How To Draw A Ref Sheet

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

1. one

   Write or draw a rough sketch of a character. Before you start your character sheet, write or describe a crude sketch of your character. The best character sheets tend to be specific to one item story or person. Spend a bit getting acquainted with the character you desire to outline in your sail before writing information technology down. Y'all may work on 1 character sheet at a time or work on multiple sheets simultaneously, which may be beneficial if you want to map out grapheme relationships at the same fourth dimension.

   • Who is your character and what world does he or she exist in? A graphic symbol sheet for a 28 year-one-time lawyer living in modern solar day Manhattan is evidently going to look vastly different than ane for a 45 year-old wizard living in a fictional universe of your creation.
   • Is your character male or female person? What are the graphic symbol'south most notable physical characteristics? Does he or she take a family? A spouse? Friends?
   • Describe a short picture if you're a visual learner or if you're doing a graphic novel or comic. This can help you go acquainted with your grapheme.
   • Keep in heed, this does non have to exist terribly extensive yet. This is more of a brainstorming session to help yous figure out what about the graphic symbol would exist helpful to know. Jot down a paragraph or two and consider what well-nigh the character needs further exploring.

2. 2

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

   • You lot exercise not need to take the entire plot of your novel outlined earlier making a character sail. However, it might non be a bad idea to take some idea of what has happened to your character before the outset of your story. Draft a short, personal history for your character. Keep in mind nothing is gear up in rock at this bespeak. You tin always change or adjust things down the route.
   • Interpersonal relationships are also a huge role of your character'due south history. What kind of relationships has this person had with friends, romantic partners, family members, mentors, and more? Having a skeletal idea of the major relationships in your character's life can assistance you draft a solid character sheet.

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3. iii

   Fill up out the basics. Make the first part of your sheet that asks for basic information. Things like name, historic period, and occupation are a groovy place to start when writing your own reference sail.

   • Showtime with the nuts, such name, age, occupation, and concrete clarification. Push button yourself to be detailed about description. What is your graphic symbol's fashion? What does their vocalisation sound similar? What sort of habits and mannerisms exercise they display?^[1]
   • Then, focus on your characters basic qualities on a deeper level. What are your character'due south likes and dislikes? What is their marital condition? Do they accept children? Family? What is their occupation? Age? Are they introverted or extroverted, a leader or a follower?^[2]

4. 4

   Enquire more complicated questions. As you lot progress through your sheet, enquire more than complicated questions. Allow yourself to branch out freely and expand upon existing ideas.

   • From here, push yourself to go more in depth. What conflicts does your character face? How has he or she reacted to events in the past? How take sure events shape your character? For instance, say you lot're writing about a 58 year-onetime widower named Robin Leland with two kids. How is he affected past the death of his wife? Does this affect his present relationships with his children or other family unit members? How did he cope when his wife died? How does he cope now? How long has his wife been gone? What was their human relationship like? As you tin can run across, y'all can focus on one aspect of the by and co-operative out from there.
   • Talk virtually interpersonal relationships. All characters have relationships with one another and the earth that affect how they move through life. Focus on the major relationships your character has and ask questions specific to that relationship. For instance, say Robin has a daughter named Rose who bears a striking resemblance to his late wife. 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.? Exercise these topics brand him uncomfortable? If so, why? Is Robin a more conservative man? Every bit you tin run into, you can learn a lot most your character'southward personality by focusing on their relationships.
   • Talk about underlying motivations. What drives your character and why? What is their main motivating factor? All expert characters have something they want that drives their story. Talk about wants and needs. What does Robin desire and why? Say his wife was killed by a drunkard driver. Peradventure Robin is taking initiative in his home town to reform drunk driving laws. Merely become deeper than that. Is Robin ignoring his grief by taking on this crusade? Is this a distraction from assuasive himself to mourn for his wife?

5. five

   Ask questions specific to your piece of work. As stated, a good graphic symbol reference sheet is as specific as possible. There may be some questions that are specific to your story. Make certain to include these in your canvass.

   • If you're creating a fantasy world, this is particularly relevant. If, for example, in that location are supernatural elements to your story you might need to include what powers your character has.
   • In some stories, fighting and war is central to the plot. You lot might need to focus on things like the weaponry and fighting fashion of your graphic symbol.^[3]

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1. 1

   Find a reference canvass that works with you lot. If y'all don't want to course your own sheet, y'all can find many pre-formatted sheets online. Pre-formatted reference sheets can save y'all a lot of time and may ask about information y'all wouldn't have otherwise considered. Choose a reference canvass that works for your project.

