How to Make a 2D Vtuber Model

[00:00] So, you want to become a VTuber, huh?

[00:02] Well, it's actually not that

[00:04] complicated. Today, I'm going to be

[00:05] showing you how I created my first 2D

[00:07] VTuber model within a week.

[00:11] If you want to become a VTuber, you are

[00:13] first going to need a couple of things.

[00:15] A good quality model, a decent computer,

[00:18] and a microphone. But today, we'll be

[00:20] focusing specifically on how to create

[00:22] and draw a 2D Vtuber model. I get asked

[00:25] a lot about how I created my VTuber

[00:27] model or avatar. And a lot of times

[00:29] people expect my answer to be complex

[00:31] and something they wouldn't be capable

[00:33] of on their own. But in reality, I

[00:35] created my first VTuber model within a

[00:37] week with very limited digital art

[00:39] skills and a crappy Wacom tablet. 2D

[00:41] Vtuber models are often mistaken for 3D

[00:43] models because they are so well

[00:45] animated. But in fact, they are just a

[00:47] flat image cut up into a bunch of

[00:49] different parts. 3D Vtuber models are a

[00:51] totally different process, and I will

[00:53] not be showing you how to make a 3D

[00:54] Vtuber model in this video. It's all 2D

[00:57] here baby.

[00:59] To create this model, you are going to

[01:00] need a program like Photoshop, Clip

[01:02] Studio Paint, or Whatever program

[01:04] you use, make sure you can export your

[01:06] work into PSD format. I also recommend

[01:10] that you have a character design or

[01:11] reference sheet done for your VTuber

[01:13] character before you begin working on

[01:14] your model. You can, of course, just

[01:17] wing it, but it's better if you already

[01:19] know what you want to look like ahead of

[01:21] time. Once you've picked your program,

[01:23] then sketch your model out fully.

[01:25] Recognize whether you're going to create

[01:27] a halfbody model or a full body model.

[01:29] And yes, halfbody models are perfectly

[01:31] fine. My first model was a half body

[01:33] model. Once you're happy with your

[01:35] sketch, it's time to start with actually

[01:36] creating your model. Figure out which

[01:38] parts will be moving individually from

[01:40] each other as you draw them and keep

[01:41] them in separate layers. If you aren't

[01:44] sure if certain pieces need to be

[01:45] separated or not, it's best that you

[01:47] just separate them anyway. I use a lot

[01:49] of layers when I create models.

[01:50] Typically, I use a line art layer, color

[01:53] layer, and a shading layer for each

[01:55] piece, and then I merge them together

[01:56] when the piece is done. However, this

[01:58] isn't a rule at all. Every artist has

[02:00] their own style and their own way of

[02:02] working, so do what works best with you.

[02:04] Typically, when creating models, the

[02:06] symmetry tool is your best friend.

[02:07] Although you will be separating the

[02:09] parts between left and right, you can do

[02:11] that at any time. The key parts in your

[02:13] model should be head, hair front, hair

[02:16] back torso arms clothing iris eye

[02:20] shine, eye, lashes, and mouth parts. And

[02:24] if you're doing a full body model,

[02:26] hands, waist, and legs. The face of your

[02:29] model is the most complicated part

[02:30] because it will move the most. Make sure

[02:32] you keep your eye whites, irises, eye

[02:35] shine, and lashes separate and do not

[02:36] merge them together. Mouth parts can be

[02:39] done in multiple ways. The easy way is

[02:41] to just draw an open and a closed mouth.

[02:43] But if you want better movement, here's

[02:45] a better way to do it.

[02:47] Any expressions, accessories, and other

[02:50] items should be made in different layers

[02:51] as well. Do not merge two parts together

[02:53] that you want to act separately. And of

[02:55] course, if you want your model's

[02:57] animation to be more complex, break up

[02:59] certain parts into more pieces so that

[03:00] they can move separately from each

[03:02] other. Now that you've finished creating

[03:04] your model and you are ready to export

[03:06] it, make sure that all the layers are

[03:07] separated between left and right if

[03:09] needed and are completely flat. There

[03:12] should be no folders, no effects on your

[03:14] layers, no hidden layers, and they

[03:16] should all be labeled clearly. Do not

[03:19] worry if it looks a little strange at

[03:20] this point. That can be fixed in the

[03:22] rigging process. Export this as a PSD,

[03:24] and you've officially created your

[03:26] model.

[03:29] Now it's time for rigging or the

[03:30] animation. The only program that I know

[03:32] of for animating VTuber models is Live

[03:34] 2D Cubism. Thankfully, Live 2D Cubism is

[03:37] a lengthy trial period for you to get to

[03:39] know the software without paying a

[03:40] scent. And that's exactly what I use to

[03:43] rig my original model. Now, I have never

[03:45] bought the Live 2D software, and my

[03:47] rigging abilities are limited and rather

[03:49] rusty at this point. Live 2D can be very

[03:52] intimidating and seem complex. But if

[03:54] you are diligent and adamant to not pay

[03:56] a scent for your model like I did, you

[03:58] can certainly rig your model fairly well

[04:00] and fully functionally before the trial

[04:02] period ends, which I do recommend you

[04:05] try if you have the time to do. If you

[04:07] can't or don't want to rig your own

[04:09] model, you can always look for someone

[04:10] else who's more experienced and can do

[04:12] it for you. There are plenty of rigging

[04:13] artists on Twitter who will rig your

[04:15] model for a fee. And there's an entire

[04:17] live 2D community that will be willing

[04:18] to help you regardless of which path you

[04:20] decide to take. Once your model is done

[04:23] being rigged and exported, you can use a

[04:25] couple of different programs to simulate

[04:27] your model, including Vip Studio and PRP

[04:30] Live. Simply take the files needed from

[04:32] your exported model and import them into

[04:34] the program. Most programs work very

[04:36] similarly, but this is how you do it

[04:38] with Vip Studio, and this is how you do

[04:40] it with PRP Live.

[04:43] And boom, you're a ding-dang Vtuber.

[04:45] Thank you for watching my tutorial.

[04:47] Hopefully you found it helpful. If you

[04:48] did, make sure to boop that like button

[04:50] on the nose and subscribe to my YouTube

[04:52] channel for more content featuring me. I

[04:55] will be making more VTuber tutorials in

[04:57] the future if this one does well. So,

[04:58] make sure to let me know how I did in

[05:00] the comments. And share this with

[05:01] friends who might need it. I hope you

[05:02] have a fantastic rest of your day. Bug

[05:04] out.