An OC is short for Original Creator.    

Hello everypony! I know that, at least for me, OC making can be hard. It's hard to make something original and crowd pleasing. In this guide we'll cover everything you need to know about making a good OC. Including...

    1.) How to choose a species.

    2.) How to choose a colour scheme.

    3.) How to choose a mane style.

    4.) How to choose a cutie mark.

    5.) Finding a Unique Name.

    6.) Personality and Quirks.

    7.) Powers and Talents.

    8.) Where to live?

    9.) Accessories.

    10.) Canon and OCs.

    11.) Building a background for your character.

    12.) Recolouring, The Pony Creator, and Bases.

    13.) Taking Criticism Gracefully.

    14.) Have Fun!

~~~How To Choose A Species~~~
         Ok, there's a reason this is the one we're starting with. The species you choose for your character can affect their personality, interests, and reactions to the things life throws at them. There are a lot of species to choose from, not just ponies. Here's a list of them.

    1.) Earth Ponies. From what is said in the show, earth ponies tend to be strong, hard working, and not afraid of getting their hooves dirty. The cool thing about earth ponies is they can have a wide variety of talents except for flying and magic. They might be better suited for picking apples than playing an instrument but they can still find ways to do it.

  
    2.) Unicorns. From what is said in the show, unicorns tend to be rather prissy, afraid of getting their hooves dirty, and depend on magic. Unicorns can also have a wide variety of talents. Don't just limit it to magic and sewing!

    3.) Pegasi. From what is said in the show, pegasi tend to be light, impatient, and not very strong. Pegasi, like the others, have a wide variety of talents. Once again, don't limit it to flying fast!

    4.) Alicorns. There are only four known alicorns, so it's widely disapproved to have an alicorn OC. I don't really have a problem with an alicorn OC, but one thing that annoys me is the 'normal' alicorns. Some people believe that if their alicorn is pretty much a normal pony they won't get hate. Why be an alicorn if your talent is cooking? Think about it. An alicorn's talent is mostly tied with great powers like the sun, moon, etc.

    5.) Changeling. I wanted to include this one in here because I have seen some well-done changeling characters. If your going to make a changeling, remember they don't really have emotions. So don't have a changeling who was born different, have life experiences change him.        

    6.) Bat Ponies. Another one I wanted to include. I have seen great bat ponies. Just try to stay away from making them an evil character just because they're different looking.

  
    7.) Zebras. Okay, this is a species with a lot of problems. Don't just add stripes to a character to make them look good! That's not cool! If your going to make a zebra character, it has to be a zebra, not a red striped alicorn.

    8.) Donkey/Mule. I've seen some pretty good donkeys and mules. Remember, they don't have cutie marks.

    9.) Griffons. I really like griffins, but they don't get enough attention. Remember, feathers for hair and no cutie marks!

      There, finally done! That was a short guide on the various species of Equestria. Hope it helped!

    ~~~How To Choose A Colour Scheme and Markings~~~
    Ok, you've go your species chosen, onto the next step! Choosing your character's color scheme is another step into developing your characters' personality. Think about it, is a pony that's always sad going to be bright yellow? Of course not! The yellow would imply that he's happy, when he's really sad. Now, here's a quick list of what not to do for colors on your OC.

    · No neon colours! They are not cool, just eye hurting. There really are no exceptions for this one.

    · Yes rainbow! This is another one that can be done correctly, so here are some tips. One, don't copy Rainbow Dash's mane, there are already too many OC's with that. Two, try doing different shades of the rainbow, that makes the mane look unique and less like Rainbow Dash's. Third, try adding or taking away colors. Try a mane that's red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and pink or something! It doesn't always have to be a rainbow.

    ·Yes stripes! Some people make the mistake of putting stripes on a pony. Do do it unless it's a zebra! And if it is, please make sure the colors make sense!

        · Yes more than one type of marking! Choose stripes, or normal! Not spots!

    You can pretty much do whatever you want for colours if you follow these basic rules. But remember, you are the judge of what your OC looks like. You know what matches and what doesn't!

~~~How To Choose A Mane Style~~~
    Ah, the mane style, another thing that helps describe a pony's personality. You might think a mane style isn't that important, that people look more at the colours... Well guess what? You're wrong!

    See, here's the thing. A mane style sets your character apart from others. For example, let's say you have a light blue pony with a yellow mane. There are millions of ponies with colors just like those, but all have different mane styles.

    Here are some things you should not do for a mane.

    · Don't copy someone else's OC mane. That's rude, uncreative, and unsportsmanlike! If you like something about their character's hair, maybe add that in, but don't outright copy.

    · Do do galaxy manes. They're pretty, but only if done correctly.