   • If you lot're writing flash fiction, which is fiction that's more often than not 1,000 words or less, you may need a shorter reference canvas. It's easy to find reference sheets specifically formatted for works of flash fiction. They by and large ask for bones information on physical advent and personality.^[4]
   • Brusk stories, which accept a higher word count, volition ask for more data from a character reference sheet. They'll by and large inquire for some back story and mannerisms in addition to the basics of physical description and character traits.^[v]
   • Character sheets for novels and novellas are generally a lot longer as more data is required. They'll go into depth in regards to things like backstory and will also ask for information on religious beliefs, possessions, education, and more.^[six]

2. 2

   Fill in the sheet with more than data than you demand. Y'all may feel certain aspects of a character reference canvass feel irrelevant. Some aspects of your characters dorsum story, for example, may non make it into the plot. Nevertheless, it's improve to have more than data than you need. Knowing your characters well tin make for richer writing. Even if you lot do not directly reference a particular aspect of your character's backstory or religious behavior, they will show up in subtle ways in the subtext of your writing.

3. 3

   Skip irrelevant parts of a reference sheet. However, keep in mind not every part of a reference sheet volition exist relevant in your story. For example, details nigh a character'southward vesture may never make it into the writing. Some sheets may ask for information almost a graphic symbol's weaponry and special skills, in case you're writing a fantasy, only if you're story is realistic this is not applicable to you lot. While you should strive to fill out a reference sail as fully equally possible, skip sections that have no relevance to the work you're writing.^[seven]

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1. ane

   Push yourself to include a lot of information. A character reference sail is important to a work of fiction. It allows you to get to know your graphic symbol in as much particular as possible. Fill out your reference sheet with equally much information as possible. Spend a few days coming back to your character sheet and adding new tidbits and facts about your grapheme equally they come up to you. Let yourself to get lost in the world you lot're creating.

2. 2

   Continue reference sheets in a safe place to consult later on on. Equally y'all begin the actual writing of your work, you'll need your reference sheet. Keep information technology on manus then you can consult it after. Information technology's a good thought to go on your reference sheet near the expanse where you usually write or work. It might be a adept idea to get a specific folder to keep reference sheets so they don't get misplaced.

3. 3

   Employ pre-formatted reference sheets with care. Pre-formatted sheets are tempting because they salvage you some piece of work. Yet, it'due south sometimes amend to make your own sheet. This way, your reference canvas is specific to your story and will be every bit useful every bit possible to y'all.

   • Some of the questions pre-formatted referenced sheets are somewhat vague. They often do not contain enough white infinite for y'all to really expand in too much detail. You lot desire to make certain y'all don't oversimplify your characters by using a pre-formatted reference sheet.
   • Certain questions on pre-formatted reference sheets may be irrelevant to your story. For example, if you're writing a screenplay intended to be acted out you just have so much control over what a character looks like. Very specific information about appearance is not actually important.
   • There is a lot of flexibility involved in a reference sail you create yourself. As outlined above, ane question branches into another and so another. This allows your story and grapheme to grow organically.

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Add New Question

• Question

  I'm working on a novel with five chief characters. Should I work on creating them all at once, or 1 at a time?

  

  I advise creating them one at a time and gradually introducing them into the story. Then you won't take to worry about info-dumping and overwhelming the reader with also many new names and personalities at in one case.

• Question

  Can I make a refrence canvas of an exsisting character?

  

  Yeah! This tin can help yous to understand an already developed character, and what makes this graphic symbol great (or not and so swell). If in that location are things you don't know, you can get out it blank or try to make something up based on what you lot know about them. This tin can be an practise in inferences and creativity.

• Question

  Should a character reference sail include different primary outfits? (For example: casual, PJs, sports, etc.)

  

  The Write Advice

  Community Respond

  At that place's really no limit to what y'all can add. The more than detailed the reference sheet is, the improve. If you feel that their outfits change frequently, then that'south definitely something worth mentioning. Also, I personally do write out a list of their unlike outfits and hairstyles, considering I feel it gives them more depth early on.

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Commodity Summary X

A grapheme reference sail is a good tool for keeping track of the diverse aspects of your graphic symbol when writing fiction or developing characters for games. You can blueprint your ain sheet or find a template online. Start by cartoon your character or writing a physical description of what they look like and how old they are. So, list some major events that have shaped your grapheme's life. For instance, you might desire to write down of import friendships, romantic relationships, and family unit ties. After you lot accept the basics, try going more in-depth with your character canvass. Jot downward things that motivate your grapheme, things that disappoint them, and what their dreams and needs are. To learn how to employ multiple character sheets at once, read more than from our Writing co-writer!

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