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The final step is to create the formats that will be used by the animators and riggers. If in a studio environment, you will go through more approval stages during this process. Below is a list of the types of sheets commonly created for character designs. This is the minimum amount of sheets recommended for any production, whether paperless or cut-out.
This article covers good character design practices for beginners and is Part 03 in a three-part series of character design articles. You can find the other articles in the series here:
General Character Sheets
These sheets can be found in any 2D production, whether paperless or cut-out.
Line up sheet
If your project involves more than one character, it is a good idea to create a line up sheet to show the size comparison between characters.
Character turnaround
This is a sheet that shows a single character from all angles (if required). Secondary characters sometimes just have two views. If the character needs to be rigged, it is important to line up the character’s features as accurately as possible on each view.
Action poses
This sheet shows the character in a variety of poses. These poses are usually linked to how the character is expected to move in the production. This is a great reference for paperless, but it is especially important in rigging and cut-out.
Expression sheet
This is a sheet that shows the character’s range of expressions. If the character is made for rigging, the expressions are usually done on the same angle of the head. If made for paperless, the sheet usually has multiple head angles.
Cut-out character sheets
If a character is designed to be rigged and animated in cut-out, they usually have more sheets in addition to the ones mentioned above. This is to give the riggers as much information as possible so that they can build a complete rig for the animators. This also depends on how important the character is and how much they need to move.
Lip-sync sheet
This sheet shows the shapes of the character’s mouth when they talk. The lip shapes are usually done on each angle of the head seen in the turnaround. For very important characters, they will also be done for many types of emotions - the most common ones being happy, neutral, sad and angry. These can also be created for paperless characters, but are less common.
Hands and feet
These sheets show the character’s hands and feet in the certain positions that they may need during animation.
Other kinds of cut-out character sheets
These are sheets that may or may not need to be made depending on the nature of the production and complexity of the character. They are not compulsory, but it’s good to know about them regardless. The images shown here are taken from eye movement, blinks, and head tilt sheets. However any type of additional sheet can be created if necessary.