Genshin Character Design: Overview & How to Create

Genshin Impact’s character designs offer a balanced blend of story, aesthetics, and functionality. Inspired by this, do you feel like putting your own twist to the characters? Are you wondering how to bring your vision to life and achieve the same visual storytelling as the Genshin gaming environment? If yes, we’ve got you covered.

This is a comprehensive guide that reveals all the secrets you need to know for crafting the perfect Genshin Character Design. We'll equip you with practical tips and resources, from building upon existing models to embracing your unique artistic style.

As a bonus, we'll provide a step-by-step character design process, complete with a companion video!

Genshin Impact Character Design: 5 Elements that Matter

1. Outfits Based on Environments and Storylines

Genshin Impact characters wear outfits that reflect their origins and journeys. Take Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt. Her outfit features the Order's signature blue and white color scheme, with practical elements like a high collar and sturdy boots, perfect for navigating the windy cliffs of her home.

Outfits can also evolve with the story or foreshadow a character’s power. Jean’s upgrade reflects her promotion within the Knights of Favonius, while Zhongli’s dark outfit appears sleek and apt for his work at the Funeral Parlor.

2. Vibrant and Bright Color Palette

The world of Teyvat bursts with color. Genshin character designs are no exception to this. These colors are often also clues about the characters. For instance, Ningguang's golden yellow dress with black and white accents in her "Golden Leaf" outfit reflects her elegance, wealth, and status as the Tianquan of Liyue. Even Fischl's dark threads, with a pop of purple, connect her to electro energy.

As these characters grow, their palettes may also shift. Take Kaeya — overcoming darkness, he might gain a lighter-colored accessory that symbolizes transformation.

3. Stylized Fantasy Cell-Shading

Genshin Impact uses a unique cel-shading technique that creates a distinctive anime-inspired look. Bold outlines define characters, while flat colors and limited shading create a sense of depth and dimension.

For instance, the intricate details of Keqing's Liyue-inspired attire, like the golden embroidery on her dress and the Electro symbols, are accentuated by the cell-shading. The stylized Genshin character design ditches smooth gradients for sharp transitions, making Teyvat feel extra magical.

4. Intricate Clothing and Accessories

Genshin Impact characters are adorned with meticulously designed clothing and accessories. From flowing capes with embroidered patterns to well-crafted armors adorned with precious gems, every element tells a story. Even seemingly simple attires boast intricate lacing, layered fabrics, and character-specific trinkets. The characters are accessorized in a manner that makes them instantly recognizable.

These details not only enhance their beauty but also flesh out the characters’ personalities and background. For instance, the underside of Xingqiu’s coat has a faint wavy pattern decorating the fabric, alluding to his Hydro vision.

5. Fusion of Various Dressing Aesthetics

The Genshin gaming environment is essentially a melting pot of cultures, reflected in the characters’ clothing too. For example, Jean's outfit combines European-inspired knightly armor with Mondstadt's signature blue and white color scheme, reflecting her dedication to the Knights of Favonius. Rosaria, one of Mondstadt’s most beloved characters, displays a Gothic take on a nun’s outfit, showing her edginess and ice-cold disposition. None of these mashups seem jarring though. It simply reflects Teyvat’s diversity.

Helpful Tips to Smooth Your Genshin Character Design

1. Refer to an online character outfit database

Artists designing Genshin Impact characters can leverage online resources like Games Fashion Archive. This is a digital library overflowing with 360-degree views and detailed breakdowns of clothing. By studying these outfits, artists can gain insights into how miHoYo fuses various aesthetics, like a knight's armor with a kimono sash. This deep dive into the game’s visual language helps artists create original Genshin character designs that resonate with the game's unique style.

2. Use drawing tablets to create digital art by hand

Take your Genshin character design process to the next level with a standalone drawing tablet with a screen. This digital canvas lets you ditch the traditional scanner and draw directly onto the tablet, offering a smoother and more intuitive experience. You can capture every detail of your characters — from their flowing hair to intricate armors — with superior precision and a paper-like feel.

A standalone drawing tablet with a screen like XPPen Magic Drawing Pad also eliminates glare and harmful blue light, allowing you to create for extended periods with comfort. Plus, these tablets are portable with built-in drawing programs and powerful processors that can handle even the most detailed Genshin character designs.

You have all the room you need to bring your imagination to life. Just grab your Magic Drawing Pad and create anytime, anywhere. It’s your entire workstation, portfolio, and design canvas, all rolled into one.

