u/Cauztic_Green

Context: I joined ArtFight before this last round (2026), however, due to external factors I was unable to finish any character reference sheets or participate in general -- I am now finding myself more able to work on the sheets, and am looking to crowdsource answers to questions regarding proper reference sheet etiquette

My current basic understanding: Each reference sheet should include: a full-body shot with limited-to-no shading, color swatches of main aspects/colors, and close-up shots of details

Questions:

1. If I have a full body with no shading, is it still proper to exclude the color swatches? Due to there being no shading I would assume the ability to color-pick would be unimpeded and therefore the swatches would become obsolete (?)
2. For most of my characters, exact colors are nonspecific -- how would you indicate that the intent should be similar but the color(s) used (regardless of how lighting would affect it) are open to interpretation? For example, one character has a similar coloration to honey (they are made of a slime-like material, not flesh) and so color-swatches seem a bit oversimplified due to the translucent nature of honey (?)
3. Follow-up to the previous question -- if including intent instead of swatches, would you (as the viewer of the reference sheet) prefer a short-hand on the image (for example: a small cartoon drawing of honey) and a longer (if necessary) explanation in the character bio, or do you (as the viewer of the reference sheet/bio) skip over things such as the bio therefore making a disclaimer on the character reference sheet artwork more effective?
4. Less about the art, and more about the bio: do y'all enjoy / intrigued by / interested in the reasoning behind parts of the character design -- would people read about design choices, or would that be skipped/useless? I ask because, similar to the previous questions, I have generic/broad sweeping ideas that become a character but that means a lot of information/design choices are not "set in stone" because it was filler to finish the piece, and therefore completely up for redesign/interpretation. To reword the question, would you (as the viewer/artist) prefer a character that has a very narrow scope (do not change anything) or a very wide scope (more options for how to draw/create the character) ?

I think that is all for now! Thank you to anyone who replies with opinions/advice!