How to Make a Character Turnaround Sheet

How to line up the views

The views only work if they agree with each other. The eyes in the front view must be at the same height as the eyes in the side view. Here is how to make sure of that:

1. Draw guide lines across the whole page before you draw the character. Mark the top of the head, the eyes, the chin, the shoulders, the chest, the waist, the hips, the knees, the ankles and the ground.
2. Draw each view on those lines. The chin sits on the chin line in every view.
3. Keep the same height. Every view stands on the same ground line and reaches the same head line.
4. Draw flat, not in perspective. Imagine looking from very far away, so near and far parts are the same size.
5. Use a center line in each view, running from the top of the head to the ground.

You can download this turnaround template and print it, or open it in any drawing app. It is free to use and share.

Step by step: draw a turnaround

1. Start with the front view. It is the easiest to get right. Use a neutral pose.
2. Set your guide lines from the front view. Put a line at every key feature.
3. Draw the side view next to it, using the same lines. Think about depth: how far the nose, chest and feet stick out.
4. Draw the back view. Its outline is a mirror of the front, so trace the outline and add the back details.
5. Add the three-quarter views if you want them. They are the hardest, so do them last.
6. Check every line. Hold a ruler across the page. Do the eyes, shoulders and knees line up in every view?
7. Add flat color. Keep shading light and even, so colors are clear.
8. Add short notes off to the side: colors, materials, and the character’s height if it matters.

Keep the same pose in every view

The pose must not change between views. If the left arm is raised in the front view, it must be raised in the side and back views too. The easiest way is a neutral pose:

• Standing straight, facing forward.
• Arms angled down and away from the body, in a relaxed A-pose.
• Legs a little apart.
• Hands open.
• A calm, neutral face.

Our guide on A-pose vs T-pose explains why this pose rigs well.

Turnarounds for animals, creatures and machines

• Four-legged animals: the side view is the most important, because it shows the length of the body and how the legs bend. Add a front view and a top view if you can.
• Winged creatures: draw the wings half open in every view, so you can see how they attach.
• Vehicles and robots: use front, side, back and top views, like a blueprint. Line up wheels, axles and joints across the views.

Use a turnaround in Blender

A turnaround sheet makes 3D modeling in Blender much easier.

1. Cut the sheet into separate images: one for the front, one for the side, one for the back.
2. In Blender, add each image as a Reference image empty. The front goes in the front view, the side in the side view.
3. In the image settings, turn on Show in Orthographic and Only Axis Aligned. Now each image only shows when you look straight from its side.
4. Scale the images so the heights match.
5. Model on top of the images, switching between front and side views as you go.

Use a turnaround for AI image to 3D

Multi-view AI tools take several pictures of one subject and build one model from all of them. A turnaround sheet is the perfect input, once you prepare it.

1. Cut it into one image per view. Most tools want separate files.
2. Remove labels, arrows and notes. The AI may read them as part of the character.
3. Use a plain background and the same lighting in every view.
4. Crop each view the same way, with the whole character inside.
5. Upload the front view first. Several tools treat the first image as the main view.

Different tools accept different sets of views:

Tool	Views it accepts
Bake3D	Two to four reference views of the same subject, for 10 extra credits
Tripo	Front, left, back and right; the front is required, and at least two in total
Meshy	One to four images; the first is the main view
Hyper3D Rodin	One to five images; the first sets the materials

With extra views, the AI has less to guess. The back of the model, in particular, comes out much closer to what you drew.

Common turnaround mistakes

• Using perspective, so the views do not line up.
• Letting features drift, like eyes that are higher in the side view than in the front.
• Changing the pose between views.
• Arms touching the body, which makes the 3D model fuse them together.
• Heavy shadows, which read as dents or holes.
• Views of different sizes on the same page.
• Labels on top of the character, which confuse AI tools.

Once your sheet is ready, turn it into a model on the image to 3D page, or read how to turn a 2D image into a 3D model for the other options.