Character reference prompts
Dylan J. Harris — updated October 21, 2026

Adapted from M. Asif’s methods:
https://x.com/meAsifAi/status/2097949170594193427
https://x.com/meAsifAi/status/2098345090573873640

These are our reusable adaptations, not verbatim copies.

Current example: Dylan’s collectible character, with and without glasses.
The full boards contain 8 body angles, 6 expressions, 6 poses, and 8 details.
They were assembled from reviewed studies, not returned as one native 10K image.
These templates describe the workflow. They are not an exact generation log.
The approved portrait remains the identity reference.

1. Choose one portrait

Create one portrait of [CHARACTER].

Reference 1 defines the face and apparent age.
Keep the eyes, nose, jaw, hairline, facial hair,
and recognizable proportions from that reference.

Style: [collectible figure, illustration, photograph].
Clothes: [garments, colors, accessories].
Expression: [specific expression].

Use soft studio light and a plain background.
Show the whole head. Make one portrait, with no labels.
Do not add accessories or change the person's age.

DYLAN — FIXED TRAITS

Dylan: a cheerful collectible-style adult in his mid-30s.
Near-shaved scalp, natural green-hazel eyes, fuller jaw.
Narrow nose bridge; compact, subtly raised nose tip.
Short, even, mostly brown beard with sparse gray.
Broad white-tooth smile and soft cheeks.
Keep the laugh lines; avoid deep bags or cheek pits.

Dark navy long-sleeve dress shirt, open collar.
Thin gold chain without a pendant, charcoal slacks,
brown belt, and dark brown Italian-style shoes.

Glasses variant: dark rectangular acetate frames,
softly rounded corners, and clear, colorless lenses.
The glasses must not change the face or beard.

2. Plan the study groups and assemble the checked views

Create reference studies for [NAME].
The approved portrait defines the face and apparent age.

Fixed traits: [face, eyes, nose, hairline, facial hair,
build, clothes, colors, shoes, and accessories].
Style: [the approved art style].

Keep the light, camera height, and proportions steady.
Use a plain background and space between the studies.

Generate these groups for review:

1. Eight complete body angles
Front; front three-quarter left; left profile;
rear three-quarter left; back; rear three-quarter right;
right profile; front three-quarter right.
Show head to shoes at the same scale.
The two profiles must show opposite sides.

2. Six expressions
Friendly neutral, happy, focused, amused, delighted,
and thoughtful. Change the expression, not the person.

3. Six complete poses
Relaxed stance, welcome gesture, thinking, explaining,
waving, and hands on hips. Keep the outfit fixed.

4. Eight details
Scalp and brows, left profile, right profile, smile
and beard, collar and chain, cuff and hand, belt
and trousers, shoes. Adapt these to the character.

Inspect every output before assembling the board.
Keep one large approved portrait beside the studies.
Add colors sampled from the accepted images and
an evenly scaled silhouette of the reviewed figure.

Do not crop heads or feet, add accessories, duplicate
angles, stretch the body, or mirror a missing view.

2A. Add glasses without changing the face

Reference 1 is the approved character without glasses.
Reference 2 defines only the glasses: dark rectangular
frames with softly rounded corners and clear lenses.

Put those glasses on the character in reference 1.
Keep his face, apparent age, eyes, smile, cheek detail,
beard shape, beard color, clothes, and lighting.
Do not copy a face from the accessory reference.

Compare both versions at the same size. Check the uncovered face too.
Archive earlier references, but remove them from new generation inputs.
Keep source crops and settings so each assembled panel has a traceable source.

3. Detailed face sheet

Make a photographic reference sheet for [NAME].
The attached portrait defines the identity.
Keep the face, age, eyes, nose, mouth, jaw, skin,
hairline, hairstyle, and build consistent.
Do not beautify or replace the face.
Infer unseen angles without adding new traits.

Fixed outfit and accessories: [DETAILS].

Use a wide studio board with a large main portrait,
soft even light, thin dividers, and short labels.
Include these 24 studies in clear groups:

Identity: 1 large front face.
Head: 2 front; 3 left three-quarter; 4 right three-quarter;
5 left profile; 6 right profile; 7 rear.
Body: 8 front; 9 three-quarter; 10 side; 11 rear.
Expression: 12 neutral; 13 natural smile; 14 slight smile;
15 gaze left; 16 gaze right.
Details: 17 eye; 18 brow; 19 nose; 20 mouth; 21 hair;
22 accessory; 23 outfit; 24 skin and clothing colors.

Keep full-body figures at equal scale, head to shoes.
Show natural skin, hair, and fabric. Keep the same light.
Avoid altered faces, plastic skin, wrong proportions,
cropped feet, overlapping figures, and extra limbs.
Change the expression without changing the person.

4. Cartoon cast sheet

Create one cartoon character sheet for [CHARACTER].

Reference 1 defines this character's appearance.
If it contains several people, use [which person].
Reference 2 defines only the drawing style and layout.
Do not copy its face, age, hair, body, or clothes.

Keep: [face, hair, build, outfit, colors, shoes].

Show front, angled, and side full-body views,
plus two close-up expressions. Use one plain background.
Keep every view consistent. Show all hair and shoes.
Keep hands empty so the outfit stays visible.
Use clear outlines, flat colors, and simple shadows.

5. Focused repair

Edit this character sheet. Change only [specific trait]
in every view and close-up to [exact description].

Preserve the face, proportions, poses, clothes,
other colors, outlines, shading, and page layout.
Do not change anything else. Apply the fix to every panel.