201 Character Design Drawing Prompts to Build Your Gallery

Finding Drawing Prompts

It’s not hard to have dozens of drawing ideas pop into your head during the average day at school or work, but finding time for them is another matter. We all get ideas about OC drawings we should do that arrive in our minds. There is no shortage of prompts, whether it be outfits or poses, but they may not come at a convenient time and might be forgotten during the day.

But what happens if you have time to draw but are drawing (aha) a blank as far as ideas go? Well, prompts can help. OC Drawing prompts can be relatively easy to find but still present overwhelming options. 

For example, recreating a popular meme with your OC is always a fun way to explore an OC and get it out there on the internet. Viral content can give you a relevant, time-sensitive prompt for OCs. You can’t go wrong applying your OCs for memes if you want to fill your gallery with many images. For example, even redrawing a funny picture with your OC, like I like with Dash, can be a fun exercise.

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For example, it can directly work with a meme by redrawing it with your OCs. Other times, it may be a meme where you draw your characters in a particular pose, outfit, or scenario. These things float everywhere on social media, so keep an eye out.

Along that line, a particular favorite source of drawing prompts for me is taking my OCs and drawing them in scenarios pulled from the Dark Stock Photos social media account. This collection reposts ridiculous and uncomfortable stock photo images that are hilarious. Find one to apply to your OCs and enjoy the comedy.

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Anything that inspires you that you find online can make for a good OC drawing prompt. It just needs to spark that interest. Of course, if you want to try something less based on the whims of the general public, you can also quickly generate your library of OC drawing prompts.

Role, Setting, Gimmick

To quickly develop character prompts, you can combine a role, setting, and gimmick to generate rapid ideas for OCs. It even works for story hooks. A “gimmick” is not an inherently bad word and can be essential in developing new design prompts from scratch.

A gimmick is a novelty that can be attached to your character that either runs with our counter to their role or setting. For example, say you have a ghost-hunting detective in a haunted mansion - those serve as a role and setting, respectively. The gimmick is that spark that generates something unique to the OC. For example, perhaps the gimmick is that the OC can talk to ghosts. We’ve just created Michael J. Fox’s character from The Frighteners, but the point still stands. 

Or, say you have a farmboy on a backwater desert planet who discovers a quasi-mystical power that allows him to use special powers. Well, that is Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. We have the role of the farmboy, the setting of a desert planet, and a gimmick of special sort-of-mystical abilities. Role. Setting. Gimmick. Easy right?

So, when considering a gimmick, think of it as what sets your character apart from others - whether it is along the lines of their role or positions them as unique in their setting. So, by creating a role, setting, and gimmick, we can develop all sorts of unique character design prompts.

New Character Design Drawing Prompts

We've got you covered if you need some character design prompts now. Here are 101 different OC drawing prompts to help you create new characters divided into various genres. Enjoy, and be sure to add them to CharacterHub!

Fantasy Character Drawing Prompts

Here are 26 fantasy character drawing prompts that you can turn into OCs. Or, if you want just to use them to sharpen your art skills, that’s a great idea, too!

1. An elven sorceress of an enchanted forest that communicates with musical notes.
2. A dwarven blacksmith of a mountain village who harnesses the sun's power for his smithing.
3. A goblin artificer of a floating island of airships who uses lightning captured from the atmosphere.
4. A rogue werewolf of a haunted village has an enchanted moondrop vial that allows them to transform outside the regular full moon but must be charged.
5.  A fairy bard of a celestial kingdom can afflict bad luck through rhymes.
6. An orcish dragon rider of a volcanic region that can transform into a dragon in an extreme emergency
7. A fallen undead paladin in the sewers beneath a corrupt kingdom has learned to harness the souls of criminals to increase their strength.
8. A tiefling shaman from a tribe in the elemental planes channels specific elements based on the lunar cycle.
9. A treant warden of an ancient forest who is disguising themselves to hunt down corrupt, forest-pruning goblins
10. An ice nymph of a tundra creates traps to ward off settlers.
11. An elven oracle on a tropical island has visions of an impending disaster that changes with every action they take.
12. A minotaur gladiator in an underground arena has a secret weapon… an axe of shadows.
13. An aristocratic witch hunter travels through the swamps outside the kingdom with a magic-detecting compass.
14. A celestial engineer travels the lands of a kingdom trying to find the lost pieces of their airship.
15. A troll warlock runs a traveling show comprised of soul-bound puppets of patrons.
16. A gnomish knight tries to save a frost village with a flaming sword.
17. A lizardfolk alchemist of a bioluminescent swamp carries an array of magical elixirs.
18. A ruined kingdom's human warrior has been granted a Phoenix's rebirth abilities.
19. A giant priestess of a stormy mountain kingdom can call down the thunder with a prayer.
20. Outside of time, a scholar in a library carries a magic tome that allows them to travel to any point in a fantasy world’s history.
21. A jester of a corrupt kingdom secretly assassinates corrupt nobles with enchanted knives.
22. A performing swordsman of an interplanar circus has collected a magic sword from each realm they visit.
23. A wandering orc cook of a desert tribe secretly carries a decanter of endless water.
24. A pirate commodore has secret armor comprised of mermaid scales.
25. An undead elven warrior of a fallen kingdom who repairs their body by sewing on the parts of fallen foes.
26. A goblin alchemist leads a revolution in a mining camp with sticks of dynamite.

