So, lately, after having a bunch of story ideas swimming in my head that all seem to revolve around a very similar character archetype I'm quite fond of, it's occurred to me that if I plan to bring any of them to life, it might be a good idea to commission an OC of my own to cast for these stories rather than shoehorning a bunch of different fictional characters into the mold.

The thing is, while I've commissioned before, I've never designed an OC before, and I'm having difficulty finding information online as to how I should go about designing one for commission (as opposed to drawing it myself, which I would be utterly hopeless at).

If anybody could point me to any resources regarding how to properly describe an OC to an artist, or where to find the ideal visual references to build her out of that I could then show to the artist, as well as what artists specialize in drawing OCs, or anything else that could help me, I would really appreciate it!

I think when it comes to OCs in my experience you can't just force an oc to happen [some probably can but not me] it just kinda happens only you can get your oc right cause its an original character.

Perhaps you can start by writing down a base like a name gender race basic stuff then try to move on from there like what clothes is he/she wearing and again move on from there.

Oh no, my apologies. I should've been clearer, I do indeed have a distinct vision for this OC; After realizing the common thread between all of these ideas I've had the character just kinda came together in my mind.

I'm just having difficulty thinking about how I would describe her to an artist and all that.

Use the Hub, or just any other sites to search up pics of characters, outfits, poses, etc. to include as references. That, and just keep giving the artist feedback. They should be able to send you some early sketch work that could be revised constantly till it reaches an ideal point for you.

Do you know if there's any artist particularly good at that?

there's a whole slew of artists that have put themselves out there in wanting to draw
we have a list of artists here hypnohub.net/forum/show/62583
though any artist you find that takes commission will do some sketching for you as they wan to make sure they have everything right to make you happy.

Helpful guide iahfy.tumblr.com/post/166...-09-kennoarkkan-shadyfolk

I know. What I'm asking is if any of the artists this site commonly uses have a particular specialty in bringing OCs to life, and if any of them would be a particularly good choice for that.

Uhm, I never hired an artist from here so I can't say, but after spending several thousands of euros in drawings or stories, the best advices from personal experience I can give you is this :

Look if the artist had problems in the past about delay or scam.

Offer them the possibility to pay in advance he full drawing or half of it for reassure them if they have troubles in the past.

Describe part by part your character, with the refences for hairs, clothes and their details.
Like for example : He has green hairs, using the same haircut than this guy *put a reference*

Try to give an alternante email for contact you in case of.

Be impatient is alright when it's your first OC or when you have an idea who make you very squirmy, but be patient. Most of the time, an artist draw on his free time, after work, and he (or she) can have a rough day or personal problems too.

If the hired person has tell you something to 'Sorry, I'm a bit busy lately, could send you a sketch in one week only' , then wait one or two extra day before sending a polite message about it.

Don't hesitate to browse a lot of artists to find the one with the artstyle who fit you more. In my case, I do not work with artists who are my friends, I work with them when I have an idea who can look great in their artstyle.

And finally, I do apologies in advance if that sound rough or disgusting, but waiting special occasions is worth it.
Let's say your character is a gothic girl or man. Or one with cybernetic limbs, in that case, it is better to wait a theme about Halloween, or robots as artists are a bit cheaper since it's a theme and not a commission for one person only.

I do hope my wall of text is not too much painful to read (not natural english speaker), and that these advices will help you in the future.

Cordially.