Category Archives: Character Design Challenges

Ok guys, this week I want you to create a superhero based on a name generated by this random Superhero name generator: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/hero_names.php#.U3kYBMZanwI

The generator gives out 10 names at a time, so there should be at least one you can work with, which is why I'm instating a rule that you can only use names from the first list generated. Also, if you could put the list of names you got in the post as well, that would be very welcome. We've had some very interesting entries to contests of this type before, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

This week I'm going to give you a bit more freedom. You can design a character, scene, background, weapon or device, just so long as it has a post apocalyptic feeling/ setting. I'm sure you don't need me to give you examples of post apocalyptic settings, but think ruined cities, dust-bowls, desert gangs, stuff like that.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

Salutations my fellow 'machiners. For this weeks contest I would like you to take a look at this here list of creatures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mythological_creatures (well, it's more of a collection of lists, but you get the idea) and re-imagine something from it. Beware though, you're gonna have to be really good if you do a dragon or a fairy or the like, because I'd like to see originality here. I mean, we did fantasy a few weeks ago and there are more legends than have been used in any fantasy setting, so try to come up with something unusual ok. But yeah, anything on any of those lists is fair game, from the A Bao A Qu to the Zunbera-Bo. So with that all said, I look forward to seeing what y'all can come up with.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

So guys, this week I want you to create an awesome background scene. So that means I don't want a character, just the background. You can include people in the scene but the main focus must be the scenery its self. This should be fun.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

The man who introduced my wife and I seventeen years ago, our good friend JJ Baskin, has just been diagnosed with brain cancer. He's a wonderful man, an incredible father, and a fantastic husband. He and his family are concentrating on staying positive and focusing on the fight with an eye to a long and happy future, so I want to help bring them a little lightness in this dark time.

So I've added a drawing of JJ to the "Head-Winners" set of HeroMachine 3 items (because one thing he definitely is, is a winner!):

Your challenge is to create a character featuring JJ's likeness somewhere (presumably on the end of the neck where it would normally go, but I know you all well enough to know by now that "normal" doesn't necessarily apply!). He loves to laugh, always with a joke at the ready and a kind or sarcastic word as the occasion permits, so feel free to go for humor if you like. Or sci-fi, fantasy, modern warrior, whatever you like. He's got a great group of supporters who are called "JJ's Fight Club":

You've got one week (until Saturday, May 3) two weeks (until Saturday, May 10) to submit your entry, and normal contest rules apply.

I'll select a winner, who will receive their choice of a free custom color illustration by me; a custom item to go in any HM3 slot; or their likeness to join JJ's in the Winners set. I'll also post some or all of the entries to JJ's Facebook wall by way of encouragement, I think he'll get a kick out of them.

Thanks in advance for your positive energy, your creativity, and for the happiness seeing all of your entries will hopefully bring JJ and his family!

So guys, this week I want you to create a character from a fantasy setting. So I want warriors and wizards, elves and ogres, dwarves and dragons, goblins, gremlins mages and alchemists. Basically, if it's in Dungeons and Dragons or a J.R.R Tolkien book it is applicable here. I know a few people on here to whom this sort of stuff is their bread and butter, so this should be good.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

For this weeks challenge I want you guys to create something in a non-humanoid form. As long as it's a living being without the standard one head, two arms and two legs (in the normal positions) then it's applicable. Hopefully this should give y'all an opportunity to get creative.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

Ok guys , for your challenge this week I want you to create either an angelic character or a demonic character. Now this could be done in two different ways. The first would be to do the whole feathered wings/ horns ideas that are the classic representations of the two, or you could create a whole new character based upon a known theological character (i.e. Gabriel or Lucifer). I'll be interested to see what you come up with.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

The Ronseal of challenges this one, it does exactly what it says on the tin (sorry if y'all don't get that reference, I think it might just be a British thing, but the opportunity was there and I couldn't not say it). So yeah, what I want you guys to do this week is create a hero or villain with an animal theme. I'm not looking for human-animal hybrid characters like Tigra or Man-Bat, but human characters with animal themed powers and/ or costumes, like Batman, Spider-Man and Black Manta. This one should be fun.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.

Ok guys, this week we're going to do another costume design contest like we did last year. The rules are simple, I'm only really concentrating on the costumes you come up with not poses or faces or backgrounds, so be creative with your costuming. It can be  any kind of costume, superhero, everyday, formal, historical etc. etc. Last time we did this sort of contest it was one of the best we've ever done, so I want you to beat that.

As per usual, no limits on entries this week and the contest will close at midnight Saturday (blog time). The winner gets to claim a custom made item from dblade to be put into heromachine, so long as the item conforms to his prize rules, which you can find here: http://www.heromachine.com/forum/the-heromachine-art-gallery/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/. Please read the contest rules before entering, have fun and good luck.

Rules for posts, contests, and challenges that I am hosting: 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. I have the right to delete any post that I believe crosses this line without warnings. Only post characters that you have either created for this contest specifically or you know for certain have never been entered to 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.