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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.

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  1. Finish the step above first
    01

    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.

  2. Finish the step above first
    02

    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?

  3. Finish the step above first
    03

    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.

  4. Finish the step above first
    04

    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.

  5. Finish the step above first
    05

    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.

  6. Finish the step above first
    06

    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.

  7. Finish the step above first
    07

    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.

  8. Finish the step above first
    08

    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.

  9. Finish the step above first
    09

    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.

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    Do the steps above and your Your character image prompt shows up here.
  10. Finish the step above first
    10

    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 happen

    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.

    Open an AI image maker like ChatGPT (new tab)
    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?

  11. Finish the step above first
    11

    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?
  12. Finish the step above first
    12

    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.

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  13. Finish the step above first
    13

    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...

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.

Embedded tool from glunty.com