Lemma Soft Forums

Not sure where else to post this question but here goes:

I am not an artist but I am working on a visual novel of my own, almost but not quite ready to commission an artist about character designs. i would like to make moodboards of my characters but i've seen different approaches as to how they're done. But if I were to come to you with a character I'd like designing, what kind of moodboard/prompt setup would you prefer/understand best?

A. A simple, abstract moodboard with aesthetic images themed around the characters' vibes alongside a visual description of said character?
B. An annotated moodboard with pictures of other characters to convey features (e.g. eye style, body type, colour palettes)

Just want a bit of feedback from those who do art!

I would prefer working off of B personally, takes a lot of the guess work and the risk of miscommunication out of the job.

It really depends of the artist and what they are willing to work with.
However, if it was up to me, moodboard A would work in a situation where a client is ready to give me creative freedom. That doesn't mean the client has no word when it comes to the final design, but I don't want to make 3 revisions just because the client doesn't like, for example, the specific shape of the skirt. Moodboard B on the other hand would work best in a situation where the client has a clear idea what they want from me.

If you like specific artist's original character designs OR you don't feel confident when it comes to making character designs, I would go with the moodboard A (if the artist is comfortable with that). Otherwise you should do moodboard B. Even better is to send both moodboards A and B!

Along with the good points Lynn and Cat brought up, I'd also like to add that A will always be more resource-intensive than B in both money and time.