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Science Fiction Character Drawing Prompts

Here are 25 different science fiction character drawing prompts to turn into OCs.

1. A cybernetic mercenary of a mega city has an integrated cloaking device and weapons.
2. An AI-enhanced hacker in a virtual reality network has exploited the system for underserved users.
3. A galactic bounty hunter invades a space biker hideout with a sentient, shape-shifting weapon, looking for a target.
4. An android diplomat at an interstellar peace summit mimics emotions to facilitate negotiations and treaties better.
5. A space marine engineer at the Martian colonies helps fend off raiders with mobile turrets they assemble on the fly.
6. A bioengineered gladiator in a living arena has learned to use the location to their advantage.
7. A galaxy-traveling archaeologist has found lost ruins with their most recent discovery - an ancient artifact that tracks mysterious planetary beacons.
8. A pilgrim of the void finds a new planet by phasing between realities.
9. A medic in an orbital station uses their nanobot implants to treat others.
10. A dimension-hopping thief targets a sky city in another reality and phases treasure from one reality to another.
11. An android samurai in Neo Tokyo uses advanced algorithms to enhance their swordsmanship.
12. A hoverbike courier is on the run when the cyber mafia discovers he is carrying a package they want.
13. An exo-suit engineer in an asteroid mining outpost has learned to make do with scrap and their customized exo-suit.
14. A botanist aboard a starship uses psychically linked plants to help bootstrap colonies.
15. A quantum assassin pops in and out of reality using a pocket-dimension sniper’s nest.
16. A galactic DJ at the most exclusive club in the universe promotes peace through mood-altering music.
17. A cyborg detective in a cyberpunk future utilizes special tools to enhance his crime-solving skills.
18. A psychic soldier plans their escape from a sinister training facility by unleashing their powers on the staff.
19. A scientist becomes quantum-entangled with their other selves from other realities and can share information.
20. An anti-tech activist finds a strange robotic creature that they quickly bond with.
21. A resistance hacker uses hard-light technology to hack their way through corporate facilities.
22. A time-traveling assassin creates a new split timeline, eliminating each target using a probability gun.
23. An alien stranded on Earth must remain hidden with a faulty holographic disguise kit that changes their appearance daily.
24. A starship engineer discovers an alien tool that allows them to alter matter with a thought
25. A cosmic, god-like being takes the form of a human to regularly prank a crew of space explorers.

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Historical Fiction Character Drawing Prompts

Here are 25 different historical fiction character drawing prompts to turn into OCs. Some of these concepts will dip into more fantastic elements.

