Character Reference Sheet Questions

Thanks to Tartyrsauce's new art thread, I'm now thinking of getting a full character reference sheet done for Nezumi-Ko, so artists have a good reference to work from.

My biggest question is what all do I need to have on it? Obviously, more than just some basic poses and a brief snippit of information.

Here's what I have currently:



What can I do to make it more comprehensive?

"It's hard for you to be yourself, if you don't know who you really are."

I don't know, I think that'd work - you're getting into some details that ca't be shown in game, decent face shots, details of costume - might want any specific power appearance items, any personality quirks that would appear ("Hates sunlight" for instance would help avoid a suggested pose of them getting a tan.)

Browse through DeviantArt, search for "Character reference," you'll see a pretty wide range, including things like this.

I tend to go somewhat toward this, for instance - giving more of a personality than specific details, unless needed. (Here's the full set - several pages, some duplicated as things have been updated - you can see a range from fairly basic to adding detail.)

Ask yourself what someone would need to "get the character right," and make sure it's there.

See my Guides and Tutorials

Are you talking what do you need from screenshots or are you talking about having a reference sheet done as in drawn?

If you are talking screenshots, I think you've pretty much done what you can. You could throw in an action pose or two (if you like how they look in game) to give the artist a feel of the type of attacks or such but there is only so perfect you can get with screenshots...

If you are talking about having one drawn - The two main things you need is a clear understanding in your own head of how the character should look and an artist who is willing to take the time to get it right.

The rest is just gravy - extra poses, headshots, weapons close up, etc etc etc are all gravy. Not that they can't be helpful, but the number one thing you need is one clear shot done by an artist who is willing to work with you, revise when neccessary, and get everything shown done correctly.

Ok, two shots are probably the minimum so you can show frnt and back, but after that it's all gravy...


If you are talking getting it drawn, I would humbly suggest you check out EuROPA - He's done a bunch for me which I think turned out awesome, and he's reasonably priced. His only downside is he's a B&W guy so you have to go elsewhere to have it colored, if you so desired.

All great suggestions and terrific links. The only thing in addition I ask for, since I am primarily a portrait artist is, who would play them in a movie, that is to say suggesting an actor/actress they like... but your average artist might not ask for that, though it always helps in my opinion to give more than less.

All good advice, guys. Thank you. As for who'd play her in real life, that's a bit of a problem, as she's not based on any real life person. Rather, how do I put this, she's a mix of Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura (Personality) and Minnie May Hopkins from Gunsmith Cats (Physical Body), in an anthropomorphic superhero magical girl style.

"It's hard for you to be yourself, if you don't know who you really are."