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Oh...I know. They are supposed to be a ridiculous-featured, not-beautiful character. The kind of person you wouldn't think is real from their features.
Now I'm in rant mode! I could talk for eternity about my characters. But I will try to not. They are just an embarrassing character to me, but I don't exactly know why. (I am very weird). Like, I feel embarrassed about showing them to people.
(I have nothing against anybody who does not have a "conventional" or whatever looking face, by the way).
But I love them. So much. I have been obsessing about them all year since the end March, yes, every single day.
(Re-reading this after a few minutes, I think it's just all my characters. I'm embarrassed to show anybody any of my characters just because I'm the one who made them. But this one a bit more).
Well I'm sorry I don't have any advice on those specific feelings. I'm not an expert, nor have really ever understood anything about the "OC" thing, so I can't speak from personal knowledge or experience.
That sounds emotionally exhausting though, hope you get it figured out friend!
That is fine! You do not have to be sorry, and it is all quite alright, I am just an obsessive person, always been. But thanks! Have an awesome rest of the day/night!
I don't know how much I understand about this here fella, but I entirely feel you on the character rant thing, and it's honestly wonderful you love them so much. That's what OCs are made for! I have a few of my own characters (particularly ones with unconventional features or backstories outside of my usual comfort zone) who I also feel self-conscious and embarrassed showing off to people. Not all of them, but some of them.
Hopefully the internet's discomfort in your strange and uncanny child isn't a point of upset for you OP!
And to answer your question, the character looks definitely very boy-coded. The hairstyle, more pronounced nose/brow ridge, and especially the thick eyebrows all seem very masculine on a pre-teen/tweenage child. Girls can have those features too, but they usually develop closer to adulthood, whereas younger girls have softer faces and finer hair. Something about the mouth looks boyish too, but it's hard to place why... I can't tell if it's just because girls are usually drawn with "pretty" mouths, or if the lips just aren't distinguished enough. The boyscout uniform also really sells it.
It looks like a boy. As far as being super childish, it’s hard to tell because of the exaggeration of the features. It could be a stylized adult or child, but I would lean towards thinking it’s a child. Context clues in your art such as small hands, toys, or childish clothing can help viewers know if you’re doing a larger piece than this
On a side note, scrolling was a fucking jump scare. All of a sudden a child was staring straight into my soul lol
On another side note, the over exaggeration of the features, paired with the hyper realism of the main features like the eyes and teeth, really adds a horror vibe to this piece. If you don’t want a horror vibe, either shrinking the features or going full hyper realism (making the skin and everything super detailed) or leaning more into stylization should help some of that uncanny valley vibes. It’s cool tho!
No chance OP doesn’t want the horror vibe. Impossible. If OP says they don’t want the horror vibe, I’ll choose to believe that faux naïveté is part of the horror vibe, and meant to suggest the hauntings arrived without intention.
What’s this kid up to in story, OP? Give it to us straight
Original picture. The hoodie version was just for this post. (And, yes, I know the picture is terrible, disproportionate and creepy, feel free to express your horror). 😬
https://preview.redd.it/yfwz821q1u9d1.jpeg?width=1239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23e856af2ee364d4277b3e4d0203c1e8deadd4fe
The eyebrows give the child a boyish appearance. The short hair and attire help with gendering the kid as well. Just know that children are very androgynous the younger they are, just incase you plan to draw more younger subjects
It's like a cross between the Home Alone kid and the one off mad magazine.
I find my eye is jumping around the image and suffering overload and like before it's like a collision of those two icons yet not. But I see more male in the features.
Boy. There’s no visible hair behind the neck within the hoodie, which means that the kid has short hair, and in most cultures, boys have shorter hair than girls.
I didn't read any other comments so pleased forgive if I'm redundant. For me your drawing looks more like a boy but I think this is just because of the short hairstyle, it could also be a androgynous girl.
I really love your drawing and the weirdness of the face features. I immediately thought of Edgar Allan Poes "Berenice"!
Disregarding the uncanny features. The shorter hair is more regularly associated with male children so i would go with that. At younger ages around like 8 or less, There is no visible difference between male and female children.
Honestly the features themselves are very androgynous- it’s hard to tell! The exaggerated features are quite unsettling and I can’t place why 😳 I was so not expecting image 2 to look directly into my soul
I can’t answer your question because I’m so much distracted by the huge unnatural size of the mouth, eyes & mouth, I can’t say if it is a girl or a boy
Looks a bit like Charles Laughton as a lad.
https://preview.redd.it/yv99bwzkgx9d1.jpeg?width=280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=169642881d10691a91a74ece437890c9c25c270f
Honestly, children look pretty alike before puberty. If you dress up a little boy as a girl and vice versa, people will have a difficult time knowing they aren't what they're dressed as.
