From Zero to One: What Do You Need to Become a Great VTuber?
Many new VTubers get their basic hardware sorted, then hit a wall of confusion — what's a YCH? What's rigging? What even are VTS props? Between the jargon and the endless, wildly-priced product categories, it's easy to feel lost. And even after you finally get everything set up and go live, viewers glance at your stream and click away, and your donation rate stays disappointingly low...
Don't worry! Whether you're a complete beginner or a VTuber who's been streaming for a while and wants to give your channel a refresh, you'll find everything you need on Draw Market.
👉Browse VTuber Design Commissions
👉Discover More Ready-Made VTuber Creations
Step One: Build Your Avatar
When a viewer stumbles onto your stream, whether they stay or leave often comes down to how eye-catching your setup is — and your avatar is the single biggest factor.
An avatar (also called a VTuber model) is what brings your virtual character to life. It gives your character a sense of breath, rich expressions and movement, and subtle physics — a high-quality avatar can be enough on its own to drive up viewer donations.
Key terms you should know before buying a vtuber model:
Pre-made model: An avatar publicly sold by an artist/rigger to multiple buyers (whether paid or free-to-use). Lower cost with lots of options, but not unique.
Custom model: A fully bespoke avatar commissioned from an artist and rigger from scratch. You can request your own design and physics setup.
Customizable model: An avatar type that sits between pre-made and custom models. The artist/rigger builds a base character framework first, and you can then adjust it yourself — much like a character-creation system in a game — tweaking parameters like hairstyle, hair color, eye color, outfit, accessories, and body type to create your own desired look.
YCH (Your Character Here): A half-finished commission slot — the artist draws the pose/composition first, and after you pay, they insert your character into that pre-made scene.
Layer separation (cutting): The process of splitting a finished illustration into individual body-part layers, usually done by the illustrator. This is a required prep step before Live2D rigging.
Rigging: The process where a rigger adds a bone/skeleton structure and animation setup to the separated layers, so the character can blink, talk, and turn its head.
👉Find More Custom Model Commissions
Step Two: Decorate Your Stream
Beyond your avatar, what really sets a stream apart is often hiding in the details — your stream background, overlay, emotes, and other accessories.
- To give your stream a personal touch, a background and overlay are essential. Whether you're going for a cyberpunk future, a youthful campus vibe, or a natural forest/beach setting, you can import a ready-made background and overlay with one click — or commission a custom style if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, to make your stream feel more immersive.
- Custom-designed emotes — cute, serious, shy, interactive, whatever fits your personality — make your stream feel more alive and help you connect with your fans.
- Your channel logo, profile picture, channel banner, starting-soon/BRB/ending screens, and VTube Studio props (accessories that move along with your avatar, like a halo, falling snow, or ear decorations) matter just as much. A great logo, profile picture, banner, and set of props go a long way toward making your channel instantly recognizable, while starting/ending screens add a sense of ceremony to your stream — and yes, these small details really do affect viewer loyalty.
👉Find More Logo Design Commissions
There's a ton more high-value VTuber design work waiting for you to discover~
FAQ
Q: Do I need a background, overlay, emotes, etc. before I can go live?
Nope! Technically, all you need is an avatar to start streaming. There's a lot to set up when you're launching a channel — it's completely fine to build things out gradually and fill in the extras over time.
Q: What's the difference between Live2D, 3D, and Live PNG (PNGtuber)?
Live2D avatar: A 2D illustration separated into layers and rigged with a bone structure, enabling blinking, talking, head turns, and physics effects.
PNGtuber / Live PNG: Static images that switch automatically when you talk, plus extra expressions triggered by hotkeys — no rigging needed.
3D avatar: A full 3D model built in software like Blender or VRoid Studio, allowing 360-degree turns and richer body movement, usually paired with motion capture.
Q: How do I choose an avatar? What's really the difference between a pre-made and a custom model?
Pre-made models are ideal for beginners who want to start streaming quickly on a limited budget. Custom models are better suited to established VTubers looking for a unique identity and long-term growth. If you're still not sure which way to go, a customizable model is a great middle ground — you get more individuality than a pre-made model, without the wait time or price tag of a full custom commission.
Avatar types and styles vary enormously, and so do prices — so how do you actually choose? Stay tuned for our next post!