How to Make a Custom BUG Clicker Character (OC Guide)

A BUG Clicker character is simpler than it looks: one body and a handful of faces that swap when you click or pet it. If you can draw a chibi bust, you can make one in an afternoon. This guide is unofficial and written from the way Character Studio works today.

What you are going to draw

Piece	When it shows	Tip
Body	Always	Neck and shoulders, sitting under the head
Normal face (head1)	Most of the time	Draw this one first. Every other face copies it
Clicked face (head2)	For a moment after each click	Squeezed "> <" eyes and an open mouth read well at small size
Blink (head3, optional)	Every few seconds	The normal face with closed eyes. Nothing else changes
Petted face (head4, optional)	While you rub its head	Happy "^ ^" eyes, a big smile, extra blush

Long hair or accessories can go on extra back and side layers. The PSD template guide lists every name.

Plan the design

• Big head, small body. The character sits on a busy desktop at a small size. A head that takes up about half the height keeps the face readable.
• Thick, clean outlines. Thin lines and fine shading disappear when the pet is scaled down.
• Leave room for the squish. When clicked, the head is pushed down a little, so draw the neck long enough to tuck under the head.

Draw it step by step

1. Start from the official template. In Character Studio, press "Get template" so your canvas size and positions match what the app expects. A square transparent canvas around 800 × 800 px works well.
2. Sketch the full character, then split it: body on one layer group, head on another.
3. Ink and color the body. Extend the top of the body well under where the chin will be. This overlap (at least 30 px on an 800 px canvas) hides any gap when the head moves.
4. Finish the normal face (head1) completely: hair, face, eyes, mouth.
5. Duplicate head1 for each other face. Only redraw the eyes, mouth and blush. Never move or resize the copies, or the face will jump when it swaps.
6. Name the groups body, head1, head2, head3, head4, all lowercase.
7. Export as a PSD with those groups, or as separate transparent PNGs, one per piece.

Good free and cheap tools

• Krita (free, Windows and Mac): saves PSD with groups.
• ibisPaint X or Medibang Paint (free, phone and tablet): export PSD.
• Procreate (iPad): group each piece, name the groups, then Share → PSD.
• Clip Studio Paint or Photoshop: full PSD support.

Drew each part as its own image? The free PSD maker packs your PNGs into a ready-to-load PSD and a .cvclk file.

Load it into BUG Clicker

1. Open Character Studio from the tray icon (Windows) or the menu bar icon (Mac).
2. On the Images tab, press Load PSD, or drop each PNG into its slot.
3. Read any warning it shows. Most are fixed by making the background transparent or lining a face up with head1.
4. Turn on Motion → Petting → "Allow head pats" to use the petted face, and pick an effect such as hearts or notes.

Give it a personality

• Lines: write the short sentences it says when clicked. Mix greetings, jokes and little reminders like "Drink some water!".
• Sound: choose the click sound, or use your own short clip.
• Reactions: pick what floats up when it is petted, and whether petting works on the whole body or only the head.

Sharing and commissions

You can share your character with friends by sending the PSD or images. Only share characters you have the right to use: your own OCs are fine, but other people's art and official game or anime artwork belong to their owners. Many artists also take BUG Clicker commissions (often called "YCH" or custom desk pets) if you would rather not draw it yourself. If you cannot draw and only have a picture, our AI character maker is an optional paid tool: the art it makes is AI-generated, so say so when you share it.

Common problems

• A white box around the pet: the background layer was exported. Hide it and export again.
• The face jumps when clicked: head2 is not lined up with head1. Copy head1 and edit only the expression.
• It never blinks: head3 is missing.
• Petting does nothing: "Allow head pats" is off, or there is no head4.
• Back hair stays still when the head moves: see back hair not moving.
• Anything else: see all BUG Clicker problems and fixes.

More guides

• BUG Clicker PSD template: layer names and import
• Download BUG Clicker for Windows and for Mac