How to Make an Art Reference Sheet for Oc

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When creating characters for a story, comic, movie, or anything really that involves characters, people normally use something known as a character reference canvass. This is a tool that allows you to explore diverse aspects of a character. While y'all can find pre-formatted reference sheets online, you may want to create a grapheme sheet on your own and then that you can customize it to suit your needs.

1. one

   Write or draw a rough sketch of a character. Before you outset your character canvas, write or draw a crude sketch of your character. The all-time character sheets tend to be specific to i detail story or person. Spend a fleck getting acquainted with the grapheme you want to outline in your sheet before writing it down. You may work on 1 character sheet at a time or work on multiple sheets simultaneously, which may exist beneficial if you desire to map out character relationships at the same fourth dimension.

   • Who is your character and what world does he or she exist in? A grapheme sheet for a 28 year-former lawyer living in modernistic day Manhattan is obviously going to expect vastly different than one for a 45 twelvemonth-old wizard living in a fictional universe of your creation.
   • Is your grapheme male person or female? What are the grapheme's most notable physical characteristics? Does he or she accept a family? A spouse? Friends?
   • Depict a short motion-picture show if you lot're a visual learner or if you're doing a graphic novel or comic. This tin aid yous get acquainted with your character.
   • Keep in mind, this does not have to be terribly extensive yet. This is more of a brainstorming session to help you figure out what about the character would be helpful to know. Jot down a paragraph or two and consider what about the character needs further exploring.

2. two

   Figure out the basic events of your work. A graphic symbol sail should explore how your character has responded to past events. It should explore how he or she's been shaped past life. Spend some time figuring out the major events in your work.

   • You lot do non need to have the entire plot of your novel outlined earlier making a character sheet. Withal, it might not exist a bad idea to take some idea of what has happened to your graphic symbol earlier the beginning of your story. Draft a brusk, personal history for your character. Keep in mind zippo is gear up in stone at this point. You can always change or suit things downwards the route.
   • Interpersonal relationships are as well a huge office of your character's history. What kind of relationships has this person had with friends, romantic partners, family unit members, mentors, and more than? Having a skeletal thought of the major relationships in your character'due south life can aid y'all draft a solid character sheet.

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3. 3

   Fill out the basics. Brand the outset part of your sheet that asks for bones information. Things similar name, age, and occupation are a peachy place to showtime when writing your own reference sheet.

   • Showtime with the nuts, such name, historic period, occupation, and physical description. Button yourself to exist detailed about description. What is your graphic symbol's way? What does their voice audio similar? What sort of habits and mannerisms practice they display?^[i]
   • Then, focus on your characters basic qualities on a deeper level. What are your character's likes and dislikes? What is their marital status? Do they have children? Family? What is their occupation? Historic period? Are they introverted or extroverted, a leader or a follower?^[ii]

4. 4

   Ask more complicated questions. As yous progress through your sheet, ask more complicated questions. Allow yourself to branch out freely and aggrandize upon existing ideas.

   • From hither, push yourself to become more in depth. What conflicts does your character face? How has he or she reacted to events in the past? How have certain events shape your character? For case, say you're writing about a 58 yr-old widower named Robin Leland with two kids. How is he affected by the decease of his wife? Does this affect his present relationships with his children or other family members? How did he cope when his married woman died? How does he cope at present? How long has his wife been gone? What was their relationship like? As you tin meet, you tin focus on one aspect of the past and co-operative out from there.
   • Talk about interpersonal relationships. All characters accept relationships with one another and the earth that affect how they move through life. Focus on the major relationships your graphic symbol has and ask questions specific to that relationship. For case, say Robin has a daughter named Rose who bears a striking resemblance to his tardily married woman. How does this resemblance affect how Robin interacts with Rose? If Rose is, say, in her early teens how does Robin handle talking to her nearly puberty, dating, etc.? Do these topics brand him uncomfortable? If so, why? Is Robin a more conservative man? As you can see, you tin learn a lot virtually your character'south personality by focusing on their relationships.
   • Talk virtually underlying motivations. What drives your character and why? What is their main motivating factor? All adept characters accept something they desire that drives their story. Talk about wants and needs. What does Robin want and why? Say his wife was killed by a drunk driver. Maybe Robin is taking initiative in his home boondocks to reform drunk driving laws. But go deeper than that. Is Robin ignoring his grief by taking on this crusade? Is this a lark from allowing himself to mourn for his wife?

5. 5

   Enquire questions specific to your work. As stated, a good graphic symbol reference sail is as specific as possible. In that location may exist some questions that are specific to your story. Make sure to include these in your sheet.

   • If you're creating a fantasy world, this is specially relevant. If, for example, there are supernatural elements to your story yous might demand to include what powers your character has.
   • In some stories, fighting and war is cardinal to the plot. You might need to focus on things like the weaponry and fighting style of your grapheme.^[3]

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1. 1

   Find a reference sheet that works with you lot. If you don't desire to class your own sheet, yous can find many pre-formatted sheets online. Pre-formatted reference sheets can save yous a lot of fourth dimension and may ask nigh information you wouldn't accept otherwise considered. Choose a reference canvass that works for your project.

