Have you created your own superhero for a comic strip, novel or movie; or just for fun? To bring your creation to life, you will have to come up with a fantastic costume. Keep the classic elements of superhero design (like masks, capes, etc.), but also think about what you want your design to evoke around your character. A marvelous superhero costume has a bold and simple essence at the same time, one that new artists or cosplayers can adapt and personalize without losing its iconic and immediately recognizable status.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Adding Elements to a Classic Costume
Step 1. Determine the color scheme for the costume
Generally, the entire costume should only include 3 or fewer colors or shades. This will help ensure that you don't divert your attention from the superhero. This will also allow you to replicate the appearance in a comic more easily.
- Reflect on your superhero's powers, motivations, and background. Lighter colors usually indicate heroism, while darker colors indicate a conflicting nature. Rich colors signal sophistication, while light colors often reveal youthful energy.
- Classic superheroes often wear a combination of red, blue, and yellow, which can denote energy and determination. On the other hand, a mixture of black, gray and green could denote mystery and realistic qualities.
Step 2. Perfect the basic costume before accessing it
Design the outfit itself first, before conceiving the logo or determining whether to include a mask, cape, etc. After designing the base costume, this will give you a blank canvas to work with. You can take costume clues from iconic superheroes, but you'll have to polish them into your own creation.
Tight-fitting, full-length suits are usually the standard base layer for male superheroes, while heroines usually show a little more skin. You don't have to live up to this tradition, but tight-fitting base layers provide a clean palette for accessories
Step 3. Consider whether a cape is suitable for your superhero
While capes are often considered synonymous with superheroes, many of the famous ones (like Iron Man and Wolverine) don't wear one. Layers can help accentuate movement or indicate flight (as with Superman), or add a bit of mystery (as with Batman). However, they can also be an unnecessary complication for a well-designed costume.
If you can't come up with a good reason why your superhero should wear a cape, whether for practical purposes (such as concealment or protection) or expressive (such as his style or royalty), it may be best to exclude it
Step 4. Create a memorable logo or other distinctive element
Superman, Batman and Spider-Man are the 3 most famous superheroes, and each has a simple chest emblem (the shield with the S, the bat and the spider) that identifies them immediately. Don't get hung up on the small details of a totally cool costume before you've perfected the iconic logo, symbol, color, etc. Make sure it's easy to recognize and repeat, and that you can adapt it to variations in your design.
- Brainstorm logo ideas based on your superhero's name, origins, or powers. For example, in the latter case, consider the thunder used for Flash.
- Fans and other designers can use an iconic emblem as a starting point to create their own distinctive interpretations of the design.
- Consider the following: Do you have an iconic item that they could immediately recognize on a t-shirt or even a tattoo?
Step 5. Choose a mask
What kind of mask will your hero wear? Will it cover your entire face or just your eyes? The color must go hand in hand with the characteristics of the hero. For example, Batman has a black mask because his name has the word "bat" (bat), which is related to darkness.
- On the other hand, will your hero have a mask? As with layers, if there's no real reason you should have one, it might be best to skip it (unless you have no other way to hide your identity).
- A mask that covers your entire face can make it harder for you to show emotions, and emotions help give your superhuman creation a human touch.
Step 6. Consider footwear and gloves
Some superheroes (like Superman) don't wear gloves, but very few have bare feet! Sturdy gloves can give your hero a more aggressive, industrial vibe than skinny, tight gloves. Likewise, large, sturdy boots indicate a different personality than thinner heeled boots indicate, especially for heroines.
Step 7. Consider adding a belt with features and devices
Many superheroes wear such a belt. If you think your character needs one, you will have to choose what it looks like and what it contains. Consider giving your superhero a signature weapon to wear on his belt. For example, Batman is likely to have the most iconic gadget belt.
- These belts can make a superhero feel more practical, realistic, and human.
- However, a superhero may have devices that are not related to the belt, or iconic weapons that he can carry. For example, consider Thor's hammer or Aquaman's trident.
Part 2 of 2: Design a Memorable Costume
Step 1. Look for conspicuous simplicity
The best superhero costumes don't try to tell everything there is to know about a character, but they don't keep everything a secret, either. Pick a few important design elements that express the essence of the character, then complete the rest of the costume with simple, non-distracting elements.
For example, the classic Superman costume is very simple: a solid blue outfit, red boots, a cape and “underwear”, and the permanent “S” logo on the chest. Still, these simple elements evoke his powers (such as flying and his strength), his principles (justice and patriotism), and his characteristics (such as the determination and compassion that his unmasked face can reveal)
Step 2. Balance functionality and fantasy
Skinny pants, baggy capes, and annoying masks aren't the most practical gear, not to mention the heeled boots and revealing tops that heroines often wear. However, these heroes are “super” for a reason, so they don't have to look like they're part of the SWAT team, either. The trick is to balance a certain degree of practicality with the supernatural character of the hero.
- For example, classic comic book descriptions of Iron Man depict him as armor that somehow doesn't hide the human form underneath it.
- Often times, the more "human" and less "super" a superhero is, the more practical his costume should be. Compare Batman's scarred humanity to the almost all-powerful Superman.
Step 3. Wear a tight-fitting costume that reveals the hero's humanity
Even if your hero comes from another planet (like Superman), you have to make people relatable with him by also displaying his human elements. Superhero costumes are not usually tight fitting just to show off the biceps or chest; they also emphasize the (almost perfect) human body of these superhuman figures. Design a costume that reveals muscles and movements, rather than hiding them.
Think of it this way: In the versions of Batman in the movies, his body armor is consistent as a practical protection for the person we see on screen. However, in the comics, a tight-fitting outfit reminds readers that there is a real person underneath the cape and mask
Step 4. Start with a bold vision and adapt as needed
In general, it is easier to tone down a costume design that is too over the top than to fix one that is too dull. With your first drafts, use the boldest colors, the ornate mask, and the large tools or weapons. When reviewing your design, choose the elements that are essential to your vision of the character, and which ones you can reduce or eliminate to improve the appearance of the costume.
Step 5. Design more than one costume
Once you've perfected your hero's essential look, consider creating variations on the original costume design as well. Make each variation suitable for different circumstances (for example, Batman usually wears different gear depending on the situation, but is still easy to recognize). This will also give fans, cosplayers, and marketers more flexibility to transform the main costume design to make it suitable for various uses.
Advice
- Make your design repeatable. Drawing superhero costumes don't need intricate details or ornate designs to be iconic. Also, keep in mind that if you are drawing a cartoon, you will need to be able to repeat the design over and over again. Likewise, if you hope that fans will one day create their own comics and cosplays to pay tribute to your design, it's best to keep things simple.
- Consider practicality. If you're hoping to see cosplay event goers play your superhero, avoid unnecessary design elements that would be nearly impossible to recreate in the real world. For example, a hammer or lasso are handy weapons they can carry; but a giant mallet with large, flaming spikes might not be.
- If you can't get a good color for your superhero, pick one of his personality.
- Don't make your superhero's costume a copy of another. You can use her outfit as a base, but change it up significantly.