1. A duelist at a Venetian masquerade ball is in disguise to arrange a duel with the noble who killed their sibling.
2. In the early 1930s, an Egyptologist discovered a hidden relic that awakened the old gods of Egypt.
3. A viking on a raiding ship has made a deal with a sea monster that can be summoned with a totem.
4. A ronin wanders the land, adding to his collection of swords, also rolled into a bundle on his back.
5. A priest from a Mesoamerican kingdom channels the secret powers of a god.
6. A musketeer of the French Revolution leaves the army in the chaos of battle to get a childhood friend out of Paris.
7. A Mayan warrior is granted Jaguar powers.
8. A Roman gladiator discovers their weapon is enchanted to be unbreakable.
9. A druid of the ancient Britains taps into nature’s powers to fend off Roman invaders.
10. A Han Dynasty member of the Imperial War council devises brilliant strategies, pulled from a 20th-century military history book.
11. Leonardo DaVinci recruits a young warrior and equips them with secret combat inventions.
12. A pirate captain recruits a ghost ship and crew in exchange for releasing them from their misery after one year of service.
13. A Native American warrior is granted crow-like wings to save his people from strange invaders.
14. A Victorian-era monster hunter fights vampires and werewolves with combat tarot cards.
15. A geisha assassin works her way toward killing the local warlord who destroyed her village.
16. A plague doctor has created a primitive healing gas gun to fight disease in medieval Italy.
17. An oracle of ancient Greece discovers that her versions are not from the Gods but rather her jumping into the future.
18. A high-society thief of the 1800s has mastered the art of disguise kits.
19. A priestess of ancient Japan stumbles upon a shrine that has been cursed and aims to cleanse the area with the aid of a friendly tanuki.
20. A Roman centurion uses an enchanted shield to defend his garrison from an otherworldly invasion.
21. A cowboy discovers a cannibalistic cult in the town they rode into.
22. A riverboat gambler uses card tricks to cheat his way to a fortune.
23. A 19th-century poet discovers their poetry seemingly predicts the future.
24. An explorer lands on an undiscovered island in the South Seas only to find strange alien statues and inhuman horrors.
25. A knight of the Crusades finds themselves seemingly transported to China after a flash of lightning strikes them.

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Modern Fiction Character Drawing Prompts

Here are 25 different modern fiction character drawing prompts to turn into OCs. These concepts are based on creating more contemporary characters and settings but often still lean on the fantastic.

1. A street racer in Los Angeles has customized his car with experimental tech granted by a mysterious benefactor.
2. A vigilante fights corruption in a city through smoke bombs, parkour, and a sense of justice.
3. A paranormal investigator is trapped in a haunted hospital that does not want to let them out.
4. An artist discovers that their graffiti work has a living quality and can take instructions and move all over the surface of any structure.
5. An off-the-grid survivalist discovers something wrong is going on in the rest of the world when a zombie stumbles into their homestead.
6. A spy for a secret organization has infiltrated a casino with high-tech gadgets to steal data on the high-rolling clients and their crimes.
7. A medic opens an underground clinic using stolen experimental technology.
8. A social media influencer secretly frames other influencers for clout by manipulating and sharing situations under a secret account.
9. A modern-day shaman hopes to heal the sickness of their city from their rooftop garden.
10. A podcaster has secretly spoken with the dead and shared their stories for money.
11. A tech CEO secretly takes commands from a sentient AI that has blackmailed them.
12. A park ranger secretly practices nature magic in an attempt to preserve the pristine nature of their park.
13. A modern ninja struggles with depression brought on by working for honorless corporations.
14. A messenger for a gang navigates the city with a grapple gun.
15. An artist can paint portals anywhere they have been, allowing them to leave mysterious art around the world, creating a frenzy for their work.
16. A mysterious theater owner can project the minds of patrons onto the screen.
17. A detective can relive the events at any crime scene in a 24-hour window.
18. An eccentric old man has declared himself king of the pirates and has recruited other sailors to his cause - from his yacht.
19. An eco-warrior hacker uses advanced technology to take down corrupt corporations.
20. An indie game developer has created the first VRMMO, but is on the run from a company that wants it.
21. A modern-day alchemist helps poor communities while evading criminal organizations who want to exploit their gift.
22. A local superhero discovers overnight that their powers are spreading through the city like a cold.
23. An amateur supervillain with no cred discovers the corpse of the most popular hero in the world and steals the magic belt that grants them those powers.
24. A podcaster has a smartphone that can call a random person from another reality.
25. A cartoonist discovers that their popular YouTube animations are the real adventures of aliens from another world they are channeling.

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Character Drawing Prompts for Your Existing Characters

Sometimes, drawing them in different scenarios is a fun way to explore characters. Here are 100 different prompts over various categories to give you unique spins on drawing an OC, including cosplay themes for fun.

While most of these prompts feature a single OC, some may require a second OC. However, each prompt presents interesting poses that allow you to test your drawing skills. Enjoy the OC drawing prompts.