   • If yous're writing wink fiction, which is fiction that'south mostly ane,000 words or less, yous may need a shorter reference sheet. Information technology's easy to find reference sheets specifically formatted for works of flash fiction. They generally ask for basic information on physical advent and personality.^[four]
   • Short stories, which take a higher discussion count, volition ask for more information from a graphic symbol reference canvass. They'll generally inquire for some back story and mannerisms in addition to the basics of physical description and character traits.^[5]
   • Grapheme sheets for novels and novellas are generally a lot longer as more than information is required. They'll go into depth in regards to things like backstory and volition also enquire for information on religious beliefs, possessions, education, and more.^{[half dozen]}

2. 2

   Fill in the sheet with more than information than y'all need. You may feel certain aspects of a graphic symbol reference canvas feel irrelevant. Some aspects of your characters dorsum story, for instance, may non make information technology into the plot. However, it's better to have more than information than you lot demand. Knowing your characters well tin make for richer writing. Fifty-fifty if you do not direct reference a detail aspect of your grapheme'due south backstory or religious beliefs, they will testify up in subtle ways in the subtext of your writing.

3. 3

   Skip irrelevant parts of a reference sheet. Notwithstanding, keep in mind not every part of a reference canvas will be relevant in your story. For example, details about a character's article of clothing may never brand it into the writing. Some sheets may ask for information virtually a character's weaponry and special skills, in case you're writing a fantasy, just if you're story is realistic this is not applicable to you lot. While yous should strive to fill out a reference sheet every bit fully equally possible, skip sections that have no relevance to the piece of work you're writing.^[7]

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1. 1

   Push yourself to include a lot of information. A character reference sail is important to a piece of work of fiction. It allows yous to become to know your character in as much detail as possible. Make full out your reference sheet with every bit much data as possible. Spend a few days coming back to your character canvas and adding new tidbits and facts nigh your character equally they come to you. Let yourself to get lost in the world yous're creating.

2. 2

   Keep reference sheets in a safety identify to consult later on. As y'all begin the actual writing of your piece of work, y'all'll need your reference sheet. Keep it on hand so you can consult it later on. It'southward a skilful thought to go along your reference sheet nearly the area where you lot normally write or work. It might be a skilful idea to get a specific binder to keep reference sheets so they don't go misplaced.

3. 3

   Utilize pre-formatted reference sheets with care. Pre-formatted sheets are tempting because they save you some work. However, it'south sometimes better to make your own sail. This mode, your reference sheet is specific to your story and will be every bit useful equally possible to you.

   • Some of the questions pre-formatted referenced sheets are somewhat vague. They often do not comprise plenty white space for you to really expand in too much item. You want to make sure you don't oversimplify your characters by using a pre-formatted reference canvass.
   • Certain questions on pre-formatted reference sheets may be irrelevant to your story. For example, if you lot're writing a screenplay intended to be acted out y'all only have so much command over what a character looks similar. Very specific information about advent is non really of import.
   • There is a lot of flexibility involved in a reference canvass you create yourself. Every bit outlined above, one question branches into another and then another. This allows your story and character to abound organically.

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Add New Question

• Question

  I'thou working on a novel with five main characters. Should I work on creating them all at once, or one at a fourth dimension?

  

  I advise creating them i at a time and gradually introducing them into the story. Then you won't have to worry near info-dumping and overwhelming the reader with too many new names and personalities at once.

• Question

  Tin can I brand a refrence canvass of an exsisting character?

  

  Yes! This can help you lot to understand an already developed character, and what makes this character great (or not so not bad). If in that location are things you don't know, yous tin can leave information technology blank or try to make something upwards based on what yous know about them. This can be an do in inferences and creativity.

• Question

  Should a character reference canvass include different main outfits? (For example: coincidental, PJs, sports, etc.)

  

  The Write Advice

  Customs Answer

  At that place's really no limit to what you can add. The more detailed the reference sheet is, the better. If you experience that their outfits change ofttimes, then that'due south definitely something worth mentioning. Also, I personally exercise write out a listing of their dissimilar outfits and hairstyles, because I experience information technology gives them more depth early on.

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Commodity Summary 10

A character reference sheet is a adept tool for keeping track of the various aspects of your character when writing fiction or developing characters for games. Yous can design your ain sheet or find a template online. Showtime by drawing your character or writing a physical clarification of what they look like and how old they are. So, list some major events that have shaped your graphic symbol's life. For example, you might want to write down of import friendships, romantic relationships, and family ties. After you have the nuts, endeavor going more in-depth with your character canvas. Jot down things that motivate your character, things that disappoint them, and what their dreams and needs are. To learn how to use multiple character sheets at once, read more than from our Writing co-writer!

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