I feel like TF2 really established great standard for character design and silhouette even though all the characters are super stylised they still look like real people, every detail feels unique even all their ears are different.
This kind of attention to detail seems pretty underappreciated outside of the fanbase in general.
Plus the amount of personality and expression that comes out of these characters is very self evident in all of the meet the shorts
my two favourites still being Meet the Demoman and Meet the Engineer
Just thought this would be a useful bit of information for young artists when it comes to overall character design, especially when designing a whole cast of unique characters.
DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW BRILLIANT TF2 IS IN TERMS OF DESIGN. It is one of the best examples to show someone when teaching them about character design.
Like yeah…not only do they have unique noses, jaws, ears even…valve even took the extra step to give them each distinct teeth.
My character design teacher has brought up TF2, and the concept art by Moby Francke, a few times in class. For one Moby Francke was highly inspired by the great artist J.C. Lyendecker.
And many of the key components in designing the character is gesture, shape and silhouette, and just getting in great key components that create story telling.
This is one of the reasons I love TF2 so much because it makes me just…art fangasm all over it.
oh wow thanks anon! i had time for this actually so i gave it a go!! this is bad and vague i’m sorry. maybe one day i’ll make a proper tutorial thing….. when i actually understand……. how i draw heads and faces??? tbh anon i don’t understand how i do it
I doodled a few things. The Administrator would be finished, but I don’t have markers in her hair colour. Then there’s my Pyro loadout kinda in BLU, and of course a Medic.
scribbled down a quick sanity check of the two giant women in the TF2 comics to make sure I wasn’t just drawing the same thing twice.
They’re not spectacularly differently proportioned, not showing off any skills in character/silhouette design here but I thought it might be interesting…
I’m just have a lot of feelings about Engie because I had all these theories that he was evil and up to no good, BUT HE JUST GREW A BEARD AND GOT EVEN MORE ADORABLE. HE’S STILL THE SAME AS EVER. I’M SO SORRY I EVER DOUBTED HIM.
They’re a family and honestly, with the way that Valve has built up the friendship and brotherhood that the Mercs have, I doubt they will go seperate ways.
In my opinion, I am really certain they will stay together, and I think that would make the most sense with their characters, but we won’t know until we get there.
But God I hope these lovely men (and ?) stay together for as long as they live, and even if they don’t, they will always live on together in my heart.
Maui is a powerful demigod. Big and strong and… oh, you think he looks fat?
That’s probably because you’ve been conditioned by the media to accept this
as what strong and fit looks like. Amiright?
Sadly… these guys are not all that strong. Yeah, they got muscles… but they aren’t built in a useful way. They are built for looks and that’s about it.
This…
is a strong guy. Actually a competitor in the Strongman competition. But… his tummy sticks out and he doesn’t look like a Dorito.
You know who else is strong?
These guys…
And Maui…
Look at those arms, omg. And that solid, sturdy torso. You can see a shadow where his meat covers his ribs, but he doesn’t look like any slouch to me.
And this guy…
That’s Dwayne Johnson’s grandfather. When the Disney animators showed him their sketches of Maui, he pulled out a picture of his grandfather and showed it to them because he was amazed how similar they looked. This dude was also a pro wrestler.
There’s actually a great infographic about ab muscles and stuff over HERE. but this is the part i want to show you.
Now… look at Maui again.
That thickness don’t move like fat. It doesn’t jiggle and he’s able to flex it. Look at how it sits on his body. It doesn’t sag… he doesn’t have a gut. There’s even a slight V shape to his torso.
It’s just big and not ‘defined’.
And people aren’t used to that.
(sorry, this isn’t the most organized post… i kinda just let it all spill out)
AngelMihe 