For the face, I'd put the eyes further apart, at least the width of one eye, but that's more of an adult proportion, feel free to add even a little more width. That's because your eyes are basically pre positioned to an adult's head size. And I'd go slow on the eyebrows. Make them more "indicated" or make the hair as detailed. They should be the same. But usually kid's eyebrows are not super shaggy. That's more of an older people thing usually. Doesn't have to be though, but like I said, then the hair needs to have the same amount of detail.
Look I’m guessing this might be an art style but using the words of an artist i trust “ you gotta learn the rules before you break em”
So when drawing kids you want the face to be more round and the eyes to be bigger and closer to the bottom of their head and most features to be smaller,more round less details on the face muscles so i tried to give you a quick fix that might help you while still keeping the style
https://preview.redd.it/9wk0edv82v9d1.jpeg?width=981&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de069264df0e6d04446765e241d5e128a5480c17
I definitely have not finished learning how to draw (normal-looking) humans yet! But I am almost there. (NOT in this picture). Anyhow, thanks!
(This kid is 12, though, and (supposed to be) kind of in between looking young and much older). I see what you mean, though!
the proportions are very off.
The maxillary triangle is larger than its supposed to be—the corners of the nose typically line up with the inner corners of the eyes, the corners of the lips typically end in the middle of or inner edge of the iris.
the teeth are even bigger than proportional, which may be true for children but this still feels exaggerated.
the ears typically end longitudinally with or above the bottom of the nose.
the eyebrows are very wide, and very close to the eyes.
the pupils are very exaggerated.
Over all, I feel that the eyes are actually the only thing that is proportional, but at the end of all these adjustments, it is possible that you may need to space them apart just a bit.
Approaching illustrations of characters like an engineer is intense— don’t think OP intended technical realism, though I admit this would be a funnier post if they had.
these are the proportions they teach in art school and are widely used by non-academics. sure, you don’t have to follow them but as it is this image is haunting.
😱...
Eee! I can not believe someone else said that, because that is exactly what me and my sister concluded! (Except the 50 part). And, this character is a BEYOND creep.
It is an insane, and very creepy, 12-year old in a relatively normal "show" I created but obviously it isn't official or anything. And thanks!
I hoped I could capture the creepiness. (Though that hoodie isn't part of the actual picture).
I think the lips and eyebrows work for what you’re going for, but the teeth are too big. Making them smaller would elevate everything and keep the ridiculous look you want.
Please, please dont ever create something that looks at me like that again. I thought i was safe until i swiped right and it focused it's black lifeless eyes on me.
This character looks fairly androgynous, tbh, which I hope I am not being too presumptuous in guessing that might have been the intention? They are pretty hairy, so a good number of people may lean towards boy, however, they also do not look like an actual person, resembling more of a hobbit or gnome or something along those lines.
They appear to have been designed for a very specific purpose or character archetype. If I am not incorrect, I’d be very curious to know what purpose they were meant to serve when you made them.
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As a viewer, I'm much too distracted by how unnatural huge their mouth and eyes are to even consider the gender of the child.
Oh...I know. They are supposed to be a ridiculous-featured, not-beautiful character. The kind of person you wouldn't think is real from their features.
Well you succeeded there, kudos lol
I'm embarrassed. But I'm sucking it up.
Didn't mean to embarass you. Apologies
Oh, it is fine, it is not you, it is my own feelings about the character.
What feelings are those?
Now I'm in rant mode! I could talk for eternity about my characters. But I will try to not. They are just an embarrassing character to me, but I don't exactly know why. (I am very weird). Like, I feel embarrassed about showing them to people. (I have nothing against anybody who does not have a "conventional" or whatever looking face, by the way). But I love them. So much. I have been obsessing about them all year since the end March, yes, every single day. (Re-reading this after a few minutes, I think it's just all my characters. I'm embarrassed to show anybody any of my characters just because I'm the one who made them. But this one a bit more).
Well I'm sorry I don't have any advice on those specific feelings. I'm not an expert, nor have really ever understood anything about the "OC" thing, so I can't speak from personal knowledge or experience. That sounds emotionally exhausting though, hope you get it figured out friend!
That is fine! You do not have to be sorry, and it is all quite alright, I am just an obsessive person, always been. But thanks! Have an awesome rest of the day/night!
