Art consistency

Art Consistency & Visual QA

Triggers

• character consistency
• art style
• same character
• consistent character
• visual continuity
• series
• turnaround sheet
• character sheet
• reference image
• character bible
• style guide
• anime character
• consistent look
• face consistency
• outfit consistency
• lora training
• ip-adapter
• flux kontext
• visual qa
• art quality
• generation review
• style drift
• character drift

Patterns

Character Bible First

Create a comprehensive character documentation before any generation

Starting work on a new character, beginning a series, or character lacks documentation

CHARACTER BIBLE: Luna Silverfall
================================

IDENTITY ANCHORS (use EXACT words every time):
- Face: "heart-shaped face, large violet eyes, small upturned nose"
- Hair: "silver twin-tails, waist-length, star-shaped hair clips"
- Body: "petite build, 155cm, slender frame"
- Outfit: "black sailor uniform with purple trim, knee-high boots"
- Accessories: "crescent moon pendant, fingerless black gloves"

STYLE DESCRIPTORS:
- Art Style: "2D anime, cel-shaded, clean linework, soft shadows"
- Color Palette: #7B68EE (violet), #C0C0C0 (silver), #000000, #FFD700
- Lighting: "soft anime lighting, subtle rim light"

PROMPT TEMPLATE:
"Luna Silverfall, heart-shaped face, large violet eyes, silver twin-tails
with star clips, black sailor uniform with purple trim, [ACTION], [SETTING],
2D anime style, cel-shaded, soft anime lighting"

REFERENCE IMAGES: [turnaround sheet link]

Turnaround Sheet Generation

Generate multi-view reference sheet before any other images

New character without references, or existing character needs standardization

TURNAROUND SHEET PROMPT:
"character design sheet, multiple views, front view, side view,
back view, 3/4 view, [CHARACTER DESCRIPTION],
white background, consistent lighting, reference sheet layout,
same character all views, anime style"

OUTPUT: 4-6 views showing character from different angles
USE: As reference for all future generations of this character

Pre-Generation Validation

Check all consistency requirements before generating

Every single generation - no exceptions

PRE-GENERATION CHECKLIST:
[ ] Character bible exists and is loaded
[ ] Prompt includes ALL identity anchors (exact wording)
[ ] Style descriptors match series aesthetic
[ ] Reference image available (turnaround or previous approved image)
[ ] Color palette specified or implied in prompt
[ ] Seed locked if continuing from previous generation
[ ] Model appropriate for style (Flux for realism, etc.)

If ANY checkbox is unchecked → FIX BEFORE GENERATING

Post-Generation QA

Rigorous visual comparison against references before approval

After every generation, before showing to user or using in production

POST-GENERATION QA CHECKLIST:

FACE VERIFICATION:
[ ] Eye color matches reference
[ ] Eye shape matches reference
[ ] Face shape matches reference
[ ] Nose shape matches reference
[ ] Expression appropriate for scene

HAIR VERIFICATION:
[ ] Color exact match (check in different lighting)
[ ] Style matches (twintails are twintails, not ponytail)
[ ] Length consistent
[ ] Accessories present (hair clips, ribbons, etc.)

OUTFIT VERIFICATION:
[ ] All clothing items present
[ ] Colors match reference
[ ] Details preserved (trim, patterns, buttons)
[ ] Accessories present (jewelry, gloves, etc.)

BODY/PROPORTIONS:
[ ] Height/build consistent with character
[ ] Proportions match (head-to-body ratio)
[ ] Pose anatomically sound

STYLE VERIFICATION:
[ ] Art style matches series (anime vs realistic vs cartoon)
[ ] Line weight consistent
[ ] Shading style matches
[ ] Color saturation appropriate

QUALITY CHECKS:
[ ] No artifacts or glitches
[ ] Hands rendered correctly (count fingers!)
[ ] No floating elements or disconnected parts
[ ] Background appropriate and not distracting

VERDICT: [ ] APPROVED  [ ] REGENERATE (note issues)

Seed Locking for Series

Lock generation seed when making variations of same scene

Creating multiple versions, iterating on a scene, or continuation shots

SEED MANAGEMENT:

1. First generation: Let seed be random, note it if result is good
2. Variations: Keep SAME seed, change only ONE element
   - Same seed + different expression = consistent character, new emotion
   - Same seed + different pose = risky, may cause drift

RULE: Change the smallest thing first
- Expression only? Keep seed
- New pose? May need new seed, regenerate until consistent
- New outfit? Major change, expect inconsistency, multiple attempts

NEVER change seed + prompt + model + settings simultaneously

Style Reference Anchoring

Use reference images to lock in visual style across generations

Working on a series, maintaining consistent aesthetic, or matching existing art

STYLE REFERENCE METHODS:

1. IP-Adapter: Upload reference → generates with similar style
   - Good for: Pose, composition, overall vibe
   - Set control strength: 0.6-0.8 for style, 0.3-0.5 for loose inspiration

2. LoRA/Kontext: Train on 4-8 character images
   - Good for: Character identity across many generations
   - Trigger word: "[character_name]" in every prompt

3. Style Reference URL (Midjourney): --sref [image_url]
   - Good for: Art style consistency
   - Style weight: 100 default, 50-150 range

4. Image-to-Image: Start from approved image
   - Good for: Variations on existing scene
   - Strength: 0.3-0.5 to keep most of original

Progressive Disclosure for Complex Characters

Build character consistency gradually through staged generation

Complex character design, or establishing new character identity

STAGED CHARACTER ESTABLISHMENT:

Stage 1: Face/Portrait (5-10 generations)
- Generate close-up portraits until face is consistent
- Lock in exact facial feature descriptions
- Create "golden reference" portrait

Stage 2: Full Body (5-10 generations)
- Use Stage 1 face as reference
- Establish body proportions
- Lock in outfit details

Stage 3: Turnaround Sheet
- Generate multi-view sheet using Stage 1+2 references
- Verify consistency across all angles

Stage 4: Action Poses
- Only after Stages 1-3 are locked
- Use turnaround as reference
- QA each generation against sheet

DO NOT skip stages. Rushing causes compounding drift.

Anti-Patterns

Generate and Hope

Why: Generating images without reference or documentation and hoping they match

Vague Prompts

Why: Using non-specific descriptors like "pretty girl" or "anime style"

Synonym Substitution

