Unlock character reference sheet mastery! Get top ideas and examples with our comprehensive guide on how to make an OC reference sheet. Elevate your OCs today!
A character reference sheet can be a game-changer for OCs and their creators in many ways. If you are already on CharacterHub, it’s pretty apparent how vital reference images to characters are, but the quality of the reference image also matters. One thing that a creator can do is to lean into whatworks in different industries and apply it to your OCs - hence the importance of a character reference sheet. Make sure not to mix up character reference sheet and character design sheets known as model sheets. Both are equally important for your original characters!
As for how to make a good character reference sheet, there is a lot of stuff to consider. We’ve got you covered, though. We have some general character reference sheet ideas and character reference sheet examples that’ll get you up to speed in no time.
For example, when you are on CharacterHub and looking for character sheets, you are likely thinking of something like the following. Hubert, can you model for us?
Here is a reference sheet I put together for Hubert, the mascot of CharacterHub. I use this character sheet when I am working on drawings. It also features important notes that I think are essential to maintaining the “essence” of Hubert. 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.
These OC reference sheets can be beneficial, but sometimes they can miss essential information. 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.
Character reference sheets are standard tools in multiple trades dealing with illustration. 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. Our most common example would be the turnaround.
The turnaround is a crucial composite of drawings used in animation that shows a character at multiple angles. 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. So, to keep consistent and accurate, at some point in production, turnarounds are made.
Turnarounds can have anywhere from 3 to 5 drawings on average - typically consisting of three efficient views of the side, forward, and rear view. Of course, turnarounds can encompass far more illustrations, including ¾ angles from the front and rear. These examples show how these work.
Here is a classic turnaround of Shaggy from Scooby Doo from around 1974. Notice the three critical views: side, front, and rear. However, we also have a ¾ front and rear view for five images.
Of course, this is just one common type of reference sheet. What if you want to get into how a character expresses themselves?
With Batman, here, from the 1990s animated series, we have a very efficient turnaround. We have three images: ¾ front and rear, with a stock side view. One of the most critical elements of this sheet is showing the cape but not allowing the cap to hide the back of Batman’s form. Many model sheets use transparent elements on overlapping objects and features.
What we have here isn’t quite a standard reference sheet - this is a Gunpla instruction manual page that depicts a Gundam for model-building purposes. As you can see, the essential elements of a turnaround are present, but with extra labeling for parts to construct the model. However, a prop flyout, the Gundam’s shield, is also drawn separately from the robot.
Another essential reference sheet is an expression sheet. These sheets are also quite common in animation because they create a reference for facial expressions when storyboarding and animating a character. Understanding how far a character’s face can change in shape under extreme expression allows animators to maintain consistency across assignments. Take Goku from Dragon Ball Z as an example of a suitable expression sheet.
With expression sheets, it all comes down to the type of character you are drawing. If a character never smiles, they may not need a “smiling” reference on the sheet… but would they never smile? It would make sense to have the reference there, just on the off chance something in the OC story creates such an opportunity.
This example comes from the development of the Cartoon Network series Edd, Ed n Eddy. Here, we have Ed with a whole array of wild expressions that show how far the show’s look can take characters for comedy. Ed emotes in a big way, and any expression is taken to an extreme.
The key with expression sheets is coverage. Even if you don’t do a massive 25-expression meme, it won’t hurt to have several less-common expressions in your pocket for later. You can always note that some expressions aren’t used for any potential fan artists.
Of course, there are other, more specialized reference sheets for characters. We’ll have a few for you to consider, but I want to turn to Batman: The Animated Series again for an excellent example of a specialized sheet.
What we have here is not an expression sheet but rather a sheet about how to draw a perfect Batman head in any circumstance with the complicated theory about what looks good and how proportions and angles are handled.
We can take this to an extreme with Friedrich from the film The Secret of Kells. Here, we see a very specific beard shape with very small shifts depending on the angle to maintain a bushy appearance despite the very flat style. Essentially, depending on the angle, the half circle of the beard slides over and connects with the face at a different point. Such detail is a great reason to create a reference sheet. Certainly, the significance of character shape in general extends beyond the practical needs of animation to the very essence of visual storytelling.
Sheets like this are essential for animation, given the need to draw characters in motion. Sure sheets may not seem practical to draw still images and pinups of OCs. Still, we can glean some general knowledge about maintaining iconic imagery in any circumstance.
How to do a character reference sheet depends on knowing what you want to convey. What sort of reference do you need to make available for other people? If you hope to find fan art of your OC submitted to their page on CharacterHub then you’ll need decent references that other users can use. So, a turnaround, even if you do not plan on animating a character, is a strong contender for any character’s gallery.
The best way to learn how to draw a character reference sheet is by doing so, so you should dive in. However, there are some things to consider: other people, chiefly.
Speaking from experience, the more thorough a character’s reference images are, the better the drawing process goes for me. As someone who participates in art exchanges and drops fan art for friends, having a collection of references is essential to me and skews my decision on how to approach drawing someone’s OC.
