glunty academy
glunty // AI image lessons
Design a Character Nobody Else Has
Most people type "a cool character" and get the same slop as everyone else - you are going to bring your own taste and build one that is truly yours.
takes 8 seconds
Save your work, or lose it.
You can use everything without an account. Sign in to keep your progress on any device and post what you make to the class wall.
You are signing in to glunty.com. A Google or email window opens for a second, then brings you right back here.
- Finish the step above first01
Pick what it is for
Before you draw anything, decide the job. A character for a game moves and fights. One for a comic talks and feels things. A sticker just has to look awesome tiny.
Type ONE word: game, comic, or sticker. This choice shapes every step after.
- Finish the step above first02
Name your character
A name is a promise. "Sir Fluffington" and "Vex-9" already feel like totally different beings.
Give yours a name that hints at who they are. Made-up is great. Say it out loud - does it sound like your [use] hero?
- Finish the step above first03
Decide WHAT they are
Human? Fox? Robot? Talking sandwich? Blob of living slime? The what is your starting clay.
Pick one thing your character basically IS. Weird is welcome - weird is memorable.
- Finish the step above first04
Give them ONE personality
Boring characters are good at everything. Great characters have a flaw and a strength that fight each other.
Fill in the blank: "brave but clumsy", "grumpy but kind", "tiny but fearless". Two traits, one twist.
- Finish the step above first05
Choose the vibe
Vibe is the feeling someone gets in one glance - cozy, spooky, hyper, chill, heroic, silly.
Pick the ONE vibe your character gives off. Everything you design next should point at this feeling.
- Finish the step above first06
Lock a tight color palette
Pros pick THREE colors, not twenty. A main color, a second color, and one loud pop accent. That is what makes a character read as one clear thing.
Write your three: main / second / pop. Example: deep teal / warm cream / hot pink pop.
- Finish the step above first07
Invent ONE signature detail
This is the whole game. The signature detail is the ONE thing that makes people go "oh, that's the firefly-tail fox!" Nobody forgets it.
Give your character one unforgettable detail: a tail made of light, a cracked helmet, a floating crown, a scarf that never stops moving. Just one. Make it strong.
- Finish the step above first08
Dress them and set the details
Now fill in the rest fast: what they wear, their body shape, roughly how old they feel, and the art style you want (cartoon, pixel, sticker-art, comic ink).
Type it as one short line, like: "tiny round body, patched hoodie, ageless, sticker-art style." You will feed all this to the AI next.
- Finish the step above first09
Build your image prompt
Watch this. Every choice you made snaps together into one strong, detailed prompt an artist would be proud of.
Read it once. Notice it is specific - no vague "cool character" anywhere. Copy it. This is your artifact.
ignoredDo the steps above and your Your character image prompt shows up here. - Finish the step above first10
Make the picture
Open the AI image maker in a new tab. Paste your prompt exactly. Hit go and watch YOUR character appear.
If it looks off, that is normal - the first try almost never nails it. You will fix it in the next step.
what will really happenOpen an AI image maker like ChatGPT (new tab)Image tools rarely nail it on the first try - and they mangle hands and any written words.
Your signature detail may come out tiny or get missed entirely.
Expect a rough starting point you will have to redirect.
You are a professional character designer and concept artist. Draw a single, original character based on this brief. Keep the palette to exactly three colors, make the signature detail impossible to miss, and keep the background clean so the character pops. [compiled]Did you redraw with a fix, or keep the first image?
- Finish the step above first11
Improve it - give ONE clear note
This is what separates you from the lever-pullers. You do not accept the first try - you direct it.
Look hard at your picture. Pick the ONE thing most off (color too dull, detail too small, pose too stiff) and tell the AI to fix just that. Type your fix note below, then send it to the AI.
Open an AI image maker like ChatGPT (new tab)You are still the character designer. Keep everything the same about [name] - same [signature], same three colors ([color1], [color2], [color3]), same [vibe] vibe. Change ONLY this one thing and redraw: [fix]. Make that change bold and obvious.hold on - judge it, do not celebrate- Is this the character you pictured, or a generic mascot?
- What is the ONE part that feels off or too plain?
- Did your signature detail actually show up clearly?
- Finish the step above first12
Save your character card
You designed it, prompted it, and directed a fix. That is real character-design skill, done for real.
Save your card so you can show off [name] and the signature detail nobody else thought of.
ignored - Finish the step above first13
Show the class
Time to ship. Post your character on the class wall with the tag #Glunty so everyone can meet [name].
Say one line: their name, their vibe, and their signature detail. Then go see what characters everyone else built.
The class wall - share yours
Loading the class wall...
Sign in up top to post yours. You can read everyone else's right now.
You made a one-of-a-kind character
Everyone else got a cool character. You got YOURS - with a vibe, a palette, and a signature detail nobody else picked.
lazy vs yours
One detail changes everything
Lazy: "make a cool character." You get a generic mascot that looks like a million others.
Yours: a shy lantern-fox whose tail is a glowing jar of fireflies. Now it is a character, not a clip-art blob.
The signature detail is the part people remember. Never skip it.
first time here?
Here is how it works
- Tap Copy to grab the words.
- Tap Open to go to the tool. Paste it there.
- Come back. Type what happened in the box.
- Tap I did it. The next step opens up.
One step at a time. You have to do each one to unlock the next. Ready?