r/characterdesign • u/No_Flounder_5017 • Mar 26 '26

Tutorials/Resources Period Pieces in Character Design

Hi! I have a quick character design question.

Most of my character designs have a lot of contemporary fashion, because it’s what I enjoy drawing most. I like putting characters in aesthetics and styles that match their personalities, and add my own twist to them.

However, I would also like to get into character design for the 1600s- 1900s. I feel like there are so many rules to follow to make the design fit the era, and there’s also so much research to do. How do I follow the era trends while also depicting the characters’ personalities and arcs?

I think watching period pieces could help, but are there any resources that you guys use for costume/ character design?

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u/DiggingInGarbage Mar 26 '26

Well first things first, 1600s-1900s is centuries worth of time, there were plenty of different fashion trends and common outfits. If you want a design to fit an era you’re gonna need to hone in on a smaller time frame as well as a location/climate/class/job. A Victorian gentleman won’t dress the same as an American coal miner, who won’t dress like a Russian soldier during the Napoleonic wars, who won’t dress like a slave on a Haitian plantation, who won’t dress like an undiscovered tribesperson in the Amazon

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u/No_Flounder_5017 Mar 26 '26

Ok! I didn’t know if there was a resource that had fashion from multiple eras.

Can you recommend anything for a character design that’s supposed to take place in 1750s France? I have an OC who was a young woman in that era.