you need? VTubing and Livestreaming requires a lot of heavy software and hardware. Do you have the things you need to create the kind of content you want to create? If not, can you realistically get it? Remember that most people who get into this aren’t going to be making loads of money doing it, so sinking tons of money into a computer set-up when you won’t make that money back may not be realistic! Look up what kind of hardware and software you need before starting. Remember that if you will be streaming and playing video games you will need lots of equipment (and a great internet connection!). 

Start with You. Unless you’re creating a character for someone else, then it’s important to remember that YOU will be the voice and personality behind this character. Ask your friends what kind of character they could see having your own voice. What kind of values and personality do you have? For instance, if you are very soft-spoken then it may be difficult to embody a character who is brash and outspoken. Also, if your voice is very high and bubbly then it might be difficult to play a character who is serious. Of course these things aren’t impossible, especially if you are good at acting and getting into a character who doesn’t match who you are in real life. 

While thinking about these things, also think about what kind of content you want to create. Will you be discussing serious topics like religion or politics? Do you want to play video games and provide your own commentary and insight to them? Will you be creating meme content? This can all help you create a basis for your “brand”, aka the character you will be embodying. 

What kind of backstory does your character have? One of the appeals of VTuber characters is that they have lore, aka a backstory of some type. Is your character a fallen angel who has been sent to Earth to atone for something? An escaped scientific experiment? An adventurer who was trapped in a stuffed animal by an evil wizard? Creating a backstory for your character can not only help you with design, but also can get your audience invested in the character’s story. This can also help you to refine the character and plan for ways that the character may evolve later for future updated models. 

Write a Bio for Your Character. Once you’ve thought about all these things, create a new text document or get a piece of paper and write down a bio of your character. Include their backstory and personality, any unique accessories, inspirations, other similar characters, art style, and anything else you want to remember as you design. You can even create a little mascot character to represent your audience if you wish. 

Now we’re ready to start with visuals!

Doing Research For Your Design

Once you’ve got an idea for your character, it’s time to get started on the visuals! I like to gather up references first before I sit down to sketch, and I feel like one of the best places to do this is Pinterest. Pinterest is great because it’s a visual search engine and there’s so much on it! Plus you can create different boards and save pins to it to have all of your references in one place. 

After creating a board for references, I started entering search terms and saving anything that caught my eye that I might like for my character. I want to do something 80’s/90’s anime inspired since that’s the era of anime that I grew up with. So I searched for specific anime that I like the style of, 80’s and 90’s fashion, and anything else that popped into my mind that might be helpful. 

One of the other things I love about Pinterest is that after you’ve saved images to a Pinterest board, you can go to that board, scroll to the bottom, and get additional suggestions for pins related to things you’ve already saved. 

After saving a bunch of pins to a board, I then go through and save any images that I really like to my hard drive to transfer to CSP before I start sketching. 

Tips for Sketching in CSP

Once I’ve saved my favorite references to my hard drive I then like to go to Clip Studio Paint and add those images to the Sub View window so they are handy for the sketching process. By default this tab is nested with the Navigator tab. 

In the Sub View window, click on the Folder shaped icon to add images.

Navigate to where your images are saved on your device. Then click on one or more images you want to import. Once you’ve selected the images you want to add, click Open.

Now you can see your imported reference images, flip through them, zoom in closer, and even select colors from the images if you like. To find the image you want to reference quickly, click on the “Image List” icon, then select the image you want to show in the Sub View window.

Now is the time to start doodling and playing around! For a VTuber model you can keep the pose simple - most of the time they are standing poses with arms down and slightly out to the side. I’ve noticed that most Vtuber models have this pose so that it’s easy to position the model in one corner of the screen for streaming video games or general chatting. 

This is a great time to play around with different hairstyles, clothes, and accessories. Make sure you also sketch out any specific expressions you want your model to have as well. If you’re going to have another artist create your model then be sure to include close-ups of details such as eyes, hair accessories, jewelry, etc.

Below are some sketches that I came up with for my potential character. 

Once you’ve settled on a design you can create a character sheet with front, back, and side views as well as detail shots of eyes and accessories, expressions, and the character’s color palette. This is a great reference if you will be sending the design to someone else to create the art and rigging for the model.

Conclusion

Becoming a VTuber can be a fun and rewarding experience if you love creating video content and want to use a persona instead of your actual face. With some planning you can create a memorable character that resonates with viewers!

For more information on CLIP Studio Paint, please visit https://www.clipstudio.net/en  or https://graphixly.com