Grid for comic and character art

Keeping a character on-model

A character is recognisable because of its proportions: the spacing of the eyes, the head-to-body ratio, the width of the shoulders, the size of the hands. When those drift from panel to panel, the character stops looking like itself. A grid fixes the proportions so they stay the same each time you draw it.

This is why model sheets exist. Putting a grid on yours turns it into a measuring tool you can reuse, rather than a picture you copy loosely by eye.

Gridding a model sheet or reference

Drop your character reference and add the grid. Note where the key landmarks sit by square: the eye line, the chin, the shoulders, the waist. Eight to twelve columns is enough for a character reference, with square cells and labels on so the positions are easy to name.

When you redraw the character in a panel, reuse those square positions. The eyes stay the same distance apart, the head stays the right size against the body, and the character stays on-model.

From reference to panel

Use the grid to transfer the head and body proportions, then pose and detail the character freehand from there. The grid sets the foundation; the acting and line work are still yours.

For a splash page or a poster where the character is much larger, scale it up with the same method. The enlarge with a grid page covers keeping the proportions intact at a bigger size.