Hey all, this is for artists and fursuit makers mostly, though input from commissioners would be valuable too :)

Character reference sheets. For an artist or suit maker, they're basically a character template showing body shape, markings and colour boundaries. For a commissioner, they're another piece of cool art that you commission that should look as good as anything else you have - right?

Huge disparity there. As an artist, I actually hate getting sheets with shading! Cel-shading can sometimes mimic colour changes in the character, and any other kind can be seen as a gradient. I mean, it depends hugely on the sheet and the artist who's created it, but in most cases I'm happiest with a flat coloured, simple sheet that clearly shows what's required. I mean - I'm not going to assume that the character is two dimensional based on a flat coloured sheet :|

So - am I alone in this? Do other artists like the clarity of simple refs, or prefer somehting prettier to look at? Do commissioners really hate the simpler flat style, or do they understand why it could be important?