I found this series of clipart on open clip art
http://www.openclipart.org/detail/15077
It looks like lego characters. The concept is simple, start with a model silhouette, add weapons and clothes and you have a new character.
I like the idea of dressing a character like a Barbie to get different combinations of result. Maybe the same concept could be applied to a different silhouette. Once you have a silhouette, it is also easier to make clothes
I think I will eventually try this, find a human silhouette, trace it and make a series of tools and clothes for it.
It's also a simillar technique that can be used to make faces, you have a series of eyes, nose, mouth, etc. You do some mix and match and get various face results.
