ive been wanting to make my own ref sheet for my sona and im wondering what sort of things make for a good and aesthetically pleasing ref sheet
Topic: What makes a good ref sheet
Posted under Art Talk
It should have everything that describes your character without having to put them into words/description.
This includes, but is not limited to, character_name, species_name, gender, color_swatch, front/back/side profiles (multiple_angles), measurements, close-ups of important/unique features (e.g., eyes, hands/feet/paws, texture of skin/scale/fur, mouth_shot, genital_shot, accessories), etc.
You can also go through model_sheet to see examples.
Wolfgang got most of it but one other thing to note: please don't shade your ref sheet! This is a huge pet peeve among artists as it makes the ref much harder to work with. Shading obscures design details and makes it impossible to colorpick off the ref.
wandering_spaniel said:
Wolfgang got most of it but one other thing to note: please don't shade your ref sheet! This is a huge pet peeve among artists as it makes the ref much harder to work with. Shading obscures design details and makes it impossible to colorpick off the ref.
^^
Definitely this. Keep the colors flat. The purpose of a ref sheet is to use as a reference, not as an art piece.
wandering_spaniel said:
Wolfgang got most of it but one other thing to note: please don't shade your ref sheet! This is a huge pet peeve among artists as it makes the ref much harder to work with. Shading obscures design details and makes it impossible to colorpick off the ref.
what do i do if i only have a shaded ref piece
post #4556768
strikerman said:
what do i do if i only have a shaded ref piece
post #4556768
Tbh it's very dependent on the artist. You have a swatch for color-pickers. Not everyone color-picks though, at least not for every image. Color relativity and lighting can make color-picking irrelevant.
strikerman said:
what do i do if i only have a shaded ref piece
post #4556768
There's color swatches and your character's design is simple enough that I think most artists wouldn't have any issue with it, don't worry. Maybe ask the artist if they still have the layered file and if they could send you a version with the shading layers hidden though, so you have both
strikerman said:
what do i do if i only have a shaded ref piece
post #4556768
Funny that, my first "reference sheet" was shaded and had no colour swatch.
My character went from being originally light grey coloured to light purple like you can see with my avatar.
Yours is good if you have a colour swatch and keep their colours consistent between commissions.
For a Ref sheet peeps would think are neat and artists you commission will thank you for-
Go For a Posing Refsheet, But not just any pose
- Crossed arms are out, Hides the chest.
- Crossed Legs are out, Hides the Crotch.
Something like this:
post #3499664 Or post #3871645
With a Front and back view with color palette blobs would be awesome~!
(Extra points for a mini window of: genitals, A picture of the Fine Markings
on the body, and specifics on Feet and hands if that's a big part of your peep!)
The pose is open so all the viewers can enjoy everything
your rad peep has to offer!
The pose is open so Artists can see every bit of your rad
peep so they don't have to check back for more details
on bits. It's all right there, Dood!
◠‿◠)
notkastar said:
For a Ref sheet peeps would think are neat and artists you commission will thank you for-Go For a Posing Refsheet, But not just any pose
- Crossed arms are out, Hides the chest.
- Crossed Legs are out, Hides the Crotch.Something like this:
post #3499664 Or post #3871645
With a Front and back view with color palette blobs would be awesome~!
(Extra points for a mini window of: genitals, A picture of the Fine Markings
on the body, and specifics on Feet and hands if that's a big part of your peep!)The pose is open so all the viewers can enjoy everything
your rad peep has to offer!The pose is open so Artists can see every bit of your rad
peep so they don't have to check back for more details
on bits. It's all right there, Dood!
◠‿◠)
Definitely do not do this if you have complicated markings. You can get away with it if your character is solid or very simple or else you don't care if markings end up placed incorrectly.
These can be fun to add to a ref sheet to add personality, but they're not good for displaying markings accurately.
regsmutt said:
Definitely do not do this if you have complicated markings. You can get away with it if your character is solid or very simple or else you don't care if markings end up placed incorrectly.These can be fun to add to a ref sheet to add personality, but they're not good for displaying markings accurately.
Ooooh no no no nooooo~★
=‿=)
Not Markings on the character themselves 'While' there posing period.
but a picture of what the marking look like off the body, on the side.
Showing a detailed look at the markings as a whole without it being on the body.
Think the transitions you get before you fight-
Knowing what the marks look like without being on the body is AMAZING
when it comes to refs since you can see it both on and off the body!
Giving you placement of where the markings go 'And' what it looks
like in general, So it can be that much more accurate, Dood!
◠‿╹)~★
this is subjectively speaking so i'd like to expand into levels of reference sheet (not dwelling to couple of already said stuff).
the most simplest and cheapest reference as it can go is just a singular front/three-quarter png of character because reference sheets are objectively torturous (jokingly, at least from my experience is).
though rear-view can added for better clarity and less misinterpretation from ambiguity of the character's back.
this type is pretty simple and cheaper, but as said it would leave the inaccuracies beyond your expectation of how you want the artist to interpret your character.
the most traditional reference sheet is said above but may feature more portraits (or lack of), expressions to display some character's personality, accessories/inventory of what character has, information about the character like it's personality/backstory, attention to facial parts and inner, and typically just abstract/simple background. the large chunk of industry's reference sheet will incredibly simple with almost only a row of directions the character is drawn.
beyond the 'greater' level is the attention to the design of the sheet itself that make reference sheet more interesting and attractive as the character (e.g this and this. it can increase the substance and the vibe/environment of the character is too.
of course, this increases the price (if you're an artist this probably would give you a straw of pain) but quality pays off.