    · Don't use canon manes. No Celestia, no Luna, and most certainly no Rainbow Dash! I've seen way to many ponies with those types of manes! Background character manes are ok, but it would be best to just invent a style.

    Those are the big no-no's. Remember, be creative! A thing I always do is thinking about a characters job. Is a pony who does sports a lot going to have her mane down? Most likely not, she'd probably have it up in a ponytail or cut short.

~~~How To Choose A Cutie Mark~~~
         Ah, the cutie mark, one of the easiest things to think of. This is what defines your character. It tells what their job is, their hobby, or even their personality.

         To start things off, I'll give you a list of what not to do.

    · No doing blood, weapons, or swords for a cutie mark. You people really need to stop doing this. Seriously! I've seen far to many people making OCs with skull bones, swords, and blood. I'm telling you this, it doesn't make them look cool, it makes them look less cool. There are few ways to work around this rule but there are some. Maybe your OC has a sword because he's a royal guard and his talent is sword fighting. Maybe your OC has a skull cutie mark because he digs up fossils. But don't just throw it in there because you like the design.

    · Do do cosmic cutie marks. There have only been two ponies with cutie marks that are cosmic, Celestia and Luna. Once again, this can be worked around if your pony is a stargazer or maps stars, but do do it so that they can seem powerful.

  
    · Yes hearts and no broken hearts. Now, this one I have seen worked around before, too. Maybe your pony has a heart cutie mark because she makes valentine cards or maybe she has a broken heart because she tries to help ponies move on after they're dumped. But too many people make them princesses of love. That's Cadence's job! Don't steal it!

  
    · Do do drawing or music cutie marks. Yes, I'm a hypocrite, but with a good reason! This is not to insult anyone, and I've seen some really good music or drawing cutie marks, but far to many people do it! Lots of people make characters that are modeled after them, and since everyone on here loves art and a lot are music lovers, that's always the cutie mark. I know from experience. I used to have an OC name Sketcher Books. She was a plain brown pony with a sketchbook for a cutie mark. Perky has a cutie mark that's a music note but her talent centers more around the smiley face on it. Don't just scratch down a music note, if your going to do music, add something to it! Maybe it's a music note with a pumpkin because they make spooky Halloween tunes. Be creative!

    · Don't do flowers. You're more creative than that.

    I hope that little explanation helped you! These are tips and things that might help you make a good cutie mark.

    · Look at other people's art. You might see someone did a cherry and are inspired to do a cherry pie. Don't copy, though.

    · Look at your own life. Ok, we know you love art, that's why you're on, right? But each person has other quirks and talents. For example I love chess, so I could use a chess piece as a cutie mark. It doesn't even have to be something you do often. Enjoy playing cards? Well there's a cutie mark!

  
    · Look around your room. Seriously, it helps. You might look out the window and see all the snow. Snow=Ice=Ice cube. See? You got a cute cutie mark idea!

~~~Finding An Unique Name~~~
    Ok, you've go the cutie mark, mane, colours, and all that stuff worked out. Now you have to think of a name. I really don't have a lot to say for this one. Names are hard. What I do is I go to a thesaurus. If my characters talent was drawing I would type that in and choose something like Doodle. There's a name! Doodle Design! But just so you don't get mixed up, here's a small list of things not to do...

    · Don't make overly long names. Try to keep it to one or two names like Doodle Design.

    · Don't have overly simple names like Flower. It has no creativity at all.

