Guide: describing characters for illustrations

Guide for authors

Illustrations in interactive reading are drawn by an AI model. It does not remember the book, it only sees the scene description in front of it. The same heroine will look like herself in every chapter if she has a fixed character sheet that you repeat word for word.

1. Start with a character sheet

A sheet is a short block of 5–8 unchanging traits. Write it once and paste it into every scene where the character appears. Change only what truly changes: pose, action, lighting.

2. What the sheet must contain

Age and type — "a lean 17-year-old girl, average height" instead of "a young beauty".

Face — face shape, eyes (colour and shape), brows, nose, lips, skin, and distinguishing marks: a scar above the brow, a mole on the left cheek, freckles.

Hair — length, colour, styling: "dark chestnut, shoulder-blade length, low ponytail".

Build — height, posture, proportions when they matter to the scene.

Clothes — concrete items and colours: "knee-length black coat, grey wool scarf, leather boots".

Accessories — glasses, earrings, a pendant, a bag. This is the strongest anchor: the model holds one repeated detail more reliably than a face.

Character palette — 2–3 colours that are always around them: "graphite, dusty pink, copper".

A signature pose or gesture — how they stand, hold their hands, look.

3. Rules that keep results stable

Specifics instead of judgements — "pale skin, dark circles under the eyes" instead of "looks tired"; "broad shoulders, heavy jaw" instead of "a stern man".

One trait, one wording. If you wrote "chestnut hair", do not write "light brown hair" in the next chapter: to the model that is already another person.

Colour by name or code. "Turquoise dress" works, "a dress in #2E6F6A" is more precise.

Do not reorder or reword the sheet between scenes — copy the whole block.

A change of look must be explicit. If the hero has changed clothes, say so in a separate sentence: "in this scene she wears a white coat, her hair down". Otherwise the model brings back the previous outfit.

Give every character their own anchor. Two heroes with similar descriptions get mixed up: separate them by age, hair colour, silhouette.

4. How to describe a scene

A scene is its own block: where it happens, who is in frame, what they are doing, how it is shot.

Place and time — "a room at night, the only light is a desk lamp".

Who and what they do — "Anya sits on the windowsill, knees to her chest, looking out of the window".

Shot and angle — "medium shot, camera slightly below", "close-up of the face", "wide shot: two figures against the dunes".

Mood — through light and detail: "cold blue light, rain on the glass", not "she feels sad".

What must not be in frame — "no text, no lettering, no frames".

5. The book's style — once for the whole book

Describe the style once and repeat it in every scene: "European comics, dark ink, muted watercolour, heavy shadows". Otherwise the first scene comes out watercolour and the tenth photo-realistic.

6. What helps and what hurts

Helps: short sentences, concrete colours and shapes, repeating the same block, one anchor detail — a scar, a pendant, a scarf.

Hurts: emotions instead of appearance ("she is terrified"), contradictions between chapters, page-long paragraphs, asking for text or letters inside the picture, comparisons with real people or actors.

7. Sheet template — copy and fill in

Name — age, type. Face — shape, eyes, brows, nose, lips, skin, marks. Hair — length, colour, styling. Build — height, posture. Clothes — items and colours. Accessories — 1–2 constant details. Palette — 2–3 colours. Pose — a signature stance or gesture.

8. Example

Sheet — Anya, 17, lean, average height. Oval face, grey-green eyes, dark brows, thin lips, pale skin, a scatter of freckles on her nose. Dark chestnut hair to her shoulder blades, usually in a low ponytail. Clothes: knee-length black coat, grey wool scarf, leather boots. Accessory: a small copper pendant on a chain. Palette: graphite, dusty pink, copper. Pose: shoulders slightly hunched, hands in pockets.

Scene — A room at night, the only light is a desk lamp. Anya sits on the windowsill, knees to her chest, looking out of the window. Medium shot, camera slightly below. Cold blue light, rain on the glass. Style: European comics, dark ink, muted watercolour. No text, no lettering.

9. Checklist before submitting a chapter

Each character's sheet is written once and pasted unchanged. No two heroes share the same description. Every scene states place, action, shot and light. A change of clothes or hairstyle is stated in its own sentence. The book's style is stated in every scene. No scene asks for text, lettering or frames.