Character Reference Sheet: Palette and Turnaround

How it works

Character Reference Sheet Planner turns one paragraph describing an original character into a reference-sheet spec you can hand to an illustrator or any AI image generator. It plans the design sheet; it does not draw it. It is the sibling of Character Image Set Shot-List Planner (which plans 15 story cuts): this one plans the design sheet that comes before those cuts, and its lock list becomes the anchor list for them.

Phase 1 — Read the paragraph. Pulls out age, look, personality and art style. Asks 1-3 questions only if an essential is missing.

Phase 2 — Build the sheet. A palette table (max 6 core colors, named, with hex codes and where each is used), a signature-features lock list (what must never change), proportions and silhouette hooks, four turnaround views (front, side, back, 3/4) with per-view notes, outfit and prop callouts, a 4-expression mini chart, a "do not draw" drift-trap list, and one generator-neutral prompt line per view.

Phase 3 — Four blind reviewers. Art direction, color and silhouette (contrast ratios computed), continuity and contradictions, and safety and age each check the sheet separately.

Phase 4 — Cross-check and board verdict. Reviewer fixes are re-applied everywhere, then the verdict: approved, approved with conditions, or blocked. Strictly SFW: minors get wholesome designs, and sexual requests are refused.

Sample output

Real, unedited output from running this Skill on a sample problem:

Input ([HAND-WRITTEN FICTIONAL SAMPLE - invented for testing.]):

Mira Okafor-Lindqvist, a 9-year-old lighthouse keeper's daughter in a fictional fishing village; curious, stubborn, always carrying a brass spyglass; soft storybook watercolor look; I want a full reference sheet for a picture-book series.

Mira Okafor-Lindqvist — soft storybook watercolor — minor: wholesome design (age 9) — Board verdict: APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS (3 open questions).

## Essentials
- Identity: Mira Okafor-Lindqvist, age 9, human child, lighthouse keeper's daughter, fictional fishing village.
- Personality: curious, stubborn, always carrying a brass spyglass.
- Art style: soft storybook watercolor. Intended use: picture-book series (full reference sheet).
- Rough look: the paragraph gives the role and one signature prop (brass spyglass) but no hair, eye, skin or clothing details. The role and prop count as the rough look, so no questions are asked and every other look choice below is marked (assumed).
- (assumed) Skin warm brown; hair dark espresso in two round curly puffs tied with oatmeal ties; eyes dark espresso, large and round; oversized slate-blue chunky knit jumper with a thick rolled hem and sleeves pushed up to the forearm; oatmeal trousers rolled to the calf; short espresso lace-up boots; spyglass carried on an espresso cord across the body, resting at the character's left hip; height about 133 cm / 5 heads; slim childlike build.
- Minor: designed wholesome, ordinary full-coverage clothing, childlike proportions stated honestly.

## A. Palette
| Name | Hex | Used on | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| warm brown | #B07A52 | skin | base |
| espresso | #3A2518 | hair, eyes, boots and spyglass cord (all the same dark shade) | secondary |
| slate blue | #34506A | chunky knit jumper | base |
| oatmeal | #E8D9B8 | trousers, hair ties | secondary |
| brass | #C9A227 | spyglass | accent |

5 core colors (black-brown line art and white paper highlights not counted).

## B. Signature-features lock list
LOCK
1. Age 9, minor; childlike slim build, 5 heads tall, round face; never aged up or made teen-like.
2. Hair: espresso, two round curly puffs at either side of the crown, each tied with an oatmeal tie (count is always two; no loose-hair state allowed by the paragraph).
3. Eyes: espresso, large and round.
4. Jumper: oversized slate-blue chunky knit with a thick rolled hem, sleeves pushed up to the forearm.
5. Brass spyglass: three brass segments with two visible bands, forearm-length, collapsed, on an espresso cord across the body, resting at the character's left hip.
6. Trousers: oatmeal, rolled to the calf, above short espresso boots.
7. Accent rule: brass appears only on the spyglass; skin is plain warm brown with no added marks.

## C. Proportions and silhouette
- Height: 5 heads, about 133 cm (assumed). Build: slim, childlike, round head large for the body, narrow shoulders, hips about the same width as shoulders, short arms and legs; hands small, about two thirds of the face height; the jumper hangs boxy and loose, so the body reads as small inside it.
- Silhouette read: two round bumps on top of a round head, a wide boxy top with a thick bulging hem, thin rolled-up trouser legs ending in rounded boots, and a thin angled tube at one hip.
- Silhouette hooks: (1) two round hair puffs on the head, (2) boxy oversized jumper with a thick hem wider than the trunk, (3) forearm-length spyglass tube angled out from the left hip on its cord.
- Generic comparison for the genre: "plucky storybook kid"; that character could share the loose top (hook 2) but not the twin puffs or the hip tube.

