Category Archives: Character Design Challenges

Next up in our Seven Deadly Sins series of character design contests is Lust!

Your design challenge for this week is to create a character or characters based on something related to the second of the Deadly Sins, "lust". This one could get over the line pretty quickly, folks, so I'm reminding you that this is very much a PG-13 site.

You could do a vampiress or hunky vampire, a succubus, a super-character named Lust, or anything else that comes to mind. But really, it's up to you. Just make a great illustration based on the concept of "lust".

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

No limit again this week, knock yourselves out.

Good luck, everyone!

Next up in our Seven Deadly Sins series of character design contests is Pride!

Your design challenge for this week is to create a character or characters based on something related to the second of the Deadly Sins, "pride". Your character could be named Pride; or you could build a were-lion, a starship named "The Pride of Earth", a mighty warrior who's the pride of her village, or anything else you could think of related to the pride going before the fall.

But really, it's up to you. Just make a great illustration based on the concept of "pride".

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

No limit again this week, knock yourselves out.

Good luck, everyone!

Next up in our Seven Deadly Sins series of character design contests is Greed!

Your design challenge for this week is to create a character or characters based on something related to the second of the Deadly Sins, "greed". Your character could be named greed, or you could build a mentalist who inspires greed in his or her victims; a classic "dungeon crawl" group of adventurers looking to plunder the nearest goblin cave; a gold-hungry Dragon; the Generalized Recovery / Exploration / Exploitation Device robot; or anything else you could think of related to the desire to own everything.

But really, it's up to you. Just make a great illustration based on the concept of "greed".

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

No limit again this week, knock yourselves out.

Good luck, everyone!

(Image via.)

At the prompting of Kaylin88100 and as suggested by dblade (thanks to you both!), we're going to start a new themed set of contests, like the Zodiac ones. Only this time, we're getting medieval on your butt by taking on the Seven Deadly Sins!

Your design challenge for this week is to create a character or characters based on something related to the first of the Deadly Sins, "wrath". Your character could be named wrath, or you could build a cyborg warrior fueled by rage, or a Hulk-like monster consumed with anger, or a young Khan clone ("Wrath of Khan", get it?!), or a big ugly demon creature from the netherworld, or anything else that inspires you when you hear the word. You could build an entire seven-member team of characters named "The Seven Deadly Sins", with Wrath being just the first; that would be kind of fun to keep track of.

But really, it's up to you. Just make a great illustration based on the concept of "wrath".

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

Good luck, everyone!

(Image via.)

Your design challenge for this week is to create a character or characters based on something related to the current holiday season. You could go with something Christmas related (Santa, the elves, flying reindeer, turbo sled, Wise Men, a hero named "The Shepherd", a villain named "The Swaddler", etc.), Chanukah (Maccabeus, eight members of the "Menorah" team, someone named Shamash, etc.), or you could go with something winter related (Solstice, blizzards, etc.). Your choice!

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

Good luck, everyone!