Category Archives: Character Design Challenges

The premise of this contest is that over the next number of weeks we will build a team of superheroes and a team of villains. Each week I will supply you with a role, name, or list of powers of one of the team members and you will use HM3 to create the character. The winner each week will win a version of their character created on HM by yours truly.

Your challenge this week is to design the speedster member of the hero squad -  Virgilio Velasquez – aka Veloz. Despite being able to run at supersonic speeds, his greatest strength might be his agility and acrobatic skill. A native of Mexico City, he spent his early years among the ranks of the Lucha Libre but eventually left that life to find greater challenges. He soon became a parkour legend throughout Mexico and the southern states before Ages offered him a true challenge; joining he and his young team in their battle for justice.

Please follow the instructions below regarding the naming of entries.

Enter a often as you like!

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges: Original characters only, no copyrighted characters, no characters based on copyrighted characters, no characters based on RPG’s or other games. The characters must be your own design and not based on any character that might be copyrighted in any way. Please keep all submissions PG13: full or partial nudity is prohibited. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warning. Only post characters that have been created solely using Hero Machine, and that you know for certain have never been entered in a contest before. If you aren’t certain, don’t enter it, because I’m not going to go back through all of the contests and check.

All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like the HeroMachine :,ImageShack, Deviant Art or whatever);Do not use Photobucket.

• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• No copyrighted characters please – they will be deleted.
• Please name your filesas [your name]-[character name].[file extension] before you upload it. 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).

This contest will close at 9am Eastern on Sunday, July 1st.

Honourable mentions this week go out to...

Kellkin - wonderrful costume and character description, and...

RobM - a very simple, but incredibly effective design.

Runner up this week goes to...

Blunt Object for this piece which is not only a beautiful design, but also a timely warning about Brons' true identity 🙂

And the win this week goes to...

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The premise of this contest is that over the next number of weeks we will build a team of superheroes and a team of villains. Each week I will supply you with a role, name, or list of powers of one of the team members and you will use HM3 to create the character. The winner each week will win a version of their character created on HM by yours truly.

Your challenge this week is to design the villain Max Darque aka Maxsquerade. He carries a genetic mutation that has given him a completely featureless face (save for two black voids where his eyes would be, and a skeletal nose opening which allows him to breathe) which he can morph – including his body and voice - to visually and audibly impersonate anyone on earth.

*Note* As Max has no mouth opening, he cannot verbally communicate without morphing.

He also carries the ability to teleport.

Please follow the instructions below regarding the naming of entries.

Enter a often as you like!

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges: Original characters only, no copyrighted characters, no characters based on copyrighted characters, no characters based on RPG’s or other games. The characters must be your own design and not based on any character that might be copyrighted in any way. Please keep all submissions PG13: full or partial nudity is prohibited. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warning. Only post characters that have been created solely using Hero Machine, and that you know for certain have never been entered in a contest before. If you aren’t certain, don’t enter it, because I’m not going to go back through all of the contests and check.

All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like the HeroMachine :,ImageShack, Deviant Art or whatever);Do not use Photobucket.

• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• No copyrighted characters please – they will be deleted.
• Please name your filesas [your name]-[character name].[file extension] before you upload it. 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).

This contest will close at 9am Eastern on Sunday, June 24th.

Honourable mentions this week go out to...

Brons. I love the way you opted for a younger version, and the blue outline on the wings is very effective. And...

Ubiquitous Pixel for this unique take on the character, and far and away the most compelling back story.

Runner up this week goes out to Christi S. Very creative posing and moody colour palette.

And the win, and first two-time winner status goes to...

Continue reading →

The premise of this contest is that over the next number of weeks we will build a team of superheroes and a team of villains. Each week I will supply you with a role, name, or list of powers of one of the team members and you will use HM3 to create the character. The winner each week will win a version of their character created on HM by yours truly.

Your challenge this week is to design the young hero Stormwing. He carries a genetic mutation that allows him to grow wings at will; wings that can produce lightning, seismic shocks, rain, ice, snow, wind as well as periods of total darkness. First recruited by Ages at 16 years old, Stormwing’s greatest challenge was learning to react out of duty, rather than out of rage.

Please follow the instructions below regarding the naming of entries.

Enter a often as you like!

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges: Original characters only, no copyrighted characters, no characters based on copyrighted characters, no characters based on RPG’s or other games. The characters must be your own design and not based on any character that might be copyrighted in any way. Please keep all submissions PG13: full or partial nudity is prohibited. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warning. Only post characters that have been created solely using Hero Machine, and that you know for certain have never been entered in a contest before. If you aren’t certain, don’t enter it, because I’m not going to go back through all of the contests and check.

All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like the HeroMachine :,ImageShack, Deviant Art or whatever);Do not use Photobucket.

• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• No copyrighted characters please – they will be deleted.
• Please name your filesas [your name]-[character name].[file extension] before you upload it. 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).

This contest will close at 9am Eastern on Sunday, June 17th.

I am so glad that this series of contests have been embraced by you folks. Another week of stellar entries.

Honourable mentions go out to...

 Son4...stunning job, and...

Ubiquitous Pixel..amazing pose and you provide us with another masterclass in creative posing and shading.

Runner up this week goes out to...

Calvary Red. This piece grew on me the more I looked at it. I never expected this feminine an approach to the character, but as it grew on me, it came damn close to winning.

And speaking if winning, the win this week goes to...

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Let's get right down to it, shall we?

Honourable mentions this week go out to...

 Blunt Object and...

Brons.

Well done - both of you!

Runner up this week, is last week's winner...

Ubiquitous Pixel! This is an amazing piece of work, and most weeks would be an obvious winner. Your work in an inspiration! But the win this week goes out to...

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