I'm trying to go through and update all my characters; I'm really bad at writing down info lmao and since there's generally a lot of different things on a character's profiles, I was wondering to myself what I should start with.
So I was curious what you all do when visiting characters profiles. What's the first thing you generally do? Do you immediately look through their art? Check out their story and bio? Maybe you just look at the little things and details, or maybe you're the type that just likes to look through fun facts or trivia.
What's the first thing you generally do when looking at a character's bio? This'll help me decide what I should focus on doing for all my characters as well XD
When I'm doing a drawing for someone I read the whole thing, to make sure I don't contradict anything with my drawing.
I especially look at the likes/dislikes because that usually gives me an idea of what to draw. I always want to know what kind of hobbies a character has, I love to draw characters doing what they love!
I find it helpful when they have art notes as well like, 'dont forget mole under left eye', 'her hair only turns pink when shes using magic', etc.
Usually I click on a character because their icon catches my attention, and from there I'll go to read up on their backstory and personality. I want to know who they are as a person, y'know? And I like seeing what kind of worlds live in other people's heads. Sometimes I'll check the gallery first if I particularly am curious about or interested in the design.
Some good stuff to put on a character bio is their summary, their backstory, their personality, some random bits of trivia that don't quite fit in anywhere else, and maybe some base stats if you'd like - age, height, sexuality and/or orientation, birthday, voice or face claims, those little details. It's also nice, if your character has links to other characters, to put that information directly onto their profile rather than stashed away in the links page.
If I'm drawing a character for someone, I will always read the entire profile and look at all images available, but sometimes there's not a lot of info to go off of. This usually isn't a big problem as long as you've got a reference to see what the character looks like
If I may suggest a "drawing prompts" section to someone's profile, it really helps when trying to figure out a pose/action. Hobbies are good to list as well, but sometimes they can be too vague. Example: woodworking. Do they whittle animals the size of chess pieces, or do they build full size dressers? Do they paint their work? Display it? Sell it?
Calling a character nice, sweet, stubborn, clever, smart, etc is good for expressions. A sweet girl probably won't scowl in a headshot. But if you want a more dynamic outcome, it's good to have additional information. For example, if you've got this sweet girl, some potential prompts could be:
"Can be drawn with/as...
- biking to school
- picking flowers
- having her morning coffee
- sorting through seashells
- tying her hair up
- trying on different outfits"
It can be pretty much anything you can see this character doing but it gives an artist a nudge in the direction you want to go with it. Having a character that likes flowers doesn't necessarily mean they like going outside to pick them. She might not like biking but it's her only way to get to school.
Of course, take this advice with a grain of salt. This is just my opinion :3
I usually appreciate a strong overview when visiting a character page for the first time - name, pronouns, species, and a blurb of the personality/backstory or bullet points of key information before moving onto the more detailed parts of the bio. Normally, I skim the first page of information/the basics, check the first few pieces of art in the gallery, then read the more detailed information and look into the rest of the art/the sub-galleries!
I'll also be quick to check links if they're posted high up on the page, like links to a character's inspiration song, or to a pinterest board of images that inspired the design.
I like to see the arts first, then I will read the history and trivia
Some characters can give me a lot of inspiration for my own, so I fav as much as I can. Personaly, I go for the colorful and creative designs, especialy if they are female. The information I prefer are those whose aren't too cliché, and well detailed. I always read if there have world's/universe description too!
Often depends for me. Typically I look at the art first (even if they only have one or two pieces of work) to kind of see if it is a character I would like to learn more about. If so I will look at basic info (age, occupation, personality), then appearance notes (if there isn't already a reference sheet that has such), and if that reels me in enough I will actually read through their backstory and history. I actually really love it when people add a table of contents to characters that are more in-depth. It really makes finding the information I'm looking for much easier.
Honestly I love checking out a character and they have a very filled in profile. It really shows the creativity and love that is put into that character and it makes me super happy to see that the owner is comfortable enough sharing that.
I generally just look at the pictures, and if I'm interested enough in the design I'll read a few things about the character.
I immediately look at the design and if I like the design I will read through the bio
I hate hunting for info, personally I won't put much effort into searching through tabs for info on an oc, I like it laid out all in front of me. That's just what I look for anyway
Maybe it's just because I'm typically more of a writer than an artist (though I've been drawing a lot more lately), but I really like reading about the character's story/personality. Settings, demeanors, and trivia all help me think of motifs to include if I want to draw a character, and how much a I vibe with a character's story does influence my decision to draw or not draw. I might look at the art first just because that's faster, but if I like the design I'll definitely be curious and want to know who that fella actually is. I do like if the data has some kind of organization, bolded sections or the like to make reading easier, but I won't immediately discard a profile for lacking it.