Character Description pictures

I was wondering where all of you find the pictures that you use for your characters?

lol google -- at least i do.

speaking of which, i read Jason Stanton's char desc; just out of curiosity, have you read Asa's?

lol

Having seen the thread now, all I can say is: well, there it is.

Anyway, the mental picture I had in mind was more Liam Neeson in Batman Begins and less Ashton Kutcher.

Are you looking for a pic like this? Or do prefer the younger look?

Depends on the character. Being an Art Director/Creative Director in RL, I do a lot of casting, which helps me with this skill. I almost always have a very specific visual in mind before I've even flushed out the character. With Nic it had to be a young, unsigned model from Italy that no one would recognize, so I searched through modeling agencies in Italy only and found him.

With Antoinette, I'd already fallen in love with a model from "HeavyRed.com" an online gothic clothing store. So it was almost like I was making her into the character.

And with Tara, that was less of an obscurity; she is Kat VonD from LA Inked. I knew that had to be Tara because although she's beautiful and had the requisite tats, she isn't perfect by any means. She's a little heavy in some pics, she's not perfectly made up in other pics. Not all are done professionally. She's not perfect, like a Vampire, she's half perfect, like a ghoul LOL

Obviously there are tons of images on google, but it's helpful to know what you're looking for first. I think Char always goes for the modeling sites, so that's an option, but I think having a really good idea in your head is incredibly helpful...

Christiaen

I use, supermodels.nl , and several stock photo websites. I also use rednyc.com

Like C I have a picture in my mind of the character before they even have a sheet or a name.

Any one look at Silas?

heh, heh, heh.

It was like I was watching it in slow motion

I usually just poach from Vice's 'do's and don'ts'. Mixed results, but there's the occasional gem.

Example. If I added to Sacramento's swarm of Bruja, it would definitely be this dude.

Santa Claus joins the Yakuza.
Vice definitely has some interesting pics and articles. And then there are the... "interesting" pics. Like "Dear God what is this?" interesting.

He's going to be very unhappy with that Tattoo when he decides to lose a bit of weight.

I don't know, maybe the sag and wrinkle of loose flesh will just add verisimilitude to his octopus, there.

Don't think a man like that tends to decrease his BMI...

Well I use Deviantart.com most of the time when searching for character pics, I tend to find a pic I like and suits my concept first and then built the sheet and add to the story, find it easier that way...

I like your pics, GhashIronhand.

I'm more a fan of paintings and sketches than I am of photos of real people for my characters. Photos are too real and often fail to capture the mood or feel I'm looking for. I also go out of my way to ensure that the image I use isn't easily recongizable, so I avoid well known actors. No matter how perfect someone might be for the character, I can't get past the fact that its still Sean Connery glaring back at me.

As such I tend to scour art sites after I've come up with my concept looking for an image to ground the character in. Sometimes I'll find a picture I like so much that I'll alter the concept to suit it.

Yeah! That's exactly how I feel about it, specially about actors, but to some extent even to just as often, lets say, anime characters or comic ones, tho sometimes an awesome fanart can go beyond the character (Mostly cause a lot of FanArts work either in diferent styles or in putting the character in a diferent situation then his average if not both)

Hmm... for me it's usually whatever picture that fits the image that I have in mind or whatever I like.

LOL I imagine...

I wish I could draw, since I've never been able to put a satisfying illustration/photo for the characters I play. I remember somebody suggesting an exhibition they'd found which was basically a portfolio of experimental cosmetic surgery performed on wounded men during the first world war for deformed characters, which I have to admit, strays a little too far beyond the boundaries of good taste for my liking.

Yup, I have to agree with you there

For me I have a list of ..ahem.. *sweeps off swamped desk* I have a short sticky note not a list of character concepts and I scan modelling websites and see who fits.

Hehehehe

Well I do that too but with images in Deviant art, I find something cool I keep it under a concept

I honestly hate trying to tie a picture to a character I have built for the fact that I come up with something in my head that will never be found in anothers.

When I do use stock photos its more so some can place a face to the words when I know my written discription will never give it justice.

Sometimes I pick them to remind me of certain roles or traits. For example, one of my Mage NPCs is now Jason Isaacs, because of his character in 'Sweet November'.

I'm with Dred. I've chosen pics for my characters because I know I suck at descriptive writing, but none of them are what my characters really look like. (Except for Brandon--when I read that some Draconic changelings are demonic in nature I immediately thought of Danny Elfman, because he honestly does look like Satan incarnate.) The idea of posting pictures of my characters never would have crossed my mind, but it seems so prevalent here.

LOL So many diferent styles going on here...

But yeah Iguess I see your point guys, I used to do that at the begining too

The way I see it, if you use a picture that is your how your character appears. We are visual by nature and, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So even if the player feels the picture is just a stand in, to everyone else that is what your character looks like. Even if the player publicly says it isn't, its almost impossible for people think that way.

I've no problem if you want to use a picture as a stand in, but personally if I couldn't find a picture that I think really looks like my character than I just wouldn't post a picture at all.

Yeah, it tends to throw people off

lol

Simple simple.. >.> I'm simple with my approach.

Yeah, I noticed

yeah but it's effective.

Can't arguew with that