I have been lucky enough to work with some truly amazing artists in the past. The creativity and technical skill on display never cease toimpress. I love being involved in the journey and consider myself lucky to witness their individual process.
Here is an early poses sketch for one of my characters from an earlier project. Some advice I have learned that may help should you ever need to engage with a professional artist. Each have their own workflow and preferences, but most will appreciate a well thought out, detailed brief that still gives them some creative freedom. If you have some hyper-specific features that you believe are important to the character, by all means communicate them. Just be careful not to fall into the trap of overspecifying every little detail. Be open to suggestions and variations and you may be surprised by how much you like an alternative.
By the same token, try not to be too vague, and try not to focus on what the character is *not*. I like to give the artists I work with a clear description of what I'm imagining, with a small number of hyper-specific details, the reasons behind why I'm imagining them this way, and a paragraph of backstory or explanation of their character. Trust in your artist and when it comes to feedback, be focused and clear on what you want changed and why, and don't forget to be open to feedback yourself.
For a good example of this, look at the artwork again. I never described a pose, yet because I explained the character's personality and purpose, the artist was able to bring that through and communicate their attitude perfectly through body language.
I love these designs and I hope to implement them again in future. Let me know if you have any experiences working with artists/clients you'd like to share, and I'd be happy to laugh or console as appropriate.
-C.J. Watson
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