How to Make My Own Superhero Character

There's nothing worse than a pathetically lame superhero.

Whether you aspire to a career as a graphic novelist or you want to develop your own animated series, making your own superhero character can be lots of fun. By learning how to develop the qualities of a compelling superhero while avoiding the bad cliches and pitfalls common to new designers, you can create a superhero who is both dynamic and interesting.

Things You'll Need

• sketch pad
• colored pencils
• inks
• high-quality paper

Instructions

1. Choose a super power for your superhero. Some possible choices could include psychic powers, super strength, teleportation, super speed, or the ability to control elements like wind or fire. Make a list of possible super powers and compare them to the type of superhero you envision. For example, a dark and brooding character may be better complemented by a disturbing power like mind control, while a wholesome character may be better suited to super strength or speed. Choose a super power that fits your character image.

2. Develop an origin for your superhero. According to Superhero Nation, the best origin stories tend to involve fantastic scientific explanations, like genetic engineering, radiation or excessive technical genius that allows the hero to invent devices or serums to enhance his abilities. Create rough drafts of possible origin stories to pick the most compelling. Think about ways that your character could have stumbled into powers, as through an accident, or forced by circumstance into an extraordinary feat of genius.

3. Design a look for your superhero. The look could be based on your superhero's origin, like Spiderman's spidery suit, or even your hero's phobias or bad attitude. Use colored pencils to create test sketches of your ideas. Choose your favorite look and make an ink drawing of your superhero. Consider possible names for your hero, using your character sketch for inspiration. Superhero Nation suggests avoiding long, difficult to pronounce names, names that refer to other superheroes, and random strings of consonants intended to imply exotic or alien origin.

4. Create a great villain for your superhero. Every superhero needs a nemesis, preferably a nemesis with the type of grandiose, evil plan that people expect from a brilliant, murderous psychopath. According to Superhero Nation, a superhero that never experiences realistic defeat at the hands of the villain is boring. Think about ways to make your villain both dangerous in the sense of an individual encounter and capable of masterminding a larger evil scheme. The more competent the villain, the more impressive your superhero will be when he or she defeats the villain.

Tips & Warnings

• Use bold, solid colors for your superhero's outfit. You don't want the considerable challenge of drawing elaborate patterns every time you display your hero's cape.

References

• Superhero Nation, Three Qualities of Interesting Villains
• Superhero Nation, How to Name Your Character
• Superhero Nation, Which Origin Stories are Plausible?