Have you created model sheets of your characters?

[jono_thompson]

As a cartoonist who has developed his style of comic over 10+ years I have done some work in how to create my characters in order to keep them consistent over the years.

My question to the forum is:
Have you created your own model sheets for your characters?
Or created a how to draw guide for you characters?

Below is my model sheet for my main character Jay for Moments, I have also created how to draw my characters so I can follow these guidelines to keep them consistent as well as helping others to have a go at drawing my characters

[nessiefynn]

Haha, nope. I've been drawing most of my main characters a lot for the past few months, so their designs are pretty ingrained in my head. The most I do is draw full body portraits for reference because I'm too lazy to draw a complete reference sheet.

[Kura]

Only if I'm working with other people really.

If I'm just working on a project myself I have none or very basic/vague ones.

[acealmansoori]

I haven't done anything but a color ref, I'm rushing my comic which didn't give me much time to prepare proper ref sheets.

[Starfestival]

They're all ingrained into my muscle memory.

[69Michi]

I actually don't have character sheet. Usually if I do draw a character sheet (very simple one, maybe a fullbody), it's for my reader's sake, not me haha. If I need reference for a specific character I just look back at the old episode to see what I'm missing from the character. Usually the main characters that i draw the most don't need a character sheet because I draw them too much to the point I can just draw them from memory without reference sheet.

[acealmansoori]

They're all ingrained into my muscle memory.

^I totally agree. Although I would recommend making some kind of a ref sheet.

[joannekwan]

Nah, I'm too lazy to bother.

I'll draw one if other people need it though, but just the bare minimum.

[AnnaLandin]

I've done turnarounds with colour-schemes for some of them, yeah! Weirdly enough, not for all of the main characters, but that's the process for you. ^_^; I should probably do proper turnarounds of all of them one of these days, though. It'll definitely help with keeping their heights consistent and all the details correct - I keep drawing Chouko's sword on the wrong side in my sketches.

When I do them properly, they look a bit like this:

These are minor characters - a couple of thugs from chapter 5 of Grassblades - but I needed their uniforms to match, and their colour-schemes needed to work for a bunch of other characters as well, since they're, well, a uniform.

I don't do this for ALL characters (as mentioned, some of the main characters are still missing turnarounds), but it's a useful tool, especially if the characters leave the story for a while and then come back later, and I've forgotten the details of their costumes.

[miesmud]

I always start trying to make a reference sheet, but then I'm like. "I'm the only one working on this, why bother".

So instead I made pinterest boards for all my characters where I save things pictures of furniture, fashion, music and aesthetics that fit them. Because I don't believe regular kids wear the same set of clothing their entire lives.

[CelestialNavigator]

I'm working on a reference sheet and on one with facial expressions because I can't draw fat people properly thus I will need a cheat sheet of a sort.

[Thesleepypencil]

The answer is yes definitely. I have tons of characters and tons of different designs for them.

Depending on the character I'll use it for ref. I have characters who have small things change over time so i keep track of it. BUT mostly i just make the sheets so that i can get use to the character by drawing them over and over AND so i can use it as a colour refrence.

[JessJackdaw]

@Thesleepypencil Oh my gosh, Sarah, I swear your art looks like it came out of the preliminary design team from Pixar... So good.

Personally? I only use a reference sheet if I'm making concept art for someone or the design is too complex for me to remember consistently. Like I have a reference for my armadillo creature because the armor pattern direction is easy to screw up, especially on the arms. Also I like making different color palettes for characters when the lighting in the scene changes, because it's hard for me to be consistent with colors.

[Kayke]

I usually only do them for projects I'm working on for clients, since they need to know what the characters are going to look like. For things I'm working on for myself, I'll just draw one drawing of them, not a turn around, just to keep myself on model.

Here's the difference between something I would draw for a client vs something for a personal project:

[kamics]

Not really. But this is starting to make me think I should...

[heterodont]

I don't really draw model sheets because I doodle my characters on the side lines so most of the time I usually draw references - often times more for other people than me..

Then this is the closest thing I have to a model sheet? Someone asked me for a detailed ref because they wanted to dress up as him so I obliged :'D

[Starfestival]

I did a character turn around sheet....once....last summer xD

[ahkwardkat]

You really went into detail making yours! A Turn-around and everything too! Those take forever man, respect. I don't have anything about "how to draw" XD I'm far too lazy/busy for all that extra stuff. You've put so much work into this. :'D

1. I sure do! When I was studying animation we had to make them as part of our assignments. In the animation world they say it takes about 300 times before you start drawing a character consistently and all. When I was at art school, I did a 48 pages visual development project and the first 16 pages of my comic as roughs/sketches. ouo

2. I haven't made a "How to draw" for my characters as far as for other people. XD If other people were to draw my characters, for fanart for example, I encourage people to make their own version/interpretation! It makes it WAY more fun and gives the person free reign. After all if they drew them exactly as I did, that'd be boring IMO. I love seeing my characters in various styles and versions. ouo

Here is the visdev stuff I did, though it is by NO means all of it. XD I have been working on this for 6 years, and I only had 4 months to make as many pages as I could in addition to 5 other classes. The roughs I dont have a small version of, but I have a link for dA you could see them at:

Roughs -> http://ahkward.deviantart.com/art/Naor-Prologue-Al-Coda-529625924

Vis dev is below:

[Ambat]

I've done expressions practices and a full body reference but not a full blown model sheet--I probably should do model sheets because I have been animating these characters but I feel like I've liked letting my art evolve with the characters as well as I find better ways to draw them the more I work with them. Here are the expression sheets I did recently!

[TrustyShamrock]

i LOOOOooovvveee seeing stuff like this. i just think thewyre really snazzy. and some of yall got really detailed ones!
@Thesleepypencil woah i really really like that anemone one! all dem poses yo
@heterodont pretty sure those count as model sheets. and either way they super super awesome. the characters and the style are really fun to look at

heres a few i made for the main characters of my comic Robo Hole