Model sheets or no?

[LunarScyphozoa]

So, I’m about to make a comic, and I’ve seen some people say to always use a model sheet, but there seem to be a few cons to that, and I’m not sure what to even do with one if I were to make some. It’s good for consistency, but it also seems to make the art style evolution go slower and they take forever to draw. I think I won’t make some, but what are y’all’s thoughts on it?

[afuji]

It's not a rule that you HAVE to do so, it's as you said good for consistency when drawing them at certain angles in the particular scene or if maybe your characters have a lot of details you don't want to forget when drawing them. If they're your own characters maybe you don't even need one! Do what best fits your working style - you could try it for one character and if you feel it helps then you can do it for the other characters.

[Kelheor]

If it takes you forever to draw, don't Unless your characters have very complicated design that you need to reference because you forget the details, or stuff you always forget how it works from other angles.
I lived fine without any ref sheets for years, but then I started a new comic and had to make a hair sheet for a new MC, because it was a pain to figure out and remember how his hair works sometimes.

[DesiredUsernameTaken]

I'm starting a new comic, with a style I'm unfamiliar with. I'm trying to do character turn-arounds and face models, but...it's so boring to the point that if I tell myself I can't touch the comic and the story and get some pages out before I do these sheets, it's never going to happen .

I fill them out as I go along, once the situation comes up in the page. Then I copy it over and brush it up. Eventually, I'll have a full sheet, without burnout!

[Legendofgenii]

I only started using character ref sheets last year after some feedback on the forum. I think my character consistency (faces etc.) has improved.

I agree with @emmzy I find them a tad boring to make, but I always have them open when I'm drawing my characters now.

[migxmeg]

I didn't use them for the reason you mentioned about art style evolution. I knew going in that I was such a beginner that consistency would actually be a really bad thing!

I'm just trying out using a video game character creation tool so I can have a reminder of distinguishing features but don't let it affect my drawing style. Plus I think it will be faster to make and I can just rotate the model how I please! We'll see how it goes I guess.

[euzalea]

I use a model sheet to keep the colors consistent mainly, but it also helps especially since I'm quite forgetful so I literally forget how to draw the hair of each character.

It doesn't have to be perfect, it can even be sketchy

[joannekwan]

You don't have to make one. I never make/use them personally for my own work. I can generally keep all the details straight in my head, and if I need a reference, I'll just look at the previous pages I made with the character.

The only time I ever made one was as a guide for another artist I was commissioning.

[N1ghtm4r3]

i find it is good reference when drawing ,and yea they do take time to make but i feel its worth it so you don't change the characters every other page, which i have done it earlier iterations

[rumpenstiltzkin]

I dont understand the bit about the art style evolution being impacted by having a model sheet really

I have made very simple model sheets so I can easily grab the colors needed also 'caus my characters have a few details that I keep mixing up which side they have it on so I can quickly look at a model sheet instead of going back looking at older pages.

My art style is not affected by this model sheet the least, and usually when I feel my art style have changed I just make a new model sheet to fit my current style or if the characters maybe change outfit after a couple of episodes.

And the model sheet helps me a bit caus I got characters with big hair that is a bit curly and Im bad at drawing that esp how it looks like from behind so I can easily check my model sheet what my plan was for the hair looking from behind and stuff like that...

Model sheets is not something you HAVE to do but it CAN help you out just quickly checking for details and stuff to draw faster so you dont make all these finished pages and then realise ops they have that detail sometimes on the right side and then one page it pops on the wrong side and then back again (ive done this a couple of times, its a pain going back to fix it lol )

Also, you get some nice art and reference for ppl who might want to draw your characters

I dont use model sheets from time to time but then I feel like I keep messing things up to often I just make one and print it to have easy access when I sit and draw. Its really up to anyone what they feel like, never feel like you HAVE to do certain things caus other artists claim yuo have to, it can stop your own progress as well, it did for me in the beginning, then I just felt like making a model sheet for fun and it helped me out and yay.

[Paradox]

Model sheets help a lot, mostly with consistency, they may be time consuming to make but they'll save you a lot of it in the future. I made my entire comic without them, but then realized that characters look too different from panel to panel, so I redrew the whole thing

[euphisa]

Its good to make one. You can then copy paste your character reference into your comic to save time drawing.

[LunarScyphozoa]

I don’t think that copy pasting a model sheet into a comic is a very good idea

[euphisa]

If you want to save time drawing what essentially is the same panel, then copy pasting character sheets and such is a great idea.

Take a look at how Joori does it. Joori is an original webtoon creator, creator of Deor. Joori suffers from illnesses which greatly hampers them from drawing, and has been hospitalised a few times. As such, Joori uses time saving methods to make their webtoon. You can find Joori's videos of their webtoon making process over on their youtube channel. Heres a link to one of their videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsf3stq9wI

[GumshoeComix]

I've managed to draw 9 chapters without using a model sheet, it always seemed like a waste of time to me. I liken them more for animation pros not comic indies. Not trying to make fun of anyone who does use them, thats just what I always thought they were for.

[margodraws]

It's always good to make yourself a reference, for the sake of consistency. Your art style will evolve no matter what, and you can always update your references as needed. If you make model sheets for your eyes only, they don't have to be polished or complete at all-- just include what you need.

Here's an example:

I did a rough full rotation for this character a couple years ago, but I only updated her 3/4 front view because that's all I need for now. I'll probably only bother doing a front 3/4 (and back 3/4 if needed) drawing whenever a character changes costume.

[Lensing]

There are more pro than con arguments for model sheets.
When you can draw the character in your sleep then you just don´t need one

[cfstrathman]

I usually do a sheet or two with a single drawing each of the main character designs before I start a comic. Even so, I'm not typically married to the design and will potentially change things before they appear on the page. At that point, I never reference the model sheet again. Once they're on the page, that becomes my reference if I need one going forward.

[TedGravesArt]

You do you! I have model sheets for some of my characters, but not all. My two main characters for example don't have model sheets, but many of the side characters do. There are certain tricks I use to keep certain things consistent, like for example I sculpted Savina's head and horns and have a 3d print of it so I can hold it while I draw her. Far more useful than a model sheet. I also keep a mental list of all the idiosyncrasies about each character's face so I can make them look generally the same panel to panel. Or I'll sometimes base a side character's face on a famous person so I can look up refs when I get stuck. There are things that have changed about the characters from issue to issue, like Nira's ears have changed significantly since the first issue. If I was relying on a model sheet I would have to update the model sheet for every little mod I do to my characters, which I don't think is worth the extra effort.
That said, I did have a fair amount of experience drawing my two mains before I started my comic, so I was already very familiar with them. If you're starting with new characters it might be beneficial to have a sheet.
TLDR: They're useful, but if you don't need them, don't bother.

[Darth_Biomech]

For my human characters I just kinda cherry-picked a few panels out of the whole comic when they turned out to be looking the best IMO (there weren't that many), and I use those as a reference:

For alien characters... Yeah, model sheets are a bitch to draw, but god hold me they help SO much!