## D. Turnaround views
| View | Pose | Per-view notes | Must be visible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | neutral standing, arms slightly away, hands relaxed and visible | cord crosses the jumper from the right shoulder to the left hip; spyglass hangs at the viewer's right; rolled hem is a thick band; two puffs symmetrical; boots point forward (assumed) | two puffs and ties, rolled hem, spyglass at viewer's right |
| Side (facing viewer's left, character's LEFT side shown) | same pose, same ground line | spyglass hangs on the near (left) hip, tilted slightly forward from the cord; puffs overlap into one round shape with the second just behind; sleeve push-up shows as a fat fold at the forearm | spyglass with its bands, hem band, near puff |
| Back | same pose | cord seen crossing the upper back diagonally from the left hip up to the right shoulder; spyglass tip peeks at the viewer's left; two puffs with ties seen from behind; hem is an even thick band all round; no pocket or graphic on the back (assumed) | cord diagonal, both puffs, spyglass edge at viewer's left |
| Three-quarter (front-weighted, facing viewer's left) | same pose, shoulders turned about 35 degrees | face turned slightly toward viewer's left; near puff larger than far puff; spyglass partly hidden by the jumper edge but its brass end still shows; trouser roll visible | face, both puffs, brass end of spyglass |

Draw all four on one shared ground line and one shared head line.

## E. Outfit and prop callouts
1. Jumper — slate blue, chunky knit wool, hip-length; from the side it hangs boxy with a thick rolled hem, from the back it is plain with an even hem band.
2. Sleeves — slate blue, knit, pushed up to the forearm so hands show; the fold is a thick band from every side.
3. Trousers — oatmeal, cotton, straight, rolled to the calf with a visible turn-up.
4. Boots — espresso, leather, short lace-up, rounded toe; sit just under the trouser roll.
5. Hair ties — oatmeal, cloth, one per puff.
6. Spyglass — brass, metal, three segments with two bands, forearm-length when collapsed; hangs from an espresso cord that crosses the body to the left hip; default hand: none (not held in the neutral pose; either hand may raise it in story images).

## F. Expression mini chart
| Name | Eyes | Brow | Mouth | Head tilt | Stays identical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | large, round, calm | level | closed, soft | none | two puffs, espresso eyes, jumper hem |
| Joy | crinkled, bright | raised slightly | open smile | slight right | two puffs, eye color, hem |
| Curious (trait) | wide, looking up and aside | both raised | small round "o" | slight left | two puffs, eye color, spyglass cord |
| Stubborn-set (mild anger) | steady, slightly narrowed | lowered and drawn together | pressed, small chin dimple | slight down | two puffs, eye color, hem |

## G. Drift traps and prompt lines
Do not draw:
- Do not change the number of hair puffs or turn them into braids, a ponytail or loose hair (protects lock 2).
- Do not make the jumper fitted, cropped or a different color; keep the thick rolled hem (protects lock 4).
- Do not move the spyglass to the right hip, make it silver, or add a second brass item such as buttons or a badge (protects locks 5 and 7).
- Do not put the spyglass in her hand in any turnaround view (protects lock 5).
- Do not add a hat, raincoat, scarf or lighthouse logo from the seaside-kid genre look (protects the silhouette hooks and lock 4).
- Do not age the face up or give teen-like proportions or a taller figure (protects lock 1).
- Do not add freckles, scars or other skin marks, or shade with off-palette colors such as purple or green skin tints (protects lock 7).

Prompt lines:
- Front: soft storybook watercolor, 9-year-old girl, slim childlike build, 5 heads tall, warm brown skin, espresso hair in two round curly puffs with oatmeal ties, espresso eyes, oversized slate blue knit jumper with rolled hem, oatmeal rolled trousers, brass (#C9A227) spyglass on cord at left hip, front view, neutral standing pose, plain light grey background, even lighting.
- Side: soft storybook watercolor, 9-year-old girl, slim childlike build, 5 heads tall, warm brown skin, espresso hair in two round curly puffs with oatmeal ties, espresso eyes, oversized slate blue knit jumper with rolled hem, oatmeal rolled trousers, brass (#C9A227) spyglass on cord at left hip, side view facing left, neutral standing pose, plain light grey background, even lighting.
- Back: soft storybook watercolor, 9-year-old girl, slim childlike build, 5 heads tall, warm brown skin, espresso hair in two round curly puffs with oatmeal ties, espresso eyes, oversized slate blue knit jumper with rolled hem, oatmeal rolled trousers, brass (#C9A227) spyglass on cord at left hip, back view, neutral standing pose, plain light grey background, even lighting.
- 3/4: soft storybook watercolor, 9-year-old girl, slim childlike build, 5 heads tall, warm brown skin, espresso hair in two round curly puffs with oatmeal ties, espresso eyes, oversized slate blue knit jumper with rolled hem, oatmeal rolled trousers, brass (#C9A227) spyglass on cord at left hip, three-quarter view facing left, neutral standing pose, plain light grey background, even lighting.

