The art style of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a total anomaly. It’s loud. It’s jagged. It looks like a fever dream spawned from a collision between 90s Cartoon Network and a high-budget Gainax fever pitch. Because that aesthetic is so distinct, the panty and stocking oc community has basically become its own sub-economy of character design. You’ve probably seen them scrolling through DeviantArt or Twitter (X)—characters with those thick, tapering lineworks and vibrant, neon-soaked palettes that look like they belong in Daten City.
People love this. They really do.
Why? Honestly, it’s because Hiroyuki Imaishi and the team at GAINAX (now largely at Studio Trigger) created a "style guide" that is deceptively hard to master but incredibly fun to play with. When you’re making a panty and stocking oc, you aren't just drawing an anime character. You’re adopting a philosophy of "Rule of Cool" where anatomy takes a backseat to silhouette and attitude.
The Anatomy of a Daten City Original Character
If you’re trying to build a panty and stocking oc, you have to understand the shape language. Most people get this wrong immediately by trying to make them look too "anime." Stop that. Think about the Powerpuff Girls, but give them a cynical, punk-rock edge.
The eyes are the biggest tell. They are huge, often occupying nearly half the face, with thick, bold lashes that look like blocks of ink. If you look at the official designs for the Anarchy sisters, their eyes aren't just circles; they’re expressive shapes that convey their specific vices. Panty’s eyes are sharp and predatory. Stocking’s are a bit more rounded and bored. Your OC needs that same visual storytelling. If your character is obsessed with, say, vintage tech, maybe their eyes look like literal camera lenses or pixelated screens.
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Lineweight is the next hurdle. In Panty & Stocking, the lines aren't uniform. They’re chunky. They’re aggressive. Many artists use a specific "G-pen" digital brush setting to get that tapered, heavy look. If your lines are thin and wispy, it’s not a PSG character; it’s just a regular drawing in a wig.
Why Clothing is the "Weapon"
In the show, the sisters literally turn their clothes into weapons. Backlace becomes a bow; Stripes becomes swords. This is the cornerstone of panty and stocking oc creation. You have to decide what your character’s "vibe" is and how that translates into a garment-based weapon.
- The Scanty/Kneesock Parallel: Remember that the Demons (Scanty and Kneesocks) used their socks as scythes.
- The Weapon Logic: It has to be something they wear. A belt that becomes a whip? A choker that turns into a morning star? A beanie that becomes a spiked flail?
- The Name Game: You’ve probably noticed the naming convention. It’s almost always a piece of lingerie or clothing. Thong, Corset, Garter, Briefs. If you name your OC "Shadow" or "Luna," you’re missing the point of the parody. Stick to the theme. It’s tacky, it’s blunt, and it works perfectly.
Color Theory and the "Pop Art" Influence
Color is everything in this fandom. If you look at the background art of the original series, it’s heavily influenced by pop art and street graffiti.
Your panty and stocking oc shouldn't have muted, realistic tones. Use high-contrast combinations. Hot pink and jet black. Electric blue and neon yellow. The "ghost" forms—those simplified, chibi-like versions of the characters—usually stick to a very limited palette of maybe three colors total. This makes them incredibly "readable" at a glance, which is a big reason why these OCs are so popular for profile pictures and stickers.
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Dealing with the "Trigger" Style Evolution
Since the announcement of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Season 2 by Studio Trigger, the OC community has seen a massive resurgence. But there’s a nuance here. Trigger’s modern style is slightly different from the 2010 GAINAX style. It’s a bit more fluid, a bit more "Promare-esque" with triangular highlights.
When looking at recent panty and stocking oc designs, you can see artists incorporating these new Trigger-isms. They’re using more geometric shapes in the hair and more "impact frames" in their character sheets. It’s a fascinating evolution of a style that was already pretty experimental to begin with.
The Misconception of "Easy Art"
A lot of people think that because the style is "cartoony," it’s easy to replicate. That’s a trap. It's actually incredibly difficult to balance the chaos of the PSG style without making the character look like a mess.
Expert character designers like Yoh Yoshinari, who worked on the original series, are masters of silhouette. If you black out your panty and stocking oc, can you still tell who they are? If they just look like a generic blob, the design isn't working yet. You need those sharp angles—the "pointy" elbows, the flared hair, the oversized boots—to create a recognizable profile.
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How to Actually Use Your OC in the Community
Don't just let your character sit in a folder. The PSG fandom thrives on "fake screenshots." This is a specific trend where you draw your panty and stocking oc into a scene that looks like it was ripped straight from the anime, complete with 2010s-era grain filters and Japanese subtitles at the bottom.
There are also massive "Collab" projects on platforms like Discord and Tumblr where artists draw their OCs in a massive lineup, or "Heaven vs. Hell" themed art wars. Participating in these is how you get your design noticed. It’s less about the lore—let’s be real, the lore of PSG is absolute nonsense anyway—and more about the sheer aesthetic energy you bring to the table.
Practical Steps for Your First Design
If you're ready to jump in, don't start with the final render. Start with the "Ghost" form. It’s the easiest way to find the core shapes of your character.
- Pick a Garment Name: Something ridiculous. "Suspenders." "Crinoline." "Tube Top."
- Choose a Vice: The show is about the Seven Deadly Sins (mostly). Is your OC a glutton? Are they vain? This dictates their expression.
- Define the Weapon: How does their namesake garment transform? If their name is "Parka," maybe the zipper teeth become a chainsaw.
- The Palette: Pick one "hot" color and one "cold" color. Add black and white for contrast.
- The Linework: Use a brush that has zero stabilization if you want that raw, "drawn on a napkin" feel that the show occasionally leans into. Or, go the opposite way and use perfectly smooth, heavy vector lines.
The beauty of the panty and stocking oc space is that it rewards self-indulgence. It’s a style built on being "too much." If you feel like your design is getting too crazy, you’re probably heading in the right direction. Just remember to keep those lines thick and that attitude sour.
Start by sketching the silhouette first. Focus on making the hair as chunky and geometric as possible. Once the silhouette feels like it could belong in a 2am Adult Swim bumper, you’ve nailed the foundation of a true Daten City resident. Check out archived concept art from the "Geek Boat" production books if you need a reference for how the pros break down these shapes—it’s a masterclass in minimalist complexity. High-quality fan communities on sites like Pixiv also offer "style-mimicry" tutorials that are invaluable for getting the digital grit just right. Get to work.