So, to keep consistent and accurate, at some point in production, turnarounds are made. Animators often need to draw a character from various angles and view the character as three-dimensional at all times, even when dealing with a 2D image. The turnaround is a crucial composite of drawings used in animation that shows a character at multiple angles. Our most common example would be the turnaround. While there are no hard and fast rules regarding how to make a character reference sheet for a character, there are some commonalities to look at. Why Do You Need a Character Reference Sheet?Ĭharacter reference sheets are standard tools in multiple trades dealing with illustration. Let me introduce some critical elements of reference sheets used in animation production and what lessons we can pull from them for our character reference sheets.

These OC reference sheets can be beneficial, but sometimes they can miss essential information. I have included essential color swatches, in addition to some examples of how to keep his expressions in line with my concept of the character. It also features important notes that I think are essential to maintaining the “essence” of Hubert. I use this character sheet when I am working on drawings. Thank you for your patience as I get all of these sheets written up for your use.Here is a reference sheet I put together for Hubert, the mascot of CharacterHub. I will fill out a sample character of all my character sheets so everything is clear. So your expansion on these into other genres is very welcome! I only make tutorials/templates for genres I have written in my whole life which is only fantasy and sci-fi, I don't want to forget something important in those other genres. If you would like (and it would help others as well) send me a link to your modified genre template in the comments section here so I can favorite it and direct people to the sheet in this and the sci-fi character sheet templates! If you would like to design a character sheet based on one of those genres from my design template, please do take this and make one! You do not need to ask permission.

I do not have as much knowledge for the horror/mystery/steampunk/etc. This sheet is made specifically for those who write in the fantasy genre. individually, this character sheet simply asks for Physical Flaws and allows you to put in the details on your own if your character has any physical flaws).

The new character sheets now leave extra description details solely up to the discretion of the author (instead of asking about the scars and size/blemishes, etc. So, I decided to dissect the original character sheet I have up (and yes, I will still leave it up for a while for those who still wish to view it) so that the Character Sheet can be based more tightly around the character itself instead of having a ton of information requested. Pet(s): (There is a pet character sheet as well, if you want more details surrounding your character’s pet if s/he has a pet.)įill out Family-Tree Character Sheet and accompanying Digital Chartĭescribe knowledge of character at this point in story:ĭescribe the level of skill of character at this point in story: Is their race a territorial clan-type culture, or a large all-inclusive-type culture, etc.) Race: (There is also a race sheet if you would like to have detailed information on your fantasy character’s culture.

Sci fi char ref sheet