Tag: character turnaround

How to Draw a Character Turnaround: Model Sheets, Views and Consistent Proportions

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A character turnaround is a set of drawings that shows the same character from several angles, in the same pose and at the same size, lined up side by side. It is usually part of a model sheet: the official reference that everyone on a team uses so the character always looks the same, no matter who draws, models or animates it.

Turnarounds are used by animators, by 3D modellers (who place the views in their software as a guide) and by game artists who need a character from every direction. If you designed a character in Character Design for Different Genres, this is the next step.

The standard views

  • Front – facing the viewer.
  • Three-quarter front – turned about 45 degrees; often the most appealing view.
  • Side (profile) – turned 90 degrees.
  • Three-quarter back – turned about 135 degrees.
  • Back – facing away.

A simple turnaround may show only front, side and back. Games with top-down or isometric views often need four or eight directions for each sprite.

3D character of a girl holding a staff, shown from three different angles side by side
Figure 1 – A 3D turnaround of Spring, the main character of the open movie Spring, shown from several angles at the same height and in the same pose.

What goes on a model sheet

  • The turnaround itself.
  • Construction and proportions – the basic shapes and how many “heads” tall the character is.
  • Expressions – happy, sad, angry, surprised and so on.
  • Poses and actions – typical movements that show personality.
  • Details and notes – props, colour codes, and reminders such as “ears are always pointed”.
Model sheet of a blue cartoon gopher shown from several views with handwritten notes
Figure 2 – A model sheet for the Go gopher, the mascot of the Go programming language, showing views, proportions, expressions and notes on how to draw it.
Old pencil model sheet of a cartoon dog with construction lines and many poses
Figure 3 – A 1938 model sheet for Hound Dawg from the cartoon Hold It! (Fleischer Studios). Numbered construction lines show animators how to build the dog’s proportions, and the poses show how it moves.

How to draw a turnaround, step by step

  1. Finish the front view first, using simple shapes that are easy to repeat.
  2. Draw horizontal guide lines across the whole page at the top of the head, eyes, chin, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, knees and feet.
  3. Pick a neutral pose: standing straight with arms slightly away from the body. 3D modellers often ask for an A-pose or a T-pose (arms out to the sides).
  4. Draw the side view next to the front, making every feature touch the same guide lines.
  5. Add the three-quarter views, still using the guide lines.
  6. Draw the back view. For a symmetrical character you can flip the front outline as a starting point, but remember to move any one-sided details to the correct side.
  7. Check and clean up: compare heights, line up details, then add flat colour and notes.

Common mistakes

  • Height drift – the character gets taller or shorter from view to view.
  • Perspective – a turnaround is drawn flat (orthographic), with no perspective. All feet stand on the same ground line.
  • Swapped details – a badge on the left shoulder in the front view must still be on the character’s left in the back view.
  • Changing props – props must stay the same size and shape in every view.

Click the green flag in this Scratch project to watch a simple mannequin turn around through its views. Notice how the head, shoulders, hips and feet stay at the same heights:

Example

A turnaround for Zuzu the Hummingbird, the pre-school game hero from the previous lesson, would show five views on one page. Guide lines mark the top of her head, her eyes, the tip of her beak, the tops of her wings, her belly and her feet. Notes explain that her orange scarf always ties on her left side, her petal backpack is visible in the side and back views, and her wings are shown folded (a separate sheet shows them open for flying).

Three sketches of a small scruffy dog seen from different angles
Figure 4 – Concept sketches of the dog Autumn from Spring, drawn from more than one angle so the design can be understood in 3D.

Watch this short video to see a turnaround drawn from start to finish:

Exercise

  1. List the five standard views of a turnaround and explain why guide lines are important.
  2. Practise on an object: draw a water bottle or mug from the front, side and back using guide lines.
  3. Create a five-view turnaround of the character you designed in the last lesson. Include its prop and label its special abilities.
  4. Swap with a partner. Check each other’s turnarounds for height drift, swapped details and changing props.
  5. Optional: import your views into Scratch as costumes and make your character turn around, like the project above.

Next: Conceptualising Environments: Layers, Depth of Field and Design Theory for Different Genres

Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CAPE® Animation and Game Design Syllabus, Unit 1: Fundamentals of Animation and Game Design, Module 3: Story and Character Development – Specific Objective 6 (“create character turnarounds”).

Attributions to media used in this post:

Spring-concept art-Spring.png – Blender Foundation (Spring open movie; uploaded by Julien Kaspar) – CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Go gopher model sheet.jpg – Renee French – CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Color Classics – Hold It! (1938) – Hound Dawg – Character Model Sheet.jpg – Dave Tendlar, Fleischer Studios – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Spring-concept art-Autumn 01.jpg – Blender Foundation (Spring open movie; uploaded by David Revoy) – CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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