Character Development Workflow Sample
Catherine Gomersall
How I develop characters before final illustration begins
This project demonstrates the character development workflow I use at the start of illustration projects that involve recurring characters. The illustrations shown here are from early development work for a client's brand identity system.
For projects like children's books, branding, games, and animation, the final artwork can involve hundreds of hours of production. Getting the character right early (proportions, expressions, clothing, poses, visual language) saves significant time downstream and gives clients confidence that the finished work will stay true to the approved direction.
The process
I start by exploring the character broadly: testing different body shapes, facial features, clothing options, and personality cues. At this stage I use ChatGPT to rapidly generate concept variations, working from my own illustrations as reference material. This lets me explore a wide range of directions quickly before committing to final artwork.
Once the client and I align on a direction, I develop a comprehensive character reference sheet in Procreate: front, side, and three-quarter views, key expressions, signature poses, and clothing details. This sheet becomes the single source of truth for every illustration in the project.
Why this step matters
The reference sheet locks in visual consistency across the entire project. Without it, characters drift: proportions shift between illustrations, clothing details change, expressions lose their personality. With it, every scene stays on-model regardless of how many illustrations the project requires.
It also makes the client relationship smoother. Approving a character sheet early means fewer revision rounds on final artwork, because the foundational decisions are already made.
What you're seeing here
This is development work, not finished production artwork. The purpose is to show the process, not the polish. Final illustrations for the client project were produced separately after this phase was complete.
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Posted Jun 24, 2026
For illustration projects involving recurring characters, I begin with a dedicated character development phase before creating final artwork. This process establishes the character's proportions, expressions, clothing, poses and visual language, ensuring consistency across every illustration. By developing a comprehensive character reference sheet first, I can maintain continuity throughout the project while giving clients confidence that the finished artwork will remain true to the approved design.
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