That means you can ask dozens of questions regarding reference sheets and what is most beneficial. On that note, here is a list of helpful things across different types of sheets.
Here is the model sheet I use whenever I draw Hubert to ensure I am consistent with proportions and coloring. Granted, in actual art, I tend to be a little looser and push the cartoony nature of him a little more. Regardless, the reference sheet allows me to eyeball him and keep his proportions in check as I draw.
You’ve probably noticed that we’ve been talking about reference sheets in an industry-standard way - those used in producing projects. That may not be quite what you are after. You may think more like OC sheets you see on CharacterHub, and that’s perfectly fine. You should consider using the same techniques as production materials on those OC sheets.
The key here is understanding what is essential to a reference sheet and having fun with it from there. We have some example sheets pulled from the CharacterHub community that we can learn from.
Our first community sheet is for Jove, an OC by LarkShark.
The Jove reference sheet has a lot of great information, but could always benefit from more. Color palettes and variations are included, which are quite helpful, including some likes and dislikes to help understand the character. The detailing of the ear piercings and nose profile is an excellent touch. However, at least another full-body view from another angle, more in line with a turnaround, would be a great addition.
Next up, we have Max, an OC by Hazel.
This reference sheet for Max is very detailed, presenting multiple views, expressions, and even essential props to the character. While there is a lot of text beyond labeling important parts, it’s not overwhelming. The sheet has almost everything I would look for when working on fan art or an illustration.
Lastly, we have Suna, an OC from Justecelyn.
This was a very polished-looking reference sheet with many essential notes and details. For example, key props such as the scrunchy and beanie are drawn separately for emphasis. The creator has also included essential notes for how certain features are oriented. The notes about how Suna is meant to be portrayed are a great addition to keep portrayals of the character consistent. Given the emphasis on design elements on the left and right, this sheet could benefit from a 4-stage turnaround.
With these types of sheets, one thing to remember is legibility and information overload. Finding the right balance of labels and information to include with the drawings can be tricky, and a lot of the time, when it comes to personal preference, we are willing to sacrifice balance to get across critical information. In a bit of broad critique, I want to show that all three example sheets could have been balanced better, whether the distribution of information, legibility of text, or the number of referencable drawings.
One of the benefits of CharacterHub is that you can build complex character profiles, meaning that the only essential text needed on a sheet are specific design notes. Since a character profile is easily edited, you don’t need to worry about constantly updating a sheet, either. This also eliminates the need to spend a ton of time balancing the text and imagery on a sheet, as most of the text is on an organized webpage.
While we have covered some key OC reference sheet ideas, there is always more to consider. When thinking of character reference sheet ideas, you should ask what you want to see from a favorite character you’ve stumbled onto.
You can also check different OCs on CharacterHub and do similar things. If you find a style of reference sheet particularly appealing or informative, you can apply it to your character. Discovery of things to include like this is especially common in character memes, which are often interesting ways to handle character sheets in a fun way.
Here are some particularly fun character memes worth trying out. Most of these were available on Pinterest, which is an underrated source of things for artists.
As for other ideas, here is a list of things to consider.
Some of us can quickly draw characters but struggle with or are disinterested in general design. For example, drawing an OC can be fun, but creating a visual template to place the OC on feels like grunt work. For many of us, we want to draw characters and focus on that while leaving incidental stuff for last or not at all.
That’s where CharacterHub can help. Using CharacterHub, you can create an excellent repository for essential information about a character on their profile. However, we’re also offering up character reference sheet bases to work from. You can easily use these to build up your reference library for all your OCs without the hassle of outside design work. Give these blank character reference sheets a try.
Having a single image that contains a lot of great character design notes is vital to the success of an OC; that much is clear. However, a single image doesn’t give away everything, even if it's a turnaround. After all, we’ve already used a couple of sheets about Batman in this topic alone. What helps is having an easily accessible repository of information about an OC.
Do you want to know how to do a character reference sheet? Don’t do a single sheet - build a profile on CharacterHub. CharacterHub’s gallery system allows you to create specific folders for whatever you need. For example, you can set up a folder for references. From there, you can upload your various sheets and keep them organized, especially when the need for folders for illustrations and fan art starts filling up.
Another consideration is text. Loads of text on a reference sheet can be a problem; for starters, it’s a visual reference sheet, and too many notes can clutter the composition. More importantly, text on an image isn’t responsive or easily edited. If an image is resized, then the text may lose legibility. Also, what if you make a typo or grammar error?
But with CharacterHub, you can build your OC’s profile with as much or as little text as needed and can always go back and edit it. Save the text on the reference sheet for essential notes and labels.
Lastly, CharacterHub offers something a traditionally drawn character sheet does not: connectivity. Being able to group, categorize, and link to other topics, settings, and characters in an OC’s profile creates something that a standard character reference sheet, for all its strengths, simply cannot replicate.
David Davis is a cartoonist with around twenty years of experience in comics, including independent work and established IPs such as SpongeBob Squarepants. He also works as a college composition instructor and records weekly podcasts. Find out more about him at his website!
