PROMPT GUIDE

How to design characters with AI (concept, colors and silhouette)

When you make a character with AI, a slightly different person appears each time and you end up asking which one is the real one. That happens because the character's rules are not written down. This guide covers designing a character in words and a table first, turning it into images with AI, and narrowing down colors and silhouette.

Last updated: 2026-10-22 approx. 3 min read

日本語版

The short answer

When designing a character with AI, do not jump straight to images; first fill in a table of personality, role and favorite things plus hair, eyes, outfit, props and colors. Limit the colors to three or four and include one feature recognizable at a glance (a ribbon, hat or hairstyle) to make the character memorable. Writing the look with the same words in the same order every time keeps it consistent across images.

How do you design a character with AI?

Put the concept and look rules in a table first, then turn the table into a fixed way of writing the prompt. Limit colors to three or four.

A character design comes from two things: who the character is (inside) and how they look (outside). When the inside is decided, you have reasons to choose clothes and props, so the look comes together. For example, a calm girl who loves books naturally leads to a cardigan, a braid and a bookmark.

What to decide	Example	Example prompt words
Personality and role	Loves books, calm	calm, gentle smile
Hairstyle and color	Long braid, chestnut	long hair, single braid, brown hair
Eye color	Green	green eyes
Outfit	Beige cardigan, navy skirt	beige cardigan, navy skirt
Signature item	Red ribbon	red hair ribbon
Colors (3 to 4)	Beige, navy, red, chestnut	Set through outfit and prop colors

Front-facing full-body anime girl on white, a basic character design sheet image — 正面の全身（設定画の基本）

Anime girl designed with a limited navy, white and red palette — 正面の全身（設定画の基本）

Illustration usage rules

What are the steps to design a character?

Steps to decide a character design with AI

Write the character's inside (personality, favorite things, role) in three lines
Turn a matching look into a table of hair, eyes, outfit, props and colors
Limit the colors to three or four and choose one standout signature (a ribbon, hat, hairstyle and so on)
Turn the table into a fixed line in the order hair, eyes, outfit, props, and make several front-facing full-body images on white
Pick the image closest to your idea and adjust the table and wording to match it
Keep the same wording, change only expression and pose, and check that the character stays consistent

1girl, solo, long hair, single braid, brown hair, green eyes, red hair ribbon, beige cardigan, white blouse, navy skirt, standing, facing viewer, full body, simple background, white background

an original anime character design: a calm girl who loves books, long brown hair in a single braid, green eyes, a red hair ribbon, a beige cardigan over a white blouse and a navy skirt, standing and facing the viewer, full body on a plain white background

How do you choose colors? (limit to three or four)

One main color, one or two sub colors and one accent color give a unified, memorable character.

Example color combinations

Tag	Meaning	Note
`navy and white, red accents`	Navy and white with red accents	Uniforms, a neat impression
`pastel pink and cream`	Pastel pink and cream	A gentle, cute impression
`black and silver, purple accents`	Black and silver with purple accents	Cool, mysterious
`green and brown`	Green and brown	Nature, a forest feel
`yellow and orange`	Yellow and orange	Energetic, bright

Rinka's tips

Give the hairstyle or a prop one distinctive feature so the character is recognizable even as a silhouette
Write colors as color + part (red hair ribbon); a color alone lands on the wrong part
If you have a picture with colors you like, look them up with a color palette extractor and write the nearest color names

To find color and mood words: Give Your Images a Signature Look with Color and Mood Tags →

What are the common character design mistakes and fixes?

Problem	Cause	Fix
A different character every time	The order or words change each time	Make a fixed line and copy it as is
Messy colors	Too many color instructions	Limit to three or four, and put colors only on clothes and props
No features, hard to remember	No signature item	Choose one signature such as a ribbon, hat or hairstyle
It looks like a famous character	A popular combination used as is	Change one color or prop; do not write character or series names
Outfit details change every time	A vague outfit description	Write the outfit's color, length and shape specifically

What should you watch when making original characters?

Do not put existing character names or series titles in the prompt to imitate them. Check the generation service's terms and the rules of where you use it (social media, sales, merchandise) on their official pages.

To make turnarounds and character sheets: Full-Body Standing Art, Turnaround and Character Sheet Prompts (Plus Expression Variants) →

To keep the same character across many images: How to Keep the Same Character in AI Art (Face, Hair and Outfit) →

To turn the character into a streaming avatar: How to make a VTuber standing avatar with AI (front view and expression variants) →

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should I start when designing a character?

Decide the inside first, such as personality, favorite things and role; that makes it easier to choose clothes and props. Then put hair, eyes, outfit, props and colors in a table.

How many colors should a character have?

Three or four is recommended: one main, one or two sub colors and one accent. Too many colors make the picture messy and the character hard to remember.

My character changes every time I generate.

Fix the wording of the look and copy it with the same words in the same order every time. If it still drifts, use a method for keeping the same character, such as reference images or a LoRA.

Can I add character names or series titles to make it similar?

When creating an original character, do not include existing character names or series titles. It can raise rights issues.