## Reviews
Reviewers ran separately, in order, each seeing only the finished sheet.
1. Art-direction: FIX. Finding (D/E): the sheet says hands must be visible but the jumper is oversized, so the sleeve treatment was unstated in the turnaround rows; the push-up to the forearm is now in lock 4, E2 and the side-view note. Finding (C/D/G): the prompt lines say "5 heads tall" and lock 1 says "5 heads tall", consistent; the back view specifies the cord, puffs and hem, so it is not blank; the side view shows the left side and names it. Finding (G): the prompt lines do not mention boots, while E and the lock list do; accepted, since boots are not a lock item and prompt lines carry lock items only. Could not judge: whether the cord path reads clearly at small picture-book size.
2. Color and silhouette: FIX then clear. Core colors 5 (<= 6), all six-digit hex, one accent (brass). First pass (computed, WCAG relative luminance): hair #3A2518 vs skin #B07A52 = 3.9; primary outfit slate #3F5F7A vs secondary outfit oatmeal #E8D9B8 = 4.8; accent brass #C9A227 vs the color under it (slate jumper) = 2.8, below 3.0; slate vs sheet background #E6E6E6 = 5.4. The brass/slate pair is a FIX: slate darkened from #3F5F7A to #34506A. Re-check of every pair using slate (computed): slate vs oatmeal 6.0; brass vs slate 3.5; slate vs background 6.7; hair vs skin unchanged at 3.9. All four pairs >= 3.0. No user-supplied hex values, so nothing is an accepted exception. Silhouette hooks are distinct from each other; generic "plucky storybook kid" could share hook 2 (loose top) but not hooks 1 and 3, so it does not share all three. Could not judge: print or screen color shift of watercolor.
3. Continuity and contradiction: PASS with one question. Traits: "curious, stubborn" vs the chart: Curious and Stubborn-set expressions exist, no conflict. Views: spyglass on the character's left hip is at the viewer's right in front, the near hip in side, and the viewer's left in back; D states each consistently. Paragraph vs sheet: "always carrying" the spyglass is met by the cord (carried, not held), and G forbids drawing it in hand in turnarounds only. Open question the paragraph does not decide: whether the spyglass should be held in the neutral expression chart and turnarounds; flagged in Notes. Could not judge: whether the cord reads as "carrying" to the series author.
4. Safety and age: PASS. Minor, age 9 given as a number, wholesome design, full-coverage loose clothing, childlike proportions stated without body emphasis, no real-person or famous-character copy, no artist names, nothing sexual inserted.
Cross-check: reviewers agree on all findings. One fix by reviewer 2 (slate #3F5F7A to #34506A) was re-applied in A; slate appears elsewhere only by name (B, E, G), and the prompt lines use only the accent hex, so no other wording changed, and the affected pairs were re-run in reviewer 2's pass. Reviewer 1's sleeve fix touches B, D and E consistently. No disagreements remain.
Board verdict: APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS — answer the three questions in Notes. This verdict is a self-review by one model run, not a human sign-off.

## Validation
1. Core colors: 5, all with six-digit hex, one accent (brass): pass.
2. Four contrast pairs: 3.9, 6.0, 3.5, 6.7 after fixing slate: pass.
3. Silhouette: three distinct hooks and a stated generic comparison: pass.
4. Contradiction check across traits, views, paragraph and expressions: pass, one open question.
5. Age/SFW: minor, wholesome, full-coverage clothing, no sexualized wording, no real-person copy: pass.
6. Lock list has 7 items; every drift trap names a lock item or the silhouette hooks; four prompt lines share identical lock wording (each 56-58 words): pass.

## Notes
- Questions: (1) Hair, skin, eye and clothing details were not in your paragraph; are my choices (espresso twin puffs, warm brown skin, slate-blue knit jumper, oatmeal trousers) acceptable, or do you want others? (2) Should the spyglass stay on its cord at the left hip in neutral poses, or be held in her right hand? (3) Is 5 heads (about 133 cm) the proportion you want for the books?
- The (assumed) items: all hair, eye, skin, outfit and boot choices, height, cord route, back of the jumper, and the hex values.
- No similarity warnings; no named real or famous character appeared.
- Planning only: it does not generate images and cannot guarantee identical results across generators or artists; check the puff count, the spyglass side and hands at full size.
- Paste the LOCK list as the anchor list into Character Image Set Shot-List Planner for the story cuts. Want a second outfit sheet (for example a rain-coat day), or prompt lines rewritten for a named tool?

Use cases

• Writing the design sheet before you commission or generate any story images
• Briefing an illustrator with exact colors, a lock list and four consistent views
• Catching low-contrast palettes, look-alike silhouettes and trait contradictions before drawing
• Producing the anchor list for a 15-cut shot list

FAQ

Does it generate images? No. It writes the sheet spec and one neutral prompt line per view; you run it in the tool you like.

Will every generator follow the sheet exactly? No plan can guarantee that. The lock list and drift traps reduce drift; expect rerolls and check details at full size.

How does it relate to the shot-list planner? Run this Skill first to fix the design, then use its lock list as the anchor list in Character Image Set Shot-List Planner.

Is adult content supported? No. The whole Skill is SFW-only; sexual requests are refused and minors get wholesome designs.

Which tools? Any. Prompt lines are plain English with no tool-specific syntax.