    · No gory names like Blood Bat or something. It doesn't make it sound cool.

~~~Personality And Quirks~~~
  
         Ah, personality and quirks, probably the hardest thing about making a character. Sometimes people (me included) spend so much time making the character that we don't want to spend more time making a bio. Even I need to get better at making a character's personality and quirks, but here are some things I learned not to do...

    · Don't make a character over dramatic. An over dramatic backstory can really tick people off.

    · Don't make your character's personality plain. You can't just put likes having fun, because everyone does!

    · Don't be afraid to change your character's personality, everyone grows and changes!

    · Don't make a character evil just for the sake of having an evil character.

    Here are a couple tips to make a good personality...

    · Look at your friends and family, remember, no one knows their annoying quirks like you do! It might inspire you!

    · Set a base personality. If you make some things your character like and dislikes along with a simple personality your character will develop into something totally unique the more you draw her!

    · One word, role-play. Role-playing with a friend can help you explore your characters past or tiny quirks you never knew they had    All and all, have fun! Let the people around you inspire you! Role-play! You might find that a character's once simple bio will grow into something amazing!

    ~~~Powers and Talents~~~
         Powers and talents, always important. Many people make the mistake of over powering their character. Here are some things that you want to avoid doing...

    · Don't give them the power to bring out stars and such. Those are the alicorn's job.

    · Don't say your pony is the most powerful pony ever and don't let them always win in role-play fights. It gets annoying fast.

    · Don't give them the powers to be invincible. This is also really annoying.

    Those are the biggies. You can over power on talents, too, so be careful! Here are some things not to do for talents.

    · Don't have your character be the best at what they do in Equestria. Once again, this is annoying.

    · Don't have more then two special talents. This doesn't mean they can't be good at anything else, but don't have a character who is amazing at ten different things    Just be careful not to over power your character. And remember, ponies grow and change. If you want them to be the best at what they do, at least show that they should be the best. I would rather have someone's OC work hard toward his or her goal than automatically have it.

    ~~~Where To Live~~~
         Now for another question, where should your character live? Most people think immediately of Ponyville, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the case. Here's a little list of the towns and what ponies would probably be good in them.

    · Ponyville. This is a small town made up of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. I'm going to guess that you'd find more earth ponies there, though. It's a small town so farming and a wide variety of other talented ponies live there.

    · Canterlot. It is the capital of Equestria. It seem to be populated by unicorns with the occasional earth pony and pegasus. The talents there seem to center around fashion and military.

    · The Crystal Empire. This is made up of mostly crystal ponies. Their cutie marks seem to often be flowers and wheat.

    · Make up your own town! Then you can decide what kinds of ponies live there and their cutie marks! You can even get your friends to live there!

~~~Accessories~~~
  
         Next on the list are accessories! This one is going to be short and sweet. Basically this, it's ok to have one or two accessories on your pony. Don't have too many that it distracts from the actual pony, though. Dresses are only for special occasions.

~~~Canon and OCs~~~
         Hold on tight, folks, this one is going to take a looooong time. I don't even know where to start. I know a lot of people like pairing their OCs with canon and some people hate it. If you're going to do a story that involves canon characters and your OC, at least follow these guidelines. These are things not to do.

    · Don't have your character be better than the canon characters. It drives other people crazy.

    · Don't have the canon characters be in awe of your OC. Once again, it drives people crazy. Do you really think Rainbow Dash would be impressed by your OC so easily?

  
    · Don't make the canon characters out of character. This is one of the biggest mistakes I've seen and it honestly drives me up a wall. I personally don't mind if your character is in love with a canon character but at least make it realistic. Maybe your character has a huge crush on Rainbow Dash. Trust me, Rainbow isn't going to fall in love with him the moment she sees him. She'd probably be insulted at the notion. He'd have to try to win her over. Force himself to become a better flyer. And maybe in the end he'd win her over. But characters don't magically fall in love with each other, they just don't.

  
     Wow! That actually went quicker than I thought!

     Here's just a quick tip to remember: Always have the canon character in character. Don't just bend them to your will. If you follow these rules, you should be all right.

    ~~~Building A Background For Your Character~~~
         This is also a short one, since we've already discussed personalities and quirks.  Basically, don't make their background overly tragic. It helps build your character if you know what kind of home they grew up in. Maybe your OC is prissy because her parents were. Maybe she's wild because her parents restricted her too much. Think about it, don't just type up a quick backstory.

~~~Recolouring, The Pony Creator, And Bases~~~
         How you present your OC in drawings is important. It helps people visualize what your character looks like, so put some effort into it!

         Below, we're going to have a nice chat about recoloring, the pony creator, and bases

    · Recolouring. The thing that drives other artists crazy. How are you going to learn to do art by coloring over someone else's? That's right, you won't learn. Remember, drawings help us visualize your character. If you recolor Twilight Sparkle, even with the different colours she's still going to look like Twilight Sparkle, just coloured differently. I suppose I can understand if you just want to get a feel for what the character looks like but you have to be careful, you might end up relying on recolouring far too much.

  
    · The Pony Creator. This is another thing that drives many artists crazy. I know how all you pony creator users feel, I once was obsessed with it, too. Here's the thing, though. Everyone can tell when your using pony creator, and some (like me) inwardly flinch when they see it. I don't mine if you're using it to make fun, random characters but don't use it for every single picture! It also is limited compared with what you could do with a pencil or DA muro. For example, you can only use the mane options available. Also, there aren't many good poses to use. It can be used to just test out a character design, and I have seen some artists that can use it well in comics, but that's usually because the storyline is good. A lot of people end up relying on it. Don't be afraid to pick up that pencil! You'll never learn to draw if you stay on training wheels!