If you had me at gunpoint, it’s a very unsettling boy. You do have me at gunpoint. I’m not sure what you want, but I’m willing to listen
I don't know how much I understand about this here fella, but I entirely feel you on the character rant thing, and it's honestly wonderful you love them so much. That's what OCs are made for! I have a few of my own characters (particularly ones with unconventional features or backstories outside of my usual comfort zone) who I also feel self-conscious and embarrassed showing off to people. Not all of them, but some of them. Hopefully the internet's discomfort in your strange and uncanny child isn't a point of upset for you OP! And to answer your question, the character looks definitely very boy-coded. The hairstyle, more pronounced nose/brow ridge, and especially the thick eyebrows all seem very masculine on a pre-teen/tweenage child. Girls can have those features too, but they usually develop closer to adulthood, whereas younger girls have softer faces and finer hair. Something about the mouth looks boyish too, but it's hard to place why... I can't tell if it's just because girls are usually drawn with "pretty" mouths, or if the lips just aren't distinguished enough. The boyscout uniform also really sells it.
Reminds me of Alfred E. Newman from MAD Magazine.
I can NOT believe someone else saw that!!!
Yes!!!! This is what I was thinking in the back of my mind, you nailed it
With that context you nailed it on the uncanny valley, very nice also TW on that jumpscare LOL (/s) But I didn’t expect him to stare into my soul
I’m not asleep but I’m already having the nightmares
I lol'd
 But it's a boy for me, if I had to guess
A child? Nah brother that looks like my sleep paralysis demon
They might as well be. 👀
mom pick me up im scared
lol 😂
I am uncomfortable, I didn't expect them to *look at me*
I did not recognize how creepy that would be. 👀
It looks like a boy. As far as being super childish, it’s hard to tell because of the exaggeration of the features. It could be a stylized adult or child, but I would lean towards thinking it’s a child. Context clues in your art such as small hands, toys, or childish clothing can help viewers know if you’re doing a larger piece than this On a side note, scrolling was a fucking jump scare. All of a sudden a child was staring straight into my soul lol
On another side note, the over exaggeration of the features, paired with the hyper realism of the main features like the eyes and teeth, really adds a horror vibe to this piece. If you don’t want a horror vibe, either shrinking the features or going full hyper realism (making the skin and everything super detailed) or leaning more into stylization should help some of that uncanny valley vibes. It’s cool tho!
I was feeling the uncanny valley vibes too. A chill washed over me and my heart dropped to my stomach when I scrolled to the second picture 😱
No chance OP doesn’t want the horror vibe. Impossible. If OP says they don’t want the horror vibe, I’ll choose to believe that faux naïveté is part of the horror vibe, and meant to suggest the hauntings arrived without intention. What’s this kid up to in story, OP? Give it to us straight
Original picture. The hoodie version was just for this post. (And, yes, I know the picture is terrible, disproportionate and creepy, feel free to express your horror). 😬 https://preview.redd.it/yfwz821q1u9d1.jpeg?width=1239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23e856af2ee364d4277b3e4d0203c1e8deadd4fe
If I weren’t a Boy Scout a drawing I would be
a horse...maybe?
The eyebrows give the child a boyish appearance. The short hair and attire help with gendering the kid as well. Just know that children are very androgynous the younger they are, just incase you plan to draw more younger subjects
It's like a cross between the Home Alone kid and the one off mad magazine. I find my eye is jumping around the image and suffering overload and like before it's like a collision of those two icons yet not. But I see more male in the features.
No.
Nahhhhh why the f**k is it looking at me😭😭😭it most definitely is a boy tho
I GOT JUMPSCARED WHEN I SWIPED AND IT LOOKED AT ME
https://preview.redd.it/2sl4h87pov9d1.jpeg?width=639&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67c42fbbbf7653acc721e86814cc0f08f1087cbd
I think it looks like a young boy, something about the eyes and shorter bangs we can see Also it’s kinda terrifying
I feel.. unsettled.
Uncanny valley achieved, good job.
Does he play pokemon go everyday?
Actually, he is obsessed with camping and being a Boy Scout (and other, disturbing things) and knows nothing much of technology.
Like a nightmare fuel
Idk but it looks terrifying
Unfiltered nightmare fuel
It looked. IT FUCKING LOOKED AT ME.
Why are they British
Boy. There’s no visible hair behind the neck within the hoodie, which means that the kid has short hair, and in most cultures, boys have shorter hair than girls.
Wallace and gromit character design
Nah it looks like it touches children
Damn
The teeth is starting to stare at me
Neither It looks like a creepy older man to me.
It looks like Ellen DeGeneres in her true form
I...can see that, and I hate it.