Daily Scenarios

1. Sketch an OC working at a desk
2. Draw an OC lying down on a couch
3. Draw an OC engrossed in a  book
4. Doodle an OC engrossed in a phone conversation
5. Illustrate and OC cooking or prepping a meal
6. Draw an OC trying a tie
7. Sketch an OC watering a plant
8. Illustrate an OC taking a photograph
9. Sketch an OC carrying grocery bags
10. Draw an OC painting on an easel
11. Draw an OC lifting a box
12. Doodle an OC petting a dog or cat
13. Sketch an OC studying
14. Illustrate an OC on a smoke break
15. Draw an OC leaning forward on a seat, engrossed

Sport Scenarios

1. Illustrate an OC juggling
2. Draw an OC failing to juggle
3. Draw an OC long-jumping
4. Doodle an OC freefalling
5. Sketch an OC catching a ball
6. Draw an OC throwing a ball
7. Sketch an OC kicking a ball
8. Draw an OC confidently climbing a wall
9. Sketch an OC losing their grip on a wall
10. Illustrate an OC jogging
11. Illustrate an OC sprinting
12. Draw an OC balancing on a wire
13. Sketch an OC readying for a run
14. Doodle an OC doing pull-ups
15. Draw an OC doing push-ups
16. Illustrate an OC practicing Tai chi
17. Sketch an OC doing yoga
18. Draw an OC doing jumping jacks
19. Draw an OC climbing over a wall
20. Sketch an OC crawling

Combat and Action Scenarios

1. Illustrate an OC swinging a sword overhead
2. Draw and OC thrusting a sword forward
3. Sketch an OC swinging a sword horizontally
4. Draw an OC performing a high kick
5. Sketch an OC performing a sweeping kick
6. Doodle an OC throwing a punch
7. Sketch an OC performing an uppercut
8. Draw an OC crouched in a wrestling pose
9. Illustrate an OC aiming a gun
10. Sketch an OC leaning against a wall, their gun drawn
11. Doodle an OC thrusting a spear
12. Draw an OC vaulting with a staff
13. Doodle an OC twirling a staff
14. Draw an OC readying a bow and arrow
15. Illustrate an OC readying a slingshot

Romance Scenarios 

1. Illustrate an OC caressing the face of another OC
2. Draw two OCs holding hands
3. Sketch an OC on one knee, professing their love
4. Doodle an OC in a seductive pose, leaning back
5. Draw an OC blowing a flirty kiss
6. Draw an OC winking cheekily
7. Illustrate an OC glancing back seductively over their shoulder
8. Sketch two OCs sharing a cute kiss
9. Draw two OCs kissing passionately
10. Doodle an OC doing a suggestive dance
11. Draw two OCs locked arm-in-arm
12. Draw one OC hugging another from behind
13. Doodle an OC that is acting shy
14. Draw an OC peeking through their fingers
15. Sketch an OC locking fingers with another OC

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Fantastic Scenarios

1. Draw an OC aggressively casting a fire spell
2. Illustrate an OC casting calming water magic
3. Sketch and OC raising magic earth pillars
4. Draw an OC redirecting magical winds
5. Sketch an OC summoning lightning strikes
6. Doodle an OC shooting energy from their fingertips
7. Draw an OC levitating in the air
8. Draw an OC flying without wings
9. Illustrate an OC playing a magical instrument
10. Sketch an OC casting magic from a staff
11. Draw an OC casting magic from a wand
12. Illustrate an OC reading a kamehameha
13. Draw an OC releasing a kamehameha
14. Illustrate an OC breathing fire
15. Draw an OC readying a crane kick

Cosplay Scenarios

1. Draw an OC in a favorite DC character costume
2. Doodle an OC in a favorite Marvel character costume
3. Draw an OC in a famous anime costume
4. Draw an OC as an armored knight
5. Sketch an OC in wizarding robes
6. Illustrate an OC as a Venetian noble
7. Draw an OC as a 1940s explorer
8. Doodle an OC as a retro space explorer
9. Draw an OC as a hard sci-fi astronaut
10. Sketch an OC as a pirate
11. Draw an OC as a bandit
12. Doodle an OC in Western wear
13. Illustrate an OC as a spy
14. Draw an OC as a supernatural detective
15. Draw an OC as a plague doctor
16. Illustrate an OC as a vampire
17. Draw an OC as a ghost
18. Sketch an OC in a monstrous form
19. Illustrate an OC as a mutant
20. Draw an OC as a historical soldier

Finding More Drawing Prompts

Still in the mood for additional drawing prompts? You should check and see what weekly challenges are going on at CharacterHub. 

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CharacterHub offers many prompts and drawing challenges every week, providing plenty of ideas and inspiration. There are even prompts specifically for writers, for instance, so you can practice developing your characters as a writer in addition to your art.

And remember, you can take each character made from any of these prompts and add them to your OC library on the site. So get to work!