Getting Started with the ‘Mixed Bunch’ Project
Alright, so I decided to tackle this project, the one I ended up calling ‘Mixed Bunch’ in my head, though the brief just said ‘diverse characters’. Sounded simple enough at first, right? Just draw different kinds of people. But man, it got complicated fast.
First off, I started gathering references. Went online, looked through magazines, stock photos, you name it. Trying to get a real feel, not just stereotypes. That part alone took days. You try looking for authentic references that aren’t just the same five faces repackaged, it’s harder than you think.
Then came the sketching. I tried mixing features, you know? Like the brief kind of hinted at – creating characters that looked genuinely unique, maybe reflecting diverse backgrounds. This is where things got sticky. It’s a fine line, isn’t it? You want representation, but you don’t want to create weird caricatures or mess it up. Felt like walking on eggshells.
- Got some feedback early on. Some liked it, some said it looked ‘off’.
- Struggled with the art style. Should it be realistic? Stylized? Trying to make different features work cohesively in one style was a pain.
- Spent ages just on noses and hair textures. Seriously.
Hitting Roadblocks and Remembering Stuff
This whole thing reminded me of this awful group project back in the day. Everyone had a different idea, different skill level, different way of working. Trying to stitch it all together was a nightmare. Felt just like that – trying to force different elements to fit smoothly when they just… didn’t want to, sometimes.
I got pretty frustrated. At one point, I nearly scrapped the whole batch. Felt like I wasn’t doing justice to the idea. You try to blend things, make something new and representative, but it’s so easy to get it wrong. And people will tell you when you get it wrong.
Had to step back. Took a break for a couple of days. Cleared my head. Went back to basics, focusing on individual characters first before trying to make them all fit some grand, unified ‘mixed’ theme. Made things a bit easier.
Wrapping It Up (Sort Of)
So, I eventually got a set of designs done. Are they perfect? Hell no. But they’re better than where I started. The key was focusing less on the ‘mixing’ as a concept and more on creating believable individuals who just happened to be diverse. Sounds obvious now, but it wasn’t when I was deep in it.
It’s a tough process. You’re dealing with aesthetics, sure, but also with identity, representation. It’s loaded. Learned a lot, mostly about how much I still have to learn. It’s not just about slapping different things together; it needs care. Lots of it.