Next on the list are accessories! This one is going to be short and sweet. Basically this, it's ok to have one or two accessories on your pony. Don't have too many that it distracts from the actual pony, though. Dresses are only for special occasions.

~~~Canon and OCs~~~
Hold on tight, folks, this one is going to take a looooong time. I don't even know where to start. I know a lot of people like pairing their OCs with canon and some people hate it. If you're going to do a story that involves canon characters and your OC, at least follow these guidelines. These are things not to do.

· Don't have your character be better than the canon characters. It drives other people crazy.

· Don't have the canon characters be in awe of your OC. Once again, it drives people crazy. Do you really think Rainbow Dash would be impressed by your OC so easily?

· Don't make the canon characters out of character. This is one of the biggest mistakes I've seen and it honestly drives me up a wall. I personally don't mind if your character is in love with a canon character but at least make it realistic. Maybe your character has a huge crush on Rainbow Dash. Trust me, Rainbow isn't going to fall in love with him the moment she sees him. She'd probably be insulted at the notion. He'd have to try to win her over. Force himself to become a better flyer. And maybe in the end he'd win her over. But characters don't magically fall in love with each other, they just don't.

Wow! That actually went quicker than I thought!

Here's just a quick tip to remember. Always have the canon character in character. Don't just bend them to your will. If you follow these rules, you should be all right.

~~~Building A Background For Your Character~~~
This is also a short one, since we've already discussed personalities and quirks. Basically, don't make their background overly tragic. It helps build your character if you know what kind of home they grew up in. Maybe your OC is prissy because her parents were. Maybe she's wild because her parents restricted her too much. Think about it, don't just type up a quick backstory.

~~~Recoloring, The Pony Creator, And Bases~~~
How you present your OC in drawings is important. It helps people visualize what your character looks like, so put some effort into it!

Below, we're going to have a nice chat about recoloring, the pony creator, and bases

· Recoloring. The thing that drives other artists crazy. How are you going to learn to do art by coloring over someone else's? That's right, you won't learn. Remember, drawings help us visualize your character. If you recolor Twilight Sparkle, even with the different colors she's still going to look like Twilight Sparkle, just colored differently. I suppose I can understand if you just want to get a feel for what the character looks like but you have to be careful, you might end up relying on recoloring far too much.

· The Pony Creator. This is another thing that drives many artists crazy. I know how all you pony creator users feel, I once was obsessed with it, too. Here's the thing, though. Everyone can tell when your using pony creator, and some (like me) inwardly flinch when they see it. I don't mine if you're using it to make fun, random characters but don't use it for every single picture! It also is limited compared with what you could do with a pencil or DA muro. For example, you can only use the mane options available. Also, there aren't many good poses to use. It can be used to just test out a character design, and I have seen some artists that can use it well in comics, but that's usually because the storyline is good. A lot of people end up relying on it. Don't be afraid to pick up that pencil! You'll never learn to draw if you stay on training wheels!

· Bases. I love bases. They're easy to use and many deviants feel the same way about them as me. There are some drawbacks, though, that you might want to consider. One, they don't have all the poses that you could hand draw, but they have more than pony creator. And two, they don't really help you practice drawing ponies. Still, they're easy to use and help drawing get done faster. Remember, though, put some effort into them! It drives me crazy when I see a scribbled on mane! And remember to always, always credit the base maker.

~~~Taking Criticism Gracefully~~~
Ok, now you know how to make a good pony OC! There's one more thing I want to talk about, though. The fear of every artist, criticism.

You might be wondering why this is included in an OC making guide, well here's your answer. It's important, very important.

I had a friend (names will not be mentioned), who got criticism on one of her pieces of art and freaked out. She threatened to quite DA. She took down all her art just because someone didn't like one of her pieces.

This is not the way to handle criticism.

There are two types of criticism, criticism criticism and constructive criticism. Here a little about both below.

· Criticism Criticism. The other name I have for this one is troll criticism. These people go around looking for trouble. They tell you your art sucks and then move onto their next victim. How to · handle this? Don't. Listen. To. Them. Your artwork might not be the best, but it sure doesn't suck. Ask them calmly what they think is wrong with your picture, don't yell. They fin amusement in watching you angrily tell them off. If your calm they won't know what to do and can't hold anything against you. Besides, people respect a calm artist as opposed to one who freaks out over the slightest thing.

· Constructive Criticism. These are the people who want to help you and whom you should listen too. If someone gives you some criticism to help you become a better artist, don't shut him or her out. I've found that these people can give really good suggestions, and if you don't like the suggestions you can keep your OC the way it is! But I would highly recommend listening to them, though, they really do help!

~~~Have Fun!~~~
All these tips are here to help you. I wanted to make a guidebook because I knew OC making is hard. But you don't have to follow these rules. Your OC is your OC, I can't make you change it. The most important thing about OC making is to have fun doing it. I hope this guide helped!

Yours Truly,

~Tails The Fox