Strawberry Milkshake was a character I created in 2023 as part of a small online artist adoptable* collaboration. The theme for this collaboration was drinks, & inspiration struck right away when thinking of a diner-style strawberry milkshake.

It was an obvious choice to go for an 80s diner waitress inspired character. When brainstorming, I knew my character would be wearing a waitress uniform, now it was just a matter of how to make it interesting. Obviously, to keep in theme of strawberries, I kept the colour palette to pinks & reds.

With the dress out of the way, I now focus on more visually interesting parts of the design. I thought it would be quirky to give her roller-skates instead of regular shoes, a reference to waitresses on skates.

As for the hair, I wanted to give her big curls & a fun headpiece to tie everything together. I gave her a standard waitress hat, but added a little strawberry & cookie straw.

On the left is the moodboard I made before designing so the entirety of her character stays consistent. It also gives me a solid direction, so I can go into sketching with 100% confidence.

*Adoptables are characters an artist creates with the purpose to sell, allowing the buyer to “adopt” the character.