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Watercolor character reference sheet for Xiaoyan the Mother, with turnaround views and official color palette swatches
Watercolor character reference sheet for Dawei the Father, showing 3 view angles, character notes, and a handwritten colo...
Prompt: CHARACTER MODEL SHEET — "DAWEI — THE FATHER". Design consistent for reuse. A single reference sheet on a plain warm off-white page: one large main portrait (waist-up, three-quarter view, neutral expression), a small front-view and profile-view turnaround of the same man beside it, and a row of small colour swatches of his palette along the bottom. Title it "DAWEI — THE FATHER" in brush lettering, with a short handwritten note: "Aged 48. Fei's father. Keeps the peace by saying nothing." DAWEI — 48, British-Chinese, the father, a Chinese immigrant in suburban London. He is the FATHER of the girl in the attached reference image (Fei) — carry a FAMILY RESEMBLANCE: her long straight nose and her brow. Thinning black hair, wire-rimmed glasses, a soft face gone tired. Warm and quietly funny, but conflict-avoidant — the man at the table who laughs a beat too loudly to smooth things over, and who will not defend his daughter against her mother. Dressed in a cheap oatmeal-brown jumper over a shirt collar, sleeves a little short. IMPORTANT — his palette must be OATMEAL BROWN and warm grey, NOT sage green (Fei), NOT plum (the mother), NOT indigo (the grandmother). Everyone at this dinner table must be tellable apart at a glance. Style: Brushflow ink-and-wash — delicate East Asian ink-wash painting, Ikenaga Yasunari portraiture with Huang Guangjian's ink linework, luminous digital finish, visible brush and paper texture, warm off-white paper. Flat 2D hand-painted illustration. Full-bleed, no border. 16:9.Made with SeeDream 5.0 ProUse this prompt
Character reference sheet for Nainnai the Grandmother, showing full, front, and profile views with official color palette.
Prompt: CHARACTER MODEL SHEET — "NAINAI — THE GRANDMOTHER". Design consistent for reuse. A single reference sheet on a plain warm off-white page: one large main portrait (waist-up, three-quarter view, neutral expression), a small front-view and profile-view turnaround of the same woman beside it, and a row of small colour swatches of her palette along the bottom. Title it "NAINAI — THE GRANDMOTHER" in brush lettering, with a short handwritten note: "Aged 72. Fei's grandmother. Speaks little. Feeds instead." NAINAI — 72, Chinese, the paternal grandmother, born in China and living with the family in London. She is the GRANDMOTHER of the girl in the attached reference image (Fei) — carry a clear FAMILY RESEMBLANCE through three generations: the same eye shape and jawline, seventy years on. Silver-grey hair pulled back into a neat low bun. A face that has worked. Deeply lined, watchful, unsentimental — she is NOT a cute cartoon granny and NOT a frail victim; she is the toughest person at the table, and she says almost nothing. Dressed in a quilted indigo-blue Chinese jacket (a simple mandarin collar) over dark trousers. Hands strong and capable, the hands of someone who has cooked for fifty years. IMPORTANT — her palette must be INDIGO BLUE and slate, NOT sage green (Fei wears sage green) and NOT plum (the mother wears plum). Each woman at this dinner table must be tellable apart at a glance. Style: Brushflow ink-and-wash — delicate East Asian ink-wash painting, Ikenaga Yasunari portraiture with Huang Guangjian's ink linework, luminous digital finish, visible brush and paper texture, warm off-white paper. Flat 2D hand-painted illustration. Full-bleed, no border. 16:9.Made with SeeDream 5.0 ProUse this prompt

Watercolor character reference sheet for Xiaoyan the Mother

By @justrob ·

10 likes · 5 comments

New Characters show up in Act 2 of Shé - Mom, Dad, Grandma

Prompt

Use the attached character model sheet as the exact basis. KEEP the woman completely unchanged — same face, same age, same tired handsome features, same short pinned-back black hair, same layout (large main portrait + front view + profile turnaround + colour swatches along the bottom + the "Design consistent for reuse" caption). CHANGE ONLY HER CLOTHING AND HER SWATCHES. She must NOT wear sage green — her daughter Fei wears the sage-green cardigan, and at a crowded dinner table the two would be impossible to tell apart. Dress her instead in a DUSTY ROSE / faded plum knitted cardigan, worn over a pale cream blouse, sleeves pushed up as if she has been cooking. Cheap, soft, much-washed, comfortable. Update the palette swatches along the bottom to match her new colours (ink black, dusty rose, faded plum, cream, pale skin, blue-grey). Keep the title text "XIAOYAN — THE MOTHER" and her description. Style: Brushflow ink-and-wash — delicate East Asian ink-wash painting, Ikenaga Yasunari portraiture with Huang Guangjian's ink linework, luminous digital finish, visible brush and paper texture, warm off-white paper. Flat 2D hand-painted illustration. Full-bleed, no border. 16:9.

Made with SeeDream 5.0 Pro

Use this prompt

Tags

  • character design sheet
  • concept art
  • character reference
  • British Chinese character
  • immigrant mother character
  • watercolor illustration
  • character turnaround
  • art reference sheet
  • story character design
  • animation concept art
  • xiaoyan the mother
  • muted palette illustration
  • character lore
  • character color guide
  • fictional character concept
  • character reference sheet

About this image

This hand-drawn watercolor character design sheet features original fictional character Xiaoyan, a 47-year-old British-Chinese immigrant mother established as residing in suburban London. The reference art includes a full main bust illustration, smaller front view and profile view concept turnaround sketches, and a labeled official color palette swatch guide for consistent character reuse. The soft, realistic warm illustration style uses muted cozy tones of faded plum, cream, and natural skin shades, paired with handwritten character lore notes set against a textured off-white paper background.

This hand-drawn watercolor character turnaround sheet features Dawei, a reserved 48-year-old East Asian father character, rendered in soft warm earth tones on textured cream vintage paper. The reference sheet includes three view angles (three-quarter, front, profile), handwritten character biography, a curated color palette, and brush calligraphy title to support consistent illustration and animation use. The calm, quiet character wears thin wire frame glasses, a cozy brown knit sweater over a collared shirt, with a gentle understated mood that matches his stated reserved personality.

This soft, vintage watercolor character reference sheet showcases Nainnai, a quiet 72-year-old East Asian grandmother character, laid out on textured aged cream paper. The reference includes a full three-quarter body view, front bust view, side profile view, and a labeled color palette to ensure consistent character reuse across projects. The warm, gentle illustrated style features traditional indigo quilted clothing, soft gray hair, and a calm reserved mood, ideal for story concept art and animation design.

Comments (5)

  • @CaylaCatz ·

    Cool to see the color palette. I didn't know they did that in character drawings Cool set for your movie.

  • @justrob ·

    Heh. This is my approximation of what a character set might look like. I have no actual knowledge.

  • @justrob ·

    and thank you for taking the time to comment.

  • @DavidP ·

    Look forward to the next video

  • @justrob ·

    Did you see the Shé videos?

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