3. Build characters based on Genshin Impact models

Artists looking to study Genshin Impact characters for their art can download free 3D models directly from miHoYo, the game’s developer. You’ll find these character models downloadable in various poses. Rotate and view them from any angle, getting a close-up look at anatomy, clothing details, and even expressions.

It's a goldmine for reference, but remember, these are for study only — respect the copyright guidelines.

4. Other online resources

You can join dedicated Genshin Impact art servers on Discord. There are often many channels for sharing artwork, getting critiques, and discussing Genshin character design specifics. Search for servers like “Genshin Impact Art”.

You can also watch live streams on Twitch of artists who specialize in drawing Genshin Impact characters. You can learn from their techniques in real-time, ask questions, and see their thought process while creating.

Check out official merchandise from HoYoverse, like character figures or keychains. These provide a 360-degree view of character details like clothing textures, accessories, and hair styles.

Creative Genshin Impact Character Design Ideas

1. Select Distinctive Elements of a Character

Genshin characters have signature details. Think clothing reflecting their region or personality, a weapon that hints at their fighting style, and a color scheme tied to their element. These, woven together, visually tell the traveler who this person is at a glance.

2. Alter the Outfits of a Character

Remix the wardrobe! Genshin characters have lives outside combat. Think of alternate versions of a core design. Swap fabrics for a summery look, add details reflecting a new quest, or rework silhouettes for a different vibe. These offer fresh visual stories to those coming across your artwork.

3. Adapt the Characters with Different Art Styles

Play with different art styles to show a new side to your favorite characters. Go bold with a cartoon-ized look, capture their elegance with the classic anime style, or shrink the characters down to their adorable Chibi versions.

Experiment with textures when creating Genshin character designs. These stylistic shifts keep the character’s core intact but unlock fresh ways to express their personality.

Bonus: How to Design Genshin Characters in Chibi Style Step by Step

Do you want to turn your favorite Genshin Impact characters into their adorable chibi versions? Start here. This guide will take you through five easy steps to chibi-fy your favorite heroes, using the fiery boutique owner Chiori from Fontaine as our example.

Step 1. Draw Basic Shapes and Guidelines

This step is all about creating a base for maximum cuteness!

Start by sketching the basic drawing guidelines for your character’s pose. When positioning the head, body, and other facial features, remember what makes the chibi style distinct: a big, round head perched on a smaller body. The guidelines will help you get both proportion and balance right.

Step 2. Sketch the Expression

Next, it’s time to personalize your Genshin character design! You can start getting creative by adding the chibi flair. Take Chiori for example — we’ve made her eyes wide, raised her eyebrows like ‘whoa’, and added a slightly open mouth, for a surprised look.

Remember, this is a rough sketch, so you need not perfect the details. Chibi is big on emotions — it’s more important to focus on capturing the essence of your character in this step.

Step 3. Finalize the Outline

Let’s begin cleaning up your lines. Use a thicker brush to trace over and perfect your rough sketch, giving attention to line weight and smoothness. Aim for confident lines because these give your art a professional and polished look.

Step 4. Color the Character

Here comes the fun part. Paint an outline for your character’s outfit and play around with the palette. Teyvat is a world bursting with color, so don’t hold back. Think neon greens, fiery reds, and even sparkling blues.

Start by filling in the base color blocks first. Here’s a handy tip: use separate layers for each color. That way, in case you want to add a pop of yellow to the neon green cape, you can adjust it without messing up everything else.

For Chiori, her bold fashion sense is a stand-out trait. So, pick colors that capture this quality in her.

Step Five: Add a Final Touch

To complete your chibi masterpiece, add a background. You can choose a subtle gradient — like we did for Chiori — or even a scene from Inazuma, adding your own twist to the universe.

After a final check-up to make sure everything looks polished enough, your super cute chibi art will be ready!

Conclusion

There you have it. Your vision is almost complete — all that you need to do now is pick up your brush and start creating a Genshin character design.

Remember, the artist’s genius lies in the meticulously crafted details. Pay attention to how Genshin Impact connects its characters’ outfits with their personalities and origins. Look closely at the techniques used to add depth to the character designs.

We explored some ideas to spark your creativity, encouraging you to personalize character appearances. Don’t be afraid to push your boundaries and experiment with different styles. We can’t wait to see your imaginative twists on Genshin’s icons!