Homestuck character styles broken down
Obviously, many people are wondering about Homestuck (proper)’s styles, right? Like, I’m getting slaps to the face left and right with people demanding I analyze the techniques in Homestuck because it’s just that god damn critical of a subject. If the fanbase on Twitter had its own social media, this would practically be the only thing ever trending, I imagine. Screw the WhatPumpkin controversy. THIS is where the juicy meats of understanding Homestuck are. While the backgrounds in Homestuck are also crucial to the comic, I’ll only be covering individual character styles here to keep things neat and straightforward.
The MSPA wiki breaks down Homestuck panels into a few different art styles: Hussnasty Mode, Hero Mode, and Scribble Mode. This excludes the baseline spriting style, flash games, and alternating styles from other artists included in [S] pages.
I’ll be analyzing the differences between the styles based on the period Hussie used them and the subtle changes over time.
Primary Styles
Sprite-Adjacent Mode (SAM)
On page 16 (published 4/13/2009), we get our first deviation (somewhat) from the baseline sprite mode (BSM). While it’s still similar to BSM, we are categorizing this as a separate mode type because it is not technically a sprite. SAM is closer to BSM than most other Homestuck styles, which would make sense as the story starts off alternating between these two styles.
Heronasty Mode (HENM)
In Act 2, we get our first taste of what I would consider the common ancestor of Hero Mode (HM) and Hussnasty Mode (HSNM). While a few Heronasty Mode (HENM) panels are scattered throughout the act, we still get mostly BSM and SAM.
It’s an evolution of SAM where you can still see the influence of BSM, but it’s shifted to holding just a little bit more detail and expression beyond what BSM contains. I would also argue that this style is incorporated into the comic as characters with more complex designs, such as the dersites and prospitians, are introduced. With most non-human panels, even panels that would technically be BSM as it’s just sprites of carapacians, I would count them as HENM due to the slightly more complicated nature of the designs.
A mixture of BSM, SAM, and HENM carries us to the end of Act 2 and 3, through the (first) Intermission, to our very first (proper) peek at the trolls. At this point, I would say that HENM has served its temporary purpose as an artistic shift between styles in the comic. This, I feel, is a visual transitionary period for Hussie as they grew more comfortable and confident in the techniques they were using.
Hero Mode Outlined (HMO)
On page 1526, roughly one year after the first update, we reach what I would refer to as Hero Mode Outlined (HMO). While it still holds the essential sprite makeup with the face-hand-torso combo and the outlines, this panel shows the beginnings of quintessential Hero Mode that we see later in the comic. Mainly, the angle of Karkat’s right arm (his right, our left) speaks to what is to come. In Hero Mode, we get those sorts of appendage angles, along with the more dynamic torso movement included in this panel.
What differentiates HMO from HENM is that the latter covers a transitional phase in the comic, whereas HMO is more of a concrete style. I would also argue that Act 2, Act 3, and the Intermission were more exploratory for Hussie in background art, while Act 4 is where we see them experiment with character styles.
While Hero Mode Outlined and Sprite-Adjacent Mode are similar, the main difference to keep in mind is that SAM is closer to a sprite being scaled up and redrawn, whereas HMO is closer to just being Hero Mode, but with outlines.
In a different article, I’ll go over how the background art styles also shift along with the character styles. As an aside, I’d like to point out that the desk here is slightly more detailed with thicker lines and optional outlines than we get in the earlier HENM, SAM, and BSM styles. While BSM is still essential to the comic at this point, we start seeing less of SAM as HMO begins to replace it.
Hero Mode (HM)
In Act 4, we also reach our first appearance of Hero Mode. What makes Hero Mode, well, Hero Mode, is the absence of outlines combined with a bodily form composed differently from how sprites are in BSM. As the story continues, Hussie also begins to favor Hero Mode in [S] flashes over BSM — this is most likely due to the increasing complexity of character designs as they grow used to redrawing the same characters for different panels. This practice carries over to the more simply designed human characters, and once this becomes more the norm, it’s easier to begin experimenting with styles.
SUBSETS
As Hussie experiments with their character styles in Homestuck, there become a few subsets of Hero Mode where the characteristic traits of the style vary. Since they all still fall under Hero Mode, there’s no point in naming each one as their own style. However, I feel that they’re worth mentioning.
Early Angular
The early angular style is one of my favorites. As the description suggests, this is one of the earlier Hero Mode styles, used chiefly circa 2010.
Often combined with this subset of Hero Mode are orphaned pixels along the sides of the drawing where Hussie uncleanly erased parts. The fingers are typically blocky instead of rounded. Shoulders and appendages often have a stiff angle to them, creating somewhat of a harsh, urgent, or severe vibe to the overall panel composition.
