my girlfriend told me she had a dream about a girl with usnea for hair, and had been captivated by the image ever since ... so she asked me to help her make a character who was a lichen girl. i did my best to be thoughtful about it, and i think she turned out pretty cute in the end.
i came up with the idea that she was a dye maker / textile worker because lichens are sometimes used as dyes. i made her body first, and then designed the clothes in a way to accentuate the various lichens growing on her.