Character Design Sheet

Create consistent characters across multiple AI-generated images via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Generate a character concept
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character design reference sheet, front view of a young woman with short red hair, green eyes, wearing a blue jacket and white t-shirt, full body, white background, clean lines, concept art style, character turnaround",
  "width": 1024,
  "height": 1024
}'

The Consistency Problem

AI image generation produces different-looking characters every time, even with the same prompt. This is the #1 challenge in AI art for any project requiring the same character across multiple images.

Solutions (Ranked by Effectiveness)

Technique	Consistency	Effort	Best For
FLUX LoRA (trained on character)	Very high	High (requires training data)	Ongoing projects, many images
Detailed description anchor	Medium-high	Low	Quick projects, few images
Same seed + similar prompt	Medium	Low	Variations of single pose
Image-to-image refinement	Medium	Medium	Refining existing images
Reference image in prompt	Varies	Low	When model supports it

Reference Sheet Types

1. Turnaround Sheet

Shows the character from multiple angles:

┌────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐
│        │        │        │        │
│ FRONT  │  3/4   │  SIDE  │  BACK  │
│  VIEW  │  VIEW  │  VIEW  │  VIEW  │
│        │        │        │        │
└────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

# Generate front view
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character design, front view, young woman with short asymmetric red hair, bright green eyes, wearing navy blue bomber jacket over white graphic tee, dark jeans, red sneakers, standing in neutral pose, full body, clean white background, concept art, sharp details",
  "width": 768,
  "height": 1024
}' --no-wait

# Generate 3/4 view (same description)
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character design, three-quarter view, young woman with short asymmetric red hair, bright green eyes, wearing navy blue bomber jacket over white graphic tee, dark jeans, red sneakers, standing, full body, clean white background, concept art, sharp details",
  "width": 768,
  "height": 1024
}' --no-wait

# Generate side view
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character design, side profile view, young woman with short asymmetric red hair, bright green eyes, wearing navy blue bomber jacket over white graphic tee, dark jeans, red sneakers, standing, full body, clean white background, concept art, sharp details",
  "width": 768,
  "height": 1024
}' --no-wait

# Generate back view
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character design, back view, young woman with short asymmetric red hair, wearing navy blue bomber jacket over white graphic tee, dark jeans, red sneakers, standing, full body, clean white background, concept art, sharp details",
  "width": 768,
  "height": 1024
}' --no-wait

# Stitch into reference sheet
belt app run infsh/stitch-images --input '{
  "images": ["front.png", "three-quarter.png", "side.png", "back.png"],
  "direction": "horizontal"
}'

2. Expression Sheet

Shows the character's face with different emotions:

┌────────┬────────┬────────┐
│NEUTRAL │ HAPPY  │ ANGRY  │
│        │        │        │
├────────┼────────┼────────┤
│  SAD   │SURPRISE│THINKING│
│        │        │        │
└────────┴────────┴────────┘

Minimum 6 expressions: neutral, happy, angry, sad, surprised, thinking.

# Neutral
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character portrait, close-up face, young woman with short red hair and green eyes, neutral calm expression, clean white background, concept art, consistent character design",
  "width": 512,
  "height": 512
}' --no-wait

# Happy
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character portrait, close-up face, young woman with short red hair and green eyes, warm genuine smile, happy expression, clean white background, concept art, consistent character design",
  "width": 512,
  "height": 512
}' --no-wait

# Angry
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "character portrait, close-up face, young woman with short red hair and green eyes, furrowed brows, angry determined expression, clean white background, concept art, consistent character design",
  "width": 512,
  "height": 512
}' --no-wait

# (Continue for sad, surprised, thinking...)

3. Outfit/Costume Sheet

Multiple outfits for the same character:

Outfit	Description
Casual	Bomber jacket, t-shirt, jeans
Work	Blazer, button-down, slacks
Athletic	Sports bra, leggings, running shoes
Formal	Evening dress, heels

4. Color Palette Sheet

Document exact colors for consistency:

CHARACTER: Maya Chen

Skin:    ████ #F5D0A9 (warm beige)
Hair:    ████ #C0392B (auburn red)
Eyes:    ████ #27AE60 (emerald green)
Jacket:  ████ #2C3E50 (navy blue)
T-shirt: ████ #ECF0F1 (off-white)
Jeans:   ████ #34495E (dark slate)
Shoes:   ████ #E74C3C (bright red)

The Description Anchor Technique

The most practical consistency technique: write a 50+ word detailed description and reuse it exactly in every prompt.