Author
There’s not much to say here aside from Hussie themself being drawn distinctly different than the rest of Hero Moded characters. As aforementioned, it became easier to deviate from the regular John Egbert-esque sprites with the increase of character complexity.
Foreshortened
Another one of my favorite subsets. It’s worth noting that some of these subsets can and often do intersect — thus why they’re not their own styles. Something I’m fond of in these panels is the reckless foreshortening. That is to say, Hussie foreshortens without caring if it’s accurate or not (at least, that’s what it looks like).
Many artists, even professional ones, struggle with foreshortening. Often, the result comes out either looking not foreshortened enough or ends up having the mini Keanu Reeves effect. There’s something admirable about not only having the foreshortened parts look aesthetically pleasing, but they also work very well with the composition of the panels themselves and look natural, even if it might not look like that IRL.
Hussnasty Lite
In some of the HM panels, you can tell that Hussie is trying out different things. These are the panels that just kind of hit differently but are still distinctly Hero Mode. I would consider this subset as “Hussnasty Lite,” although there’s not really enough of these to make it its own style. It’s a pleasant, jarring contrast between HM's familiar and distinct features and the experimental and jagged notes of Hussnasty Mode.
Soft and Stiff
Act 5 introduces the more well-known version of Hero Mode, which I would refer to as the soft subset. It’s not as jagged or angular as the earlier forms we’ve seen. The fingers are less blocky and round off a bit more.
At this point, Hussie seems to have found a good balance between curves and angles while building on the figure's anatomy. Panels of this subset tend to have stiffer character movement and arched backs. There are fewer of the scribbly, orphaned pixels that we used to see.
Small
The small subset of Hero Mode looks more similar to our Hero Mode Outlined, minus the outlines. While Hero Mode proper typically has more elongated torsos and extremities, these smaller-styled character panels will be structured similarly to HMO and SAM but lineless like HM.
Soft and Fluid
Hero Mode evolves into a few different subsets that Hussie rotates through as the story continues. The soft and fluid subset is an evolution of the soft and stiff subset — the fingers are less nubby, and the poses become more dynamic and fluid compared to the originally more rigid, upper-bodied portions.
This is the natural progression of the style as Hussie progressively improves. Stylistic differences of this subset grow far, and few between as the author becomes more comfortable and familiar with its drawing process.
Sketchy
Another one of my favorites. There’s a small amount of time in Act 5 where Hussie begins to lean away from the sketchy style, but it soon comes back in full force. In my opinion, this is peak Homestuck style and is one of the hardest to replicate. While I don’t know their process for sure, my guess is that they kept the pencil brush in Photoshop at 1px for most of the drawing process. Something worth noting about the pencil brush is that (to my knowledge) it has no pressure sensitivity. So, scribbling down the design and using the same size eraser to erase unwanted pixels results in this subset's sharp, blotchy features.
Equius
I was going to name this subset “anatomical” regarding Hussie’s portrayal of anatomy being slightly more accurate than usual, but I’m not sure if this subset is used beyond Equius in Hero Mode. As far as I can recall, it’s mainly used to make sure the audience understands Equius is swole.
Regardless, I love to see it. At this point, I’m also just sharing panels I enjoy.
HS² Bean (Unofficial)
Here we see an early precursor to HS²’s bean style. While HS² won’t be a topic in this particular article, it’s just worth noting the similarities between this and what will eventually be the main Homestuck style circa 2016 and beyond. Note the thicker outlines of the lips and mouth, the way that sharp points like her horns end shorter. The hands are more nubby and small. The entire style, in general, uses what I believe to be a thicker pencil brush — most likely anywhere from 3–5px. Vriska, in particular, seems to be a frequent candidate for this style.
Hussnasty Mode (HSNM)
Hussnasty Mode is comprised of a short-lived period of experimental art from the Huss themself. Supposedly the style was discontinued after a small amount of experimenting due to negative feedback from fans —take this statement with a grain of salt, however, as this is just hearsay, and I have no definitive source for this.
Personally, I’m fond of the art style as I enjoy art that most wouldn’t consider traditionally aesthetically pleasing. If it’s true that fan feedback was the reason for the style’s discontinuation, it’s a shame, but I can understand. The style is sudden and jolting — compared to the somewhat consistent style up until this point in the comic.
8bit (8B)
I would say that the 8bit style is a tad experimental as well. This comes after having had an 8bit [S] walk-around game, so technically, it should be excluded on that basis. However, a few updates use the sprites for standalone panels, so it’s worth mentioning. I’m also not entirely sure that the sprites are by Hussie themself — it’s possible that they were done by an artist either uncredited or their credits hidden. The art credit page doesn’t mention what the artists contributed, and Hussie, unfortunately, has a reputation for not crediting artists.
