Hey there!
I have fallen inlove with concepting characters by using parts and following references , or Blueprints.
We all use referenceimages, but imagining each part as a 3d-part has really helped me lately to build a character very fast.
The parts can then be rigged and tested in Maximo, they dont even have to be joined for it to work for rough and dirty testing.
This is one I made today , these are 3 poses from Mixamo-animations.
Hopefully this is helpful for someone else on here.
Have a great day!