Let's talk about bugs! (And character design!)

I design clothing that is like stuff I see in my nightmares (which tend to be incredibly gory and yet also frou-frou). It can be nice to salvage the good parts of something awful.

I really like iridescent bugs (which could maybe be accomplished with holo powder like in this tutorial) /tutorials/video-holo-powder-on-dolls.103/ )so if you're looking for a way to make it beautiful that might be a good place to start looking.

Here where I live in the woods, one of my favorite insects is the Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle, which is a bluegreen insectivore that likes to scuttle around on my driveway. They're very zippy and cute.

Or you could do a firefly-based fella, maybe. Though I suppose their daytime coloration, all muted black with red pinstripes, isn't that much of a standout.

 

@KiyoshiSenshi I took an entomology course in undergrad that totally changed my view on insects! When you're forced to look at them up close, you start to realize how beautifully and intricately designed many of them are. For example, one of the tiny butterflies I caught had rings of perfectly symmetric white and black around its legs and purple iridescent wings that you'd never appreciate unless you got right up to it. Or how very ladylike vespids (wasps) are when they groom their antenna. Not to mention that so much of our food supply rely on these guys, not just for pollination but for plant defense!

My favorite looking bugs are all kind of weirdos - praying mantis, weavils (such dopey faces, omg), wasps, and moths. Elder box bugs and any of the Pentatomidae family of insects have this awesome boxy shape with these insane symmetric patterns on them. I know the easy way out for your bug guy is something cute and fluffy like a butterfly, but I'd challenge you to at least take a look at some of the others I've mentioned here for design inspiration (seriously, insects have some crazy patterning going on!).

 

Don't forget, there's always DC Elizabeth She technically only has 6 legs (depending on how you limb-count), which does make her an insect. A member here has a lovely Moth and Butterfly pair, perhaps they'll give you some inspiration.

I'm wholly for using DC for this, though, haha! You're right, they are great. Your plan sounds great so far! Such a cute guy might do well as a big beetle-- a Hercules beetle or something? There's an opportunity for a cool horn! And that would make for an interesting contrast with the personality you have in mind.

Personally, I like dragonflies! Very shiny, and such interesting anatomy!
Centipedes are also cool as heck! Did you know there are huge centipedes that can fight (and defeat) small snakes?

Whatever you do, I hope you share!

 

@KiyoshiSenshi very cool choices! If you are looking for some inspiration for wings, I'd recommend looking at lacewings (so named for the lacey design of their wings!).

 

Oh, I love bugs and bug dolls/toys. I'm working on a centipede girl statue based off of a comic I like, but my dream would be to get good enough that I can make a doll, or even a whole line. Like a more cutesy doll chateau. Now you've got me tempted to try carving a channel through her and stringing her when she's done!

There need to be more moth or bee dolls definitely. The fuzzy little collar most have would look adorable, and there's so much you can do with wings.

I've always loved spiders, but they're always creepy instead of cute. A cute little, wide eyed jumping spider doll would be an insta-buy for me.

 

Oh, that's adorable. Take a look at the cobalt blue spider if you want to see how a blue like that would look on a fuzzy moth instead of a shiny carapace. Granted, they're that color because they're very poisonous, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful.

 

Watch Thumbelina movie. Lots of cute bugs outfit design you can get inspiration from. ^_^

 

Not so much to deal with fears, but I have a love for creepy crawlies and find designing them really inspiring.
I have a whole race of spider people very much inspired by DC.
Plant people too who are a bit stick insecty or cricket-like.
An anthro cockroach pharmacist because why not? a giant roach man in a labcoat cracked me up.
An anthro mosquito pirate (my brain is weird)

I like the unusual and I do love DC's weird bodies, they really do have a certain insectoid nature to them right? That's what draws me to them, I think they could look absolutely amazing dyed black with some sort of irredescent wash over the top.

 

What about orchid mantises?

 

How could anyone hate bugs??? *cries*

Jk, I will agree that house centipedes are nightmare fuel hahaa. But I do love bugs so I can't be too hard on them.

But oh man, bug dolls are the best. If you want to style a doll like a mantis and wouldn't mind an already sculpted bug doll, there's always Jadite - Ball Jointed Doll ♔ 5STARDOLL who's already a praying mantis! You could easily paint them to look like any mantis you want.

 

@KiyoshiSenshi If you're looking into DC for the base sculpt, I'd also recommend getting the green or grey skin cause they're good bug colors. And then you don't have to paint the whole doll either hahaa.

 

I also have an odd fascination with certain bugs that terrify me. Amblypygi is a bug that I wabt to have as a pet but at the same time I'd probably poop myself if it got out.

 

I hate spiders in the house, they make me scream, but I absolutely love DC Elizabeth and Xaviera, and I'd love to have either of them.

Have you considered a moth? I've seen some outright gorgeous butterfly and moth wings for BJD on Etsy, and FeerieDoll Atelier makes dresses and stockings with a moth print. Check out Nympheas Dolls Chou Chou--he's a super cute caterpillar!

As for fears and dolls, I have some pretty bad trypophobia, especially regarding lotus seed pods and bug nests, and I gave Parker that same fear so we could kind of work on it together through roleplay. I've improved a little, but it's still pretty bad.

 

Wow, this is the perfect thread for me, haha! I love bugs and bug dolls-- that link to Jadite earlier is amazing, I'd never seen her before. My first doll was a DC Xaviera, because she's the perfect combination of creepy body and absolutely adorable, round-cheeked face. My next two are going to be bug-themed as well, but not as directly, just a bit iridescent and non-human in coloration, maybe with some fluffy moth antennae (if I can figure out how to make and attach the antennae in a way that looks good). It's a really fun theme with a lot of possibilities!

I like a lot of bugs, but definitely not centipedes. No way. I know house centipedes are harmless, and I still have to get them outside ASAP! Something about those long crawly legs...

 

Now that this thread has been Brigadoon'd, I'mma just share a sweet, sweet insect pic I shot a few years back.

Under a cut for those squeamish of big, bad bugs! Found this lovely lady chillin' on my patio door one summer.

Spoiler: Big Ol' Mantis

 

@Kimchi Wow! Great shot! That's a huge one!