In Progress - Visualizing Personality, the Heart

Time to begin the process, one small step at a time. I’ve started working on the girlfriend character, a focal point of the whole VN, and it’s been quite the journey already.

She's alive in my mind - her personality clear as day, but translating that into her visual design? A whole different challenge. I dove in headfirst, familiarizing myself with Koikatsu, only to be swept away by the sheer volume of mods. There’s a staggering number of custom creations out there, made by incredibly talented (and much more experienced) people. For a moment, I wondered if I should just use a pre-made character. But no. She’s the heart of the story, and she deserves care and attention to detail.

After countless experiments and a few what am I even doing? moments, I’ve made some good progress. Well... on her hair at least. Did you know you can craft hairstyles with accessories? I sure didn't. I explored a character card where the hair was made entirely from accessories. It looked stunning, but sadly, when I loaded it into the editor, it had some serious clipping issues - fine for static poses, but a nightmare for dynamic angles.

So, I experimented. I tried it all: mixing default styles, layering mods, and even attempting an all-accessory hairstyle. Finally, I landed on a look that feels perfect for her. Picture this: a loose, fluffy bob with soft, wavy curls that frame her face, accented by cute bangs. Her hair flows in warm chestnut tones, kissed with red undertones and soft caramel tips - to reflect her caring, affectionate personality. Oh, I almost forgot - her eyes! A light hazel, with a glint of amber that draws you in - she’s starting to feel like her.

Next Steps

Of course, there’s still a lot to do. Next up is refining her facial features and body structure, to then dive into clothing and accessories. There are so many possibilities that I'll probably get lost in all the options, but I’m determined to make her design memorable.

I’ll share a proper character profile soon to explain more about my choices and, once I finalize her design, I’ll post some full images for you all to see. For now, I can only offer a small sneak peek, as the eyes (besides the color) and the rest of the face are not even close to finalized. I hope you like her!

I've added this post with a tag of "Workflow Diaries". I'm going to keep this up to date chronicling the process, detailing what I've been up to so you can follow along the journey. That's all I have for now - see you soon!

-Aevyl