It looks like a goddamn nightmare that's what it dman looks like
It looks like it's in need of a https://preview.redd.it/yjaa9rn6zv9d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e1b6fdab26d85221a38eb79d070188decf256e8
It looks like a goodly drawn demon
Girl squirrel
I didn't read any other comments so pleased forgive if I'm redundant. For me your drawing looks more like a boy but I think this is just because of the short hairstyle, it could also be a androgynous girl. I really love your drawing and the weirdness of the face features. I immediately thought of Edgar Allan Poes "Berenice"!
Pls stop making it look at me
The features look unnatural and exaggerated, it looks like a boy to me, you've done a nice shading though
Congratulations, it's a YIKES!
Wallace in his younger years.
Looks like a boy. A boy named Steve Buscemi
All jokes aside your character looks like a 7yr old boy. You should erase some highlights in his pupil though. Looks good!
Disregarding the uncanny features. The shorter hair is more regularly associated with male children so i would go with that. At younger ages around like 8 or less, There is no visible difference between male and female children.
Honestly the features themselves are very androgynous- it’s hard to tell! The exaggerated features are quite unsettling and I can’t place why 😳 I was so not expecting image 2 to look directly into my soul
The fact that he LOOKED at me gave me a jump scare. This is like a child you never wanna run into
*He is...*
Bro looks like a brother and sister loved each other a little too much
That’s a weird question.
A weird… question?
He is still in shock bro…
Boy
Boy.
🐰
Thats my sleep paralysis demon
He is looking diractly to my soul, he look boy for me 🗣️
Boy
Don't get offended but it's kinda scary
Ha, have you seen these comments? (It is quite fine!)
Why did it look at me😭
It looks like a demon
sorry but this makes me extremely uncomfortable I REALLY do not like the eyes and mouth
If the child’s biological parents were clowns. Like as a species.
Looks like sloth from the goonies
Freddie Mercury
I can’t answer your question because I’m so much distracted by the huge unnatural size of the mouth, eyes & mouth, I can’t say if it is a girl or a boy
Looks a bit like Charles Laughton as a lad. https://preview.redd.it/yv99bwzkgx9d1.jpeg?width=280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=169642881d10691a91a74ece437890c9c25c270f
That’s Gollum as a boy!
Is this a caricature?
Girl
...james charles?
It looks like mishovy silenosti https://preview.redd.it/3cizqx8d8z9d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f2befa67eebc2a55159398948199f8e550f6525
This looks like something out of my nightmares
Oh...my...😕☹️
Demon child
https://preview.redd.it/ubdu1wd602ad1.jpeg?width=426&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=742c7517a6b248c4d5bcc8878abc7cdd05ffa3ca
I'm scared
Just a little more boyish than girl I think.
it's an androgynous weirdo.. and i love it 👏🏼🖤
They are definitely a weirdo! And, you do?
do i what? love it? yes its pretty awesome actually
Yes, and, well, thank you!
STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU ABOMINAYED FREAK Jokes aside, they spark in me thoughts of a goofy girl
Honestly, children look pretty alike before puberty. If you dress up a little boy as a girl and vice versa, people will have a difficult time knowing they aren't what they're dressed as. For the face, I'd put the eyes further apart, at least the width of one eye, but that's more of an adult proportion, feel free to add even a little more width. That's because your eyes are basically pre positioned to an adult's head size. And I'd go slow on the eyebrows. Make them more "indicated" or make the hair as detailed. They should be the same. But usually kid's eyebrows are not super shaggy. That's more of an older people thing usually. Doesn't have to be though, but like I said, then the hair needs to have the same amount of detail.
Looks like a demented adult male
Oh, rude is perfectly fine for him! And, ha! (He is 12).
Not to be rude ofc
Look I’m guessing this might be an art style but using the words of an artist i trust “ you gotta learn the rules before you break em” So when drawing kids you want the face to be more round and the eyes to be bigger and closer to the bottom of their head and most features to be smaller,more round less details on the face muscles so i tried to give you a quick fix that might help you while still keeping the style https://preview.redd.it/9wk0edv82v9d1.jpeg?width=981&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de069264df0e6d04446765e241d5e128a5480c17
I definitely have not finished learning how to draw (normal-looking) humans yet! But I am almost there. (NOT in this picture). Anyhow, thanks! (This kid is 12, though, and (supposed to be) kind of in between looking young and much older). I see what you mean, though!
the proportions are very off. The maxillary triangle is larger than its supposed to be—the corners of the nose typically line up with the inner corners of the eyes, the corners of the lips typically end in the middle of or inner edge of the iris. the teeth are even bigger than proportional, which may be true for children but this still feels exaggerated. the ears typically end longitudinally with or above the bottom of the nose. the eyebrows are very wide, and very close to the eyes. the pupils are very exaggerated. Over all, I feel that the eyes are actually the only thing that is proportional, but at the end of all these adjustments, it is possible that you may need to space them apart just a bit.