Template

[age] [gender] with [hair: color, length, style], [eye color] eyes,
[skin tone], [facial features: any distinctive marks],
wearing [top: specific color and style], [bottom: specific color and style],
[shoes: specific color and style], [accessories: specific items]

Example

young woman in her mid-twenties with short asymmetric auburn red hair
swept to the right side, bright emerald green eyes, light warm skin
with a small beauty mark below her left eye, wearing a fitted navy
blue bomber jacket with silver zipper over a white crew-neck t-shirt,
dark slate slim jeans, and bright red canvas sneakers, small silver
stud earrings

Use this exact block in EVERY prompt for this character, only changing the action/pose/scene.

Proportion Guide

Style	Head-to-Body Ratio	Best For
Realistic	7.5 : 1	Film, photorealistic
Heroic	8 : 1	Superheroes, action
Anime/Manga	5-6 : 1	Japanese animation style
Stylized	4-5 : 1	Western animation
Chibi/Super-deformed	2-3 : 1	Cute, comedic, mascots

Include proportion style in your prompts: "realistic proportions" vs "anime style proportions" vs "chibi proportions"

Using LoRA for Consistency

For projects requiring many images of the same character, train a LoRA:

# Use FLUX with a character LoRA
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "maya_chen character, sitting at a cafe reading a book, warm afternoon light, candid photography style",
  "loras": [{"path": "path/to/maya-chen-lora.safetensors", "scale": 0.8}]
}'

LoRA Training Tips:

• Need 10-20 reference images of the character (consistent style)
• Train on specific trigger word (e.g., "maya_chen")
• Scale 0.7-0.9 balances consistency with prompt flexibility
• Lower scale = more creative freedom, higher = more strict matching

Common Consistency Failures

Issue	Why It Happens	Mitigation
Hair color drift	Model interprets "red hair" differently each time	Use specific shade: "auburn red #C0392B"
Eye color change	Low priority in generation	Mention eye color early in prompt
Outfit inconsistency	Model fills in details creatively	Describe every clothing item explicitly
Age shift	Vague age description	Use "mid-twenties" not "young"
Face structure change	Different generations = different faces	Use LoRA or same seed base
Proportion shift	Style interpretation varies	Specify "7.5 head proportions"

Character Bible Template

For ongoing projects, maintain a character bible document:

# Character: Maya Chen

## Visual Description (use in all prompts)
young woman in her mid-twenties with short asymmetric auburn red hair...
[full 50+ word anchor description]

## Color Palette
- Skin: #F5D0A9
- Hair: #C0392B
- Eyes: #27AE60
- Primary outfit: Navy #2C3E50
- Accent: Red #E74C3C

## Personality Notes (for expression/pose choices)
- Confident but approachable
- Default expression: slight curious smile
- Gestures: talks with hands, leans forward when interested

## Style Keywords
concept art, clean lines, sharp details, [art style reference]

## LoRA (if trained)
Path: ./loras/maya-chen-v2.safetensors
Trigger: maya_chen
Recommended scale: 0.8

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Fix
Vague descriptions	Different character every time	50+ word detailed anchor
Inconsistent prompt structure	Varying emphasis = varying results	Same structure, only change action/scene
Generating one view only	Can't use character in different contexts	Create full turnaround reference
No color documentation	Colors drift across generations	Record exact hex codes
Skipping expression sheet	Character feels one-dimensional	Generate 6+ expressions
Not using LoRA for big projects	Inconsistency compounds	Train LoRA for 10+ image projects

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@flux-image
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering

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