1-2-3
Character Sheet
Every great character starts with a clear design. In games, animation, comics, and film, character sheets are used to communicate how a character looks, moves, and feels—all at a glance. This project challenges you to think like a professional designer, translating personality, style, and story into a clean, readable visual document that could be handed off to another artist and understood instantly.
Your Mission is to design a character sheet for an original character. You will create a clear, well-organized visual document that communicates your character’s design, personality, and overall vibe using consistent drawing style, layout, and design choices.
​Project Goals
-
Translate personality and narrative ideas into visual design choices
-
Practice orthographic drawing to clearly communicate form and proportion
-
Develop clean layouts that balance illustration, text, and negative space
-
Strengthen visual clarity and consistency across multiple views of a character
Level 1
Pick and Do 2 Exercises:
Each exercise should ONLY take 1-3 classes to complete.
LVL1 CHECKPOINT
AFTER completing BOTH exercises,
but BEFORE moving on:​
​
1) Name your files correctly:
-
Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level-WhichOneYouPicked​
-
ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-CardDesign-1-AMotif
-
-
Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
-
Use hyphens in image or file names --- no spaces.
-
Even though Windows and Mac computers allow spaces, the web is built on systems that do not handle spaces well. When a file name has a space, web browsers often change it to %20, which can cause broken links or make files not load correctly.
-
Using hyphens (-) instead of spaces helps your files work properly online.
-
​
2) Do the level 1 reflection
-
Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.
-
RENAME IT
-
Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
-
ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-1
-
-
Answer the questions. You can focus on one exercise or answer for both.
​
3) Hand in all 3 files
Level 2
​BEFORE YOU BEGIN
​1) GET the level 2 DESIGN BOOKLET
-
Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.
-
RENAME IT
-
Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
-
ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-2
-
Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
-
​
2) Choose your level 2 assignment (below)​
​​
3) Start the booklet before starting your assignment
-
Answer the questions in the following sections:
-
The Assignment-ID and timeline questions.
-
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE PRACTICING​
-
FEEDBACK
-
PLAN YOUR APPROACH
-
​
4) do your assignment​
Pick and Do 1 Assignment:
LVL2 CHECKPOINT
AFTER completing your assignment,
but BEFORE moving on:​
​
1) Name your file(s) correctly:
-
Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level-WhichOneYouPicked​
-
ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-2-CTextureStudy
-
-
Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
​
2) FINISH the level 2 reflection​
-
aka the last section in the Design Booklet.
​
3) Hand in BOTH (2) files
Level 3
The Project
It's time to shine! For this project, create the style-sheet for your own character. They may exist in an existing universe, or be completely original.
​
Your goal is to make a visual document that conveys both your character's style and personality.
​
​​​​​​BEFORE YOU BEGIN
​1) GET the level 3 DESIGN BOOKLET
-
Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.
-
RENAME IT
-
Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
-
ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-3​
-
​
​2) fill out the booklet as you do the project.
Your Character Sheet must include:
-
Your character's name.​​
-
A brief biography (3-5 sentences).
-
Orthographic drawings (showing your character's front, side, and back).
-
A palette chart of the main colours used.
​
Focus on:
-
Answering the question: What would an animator need to know to accurately bring your vision to life?
-
Should you include...​
-
Extra expressions?​​​
-
Bonus Outfits?
-
Key poses?
-
Accessories or Sidekicks?
-
-
Ready to Make?
-
Your file should be 2550 x 3300 pixels, at 300 pixels/inch.
-
(same as a letter-sized paper). ​​​​​​​
-
​​
This project brings together everything you practiced in Levels 1 and 2:
you've got this!​​​
LVL3 CHECKPOINT
AFTER completing your project:​
​
1) Name your file(s) correctly:
-
Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
-
ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-CharacterSheet-3
-
-
Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
​
2) FINISH the level 3 reflection​
-
aka the last section in the Design Booklet.
​
3) Hand in BOTH (2) files
​
4) Return to the Media Design page and repeat the 1-2-3 cycle with a new project!​​
​