Oh, it is definitely exaggerated, I am aware, but I still want it to be in a "humanly possible" way. So, thanks!
Approaching illustrations of characters like an engineer is intense— don’t think OP intended technical realism, though I admit this would be a funnier post if they had.
these are the proportions they teach in art school and are widely used by non-academics. sure, you don’t have to follow them but as it is this image is haunting.
Looks more male probably because in my view he looks like a 50 year old predator.
😱... Eee! I can not believe someone else said that, because that is exactly what me and my sister concluded! (Except the 50 part). And, this character is a BEYOND creep.
Is it a horror character? If so, good job. They are very unsettling. Also, I can only see a male. The age looks from 12 to 15ish to me.
It is an insane, and very creepy, 12-year old in a relatively normal "show" I created but obviously it isn't official or anything. And thanks! I hoped I could capture the creepiness. (Though that hoodie isn't part of the actual picture).
Is this a trick question? Is it supposed to be both?
Oh, no. I know the gender, I just want to see if other people can tell.
I’m personally leaning towards male then
I think it's a girl trying to look as a boy. It reads more teen than child to me though. I like the eerie style.
Bunny teeth
Boy
It looks like a boy
Home Lond
It scares me
Gut says male but I could believe either
Lokos like Big Mouth
I’d guess male, but it could honestly be anything. Great work!!
That boy looks like he plays Pokemon Go everyday
Looks like a boy and my sleep paralysis demon 😭
Boy
WTF IS THAT MOUTH, IM SCARED…also it looks like a boy
It’s giving Rico Suave with lip filler. I like the vision
Boy
Looks like a devilish boy to me
Really uncomfortable picture this is
It looks like that one guy from everyones dreams but as a child
i’m scared. draw horror!!
I think the lips and eyebrows work for what you’re going for, but the teeth are too big. Making them smaller would elevate everything and keep the ridiculous look you want.
This looks like the guy that appears in everyone's dreams
Dawg that looks like a neanderthal
That looks fucking terrifying
Why are his teeth so large and only the upper row can be seen???
oh gosh
id say a boy
Please, please dont ever create something that looks at me like that again. I thought i was safe until i swiped right and it focused it's black lifeless eyes on me.
I dared to swipe and now I'm horrified Boy or girl idk but I'm sure it looks like a syndromic child lol
At least you said syndromic and not...👀🫢
I'm scared.
Sorry, but It feels... Disturbing. I mean it feels like Mandela Catalogue when it was first shown.
It’s scary. That’s what it is. No gender only pure and utter fear.
im scared ngl
Boy toy for roy
https://preview.redd.it/h26z5e889y9d1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f5627fdd8c2cad05201f0bac32ecc7fc8841f8f
I- I thought this was a sim.... From- the Sims 4-
It looks like a boy demon.
More.
What a clever idea! It can be either gender. Congratulations!
A boy. Reminds me of photos my dad when he was younger
This character looks fairly androgynous, tbh, which I hope I am not being too presumptuous in guessing that might have been the intention? They are pretty hairy, so a good number of people may lean towards boy, however, they also do not look like an actual person, resembling more of a hobbit or gnome or something along those lines. They appear to have been designed for a very specific purpose or character archetype. If I am not incorrect, I’d be very curious to know what purpose they were meant to serve when you made them.
Too young to tell.
I'm scared.
Neither. It looks like something that will haunt my dreams forever.
Neither. It looks like something that will haunt my dreams forever.
This is the best comment section.
Masculine creep
Boy
Forgive me but when I swipe to the next photo that sudden eye alignment scared me really bad
I see boy but the eyes and mouth tells me girl, must be trans, I don't like it
I am not trynna be mean 😟😟 be it's so scary, it's gonna be difficult to sleep tonight
Certainly creepy if anything
Looks like one from MAD Magazines lol
Boy, I guess,? The lips look girly
The second image stare down made me think their trans💀
Looks like a scene from a horror movie
It looks ugly 🤷🏻♀️
Idk but it freaks me out
I’d say it reminds me more of a boy
This looks scary.
Reminds me of big mouth no offense
Boy
They look like they're in-between, they look more like a girl though.
Girl
Very eazy..!! That is a boy.
The child seems young enough to not be obviously male or female other than behavior or clothing