Bean Mode (BM)
Over the course of the very, very, very long Act 6, Hero Mode eventually evolves into what is commonly known as Bean Mode, or the bean style. The characters shorten and become more rounded off. The technique becomes more consistent as Hussie begins to streamline the Homestuck update process (…somewhat). This style becomes more common in the comic as the team of artists working on Homestuck grows.
There are, of course, pros and cons to switching from a (mostly) individualized approach to a team approach. We lose a bit of variation in style overall as the team works to make something that appears consistent. When it was just Hussie working on the overall story, there was a little more freedom for the art to change as they improved their skills. Ideally, the loss of individualistic panels should be made up for by the speed of updates (it really wasn’t).
Small Style (SS)
The idea behind the small style is to have a consistent approach to faraway shots of characters. This style develops around the same time as BS, leading me to believe it’s a part of the streamlining process. It’s characterized by faraway shots of characters with just enough detail to tell who is who. It’s similar to methods used by animation studios to cut down on time and energy while still portraying the general idea.
Problem Sleuth (PS)
If you don’t know what Problem Sleuth is, it’s the webcomic published by Andrew Hussie before making Homestuck. The main characteristics of this style include thick outlines and little noodle arms. Characters drawn in this style look like a cross between BSM (baseline sprite mode) and a stick figure.
Only MSPAR (MSPaint Adventures Reader) is drawn in this style, but it’s worth mentioning that the Midnight Crew carapace sprites are somewhat in this style, as they’re said to be in the same universe as Problem Sleuth.
Scribble Styles
Homosuck Mode (HSM)
Commonly referred to as just “homosuck” is the little shitty scribbly style that pokes fun at Homestuck’s BSM style. Later on in the comic, it becomes symbolic of Caliborn’s art.
True Scribble (TS)
This is a bit self-explanatory. Essentially, true scribbles are characterized by their quickly-drawn nature and use of unstabilized, 1px pencil brush. They can also sometimes contain partial or full color. True scribbles often depict fake scenarios of which may even be daydreams or random thoughts of different characters.
True Scribble Colored
BLUH (BLUH)
Characterized by a character tasting something gross, the BLUH style is another one of my favorites. It consists of a character with various parts moving in a quick GIF expressing disdain in a scribbly style.
Fat Scribble (FS)
This style is characterized by its use of thick 5px or larger lines. Characters drawn in FS are roughly outlined before color is scribbled in to create a rudimentary SCRIBBLE. It often depicts something silly happening.
Blocky Mode (BM)
I’ll be honest here: I have no fuckin’ clue what’s going on in this image, art-wise. It looks like a combination of weird JPEG artifacting combined with when your tablet pen does that stupid thing where it lags for a few seconds after trying to draw a line and then draws a straight line from where you initially touched down to where your hand is. That’s common, right? Is it not just me?
My guess on the process is using a thick pencil brush, then going back and using smaller pencil brushes. There was probably some usage of SHIFT+CLICK to create the straight lines and make them look unintentional.
Or maybe Hussie’s computer was just really fucked at the time. Who knows?
Self-Referential Styles
Bro’s Style
Bro Strider is known to make weird comics. These are self-referential because they’re similar to the zany, random one-off cartoons that Hussie themself used to publish.
SBAHJ
While SBAHJ is a part of Homestuck, it’s also its own comic outside of the webcomic. It’s another one of those IT’S ALL CONNECTED things.
Team Special Olympics
Above is a comic from Team Special Olympics. Throughout Homestuck, there are sometimes silly/simple faces and drawings similar to Hussie’s silly scribble style.
Anime
Caliborn’s character as a whole is intended to poke fun at anime-loving incel types. However, many readers can relate to Caliborn’s journey as an artist with his unironically shitty anime drawings. I’m allowed to say that because I also went through an unironically shitty anime drawings phase.
It’s somewhat self-referential in the fact that Hussie undoubtedly has had similar challenges in their own art. It’s also partially self-referential since the above panel is specifically an homage to a piece of fanart from 2010.
Summary & Thoughts
Well, there are sure a few different kinds of styles in Homestuck. I’ve probably missed some, as can be expected from a comic with a 1,358,808 word count.
At some point, I’ll write up an analysis of the art styles in terms of how I personally draw them, interpret them, and use them in my fanventure.
For art resources, I would also like to recommend @meatmanuel on Twitter — she has excellent tutorials on the earlier Homestuck styles ranging from Act 1 through Act 4.
Edit (9/19/21): Added a source for the word count. It takes images into consideration so that the comic itself is able to be fairly compared against other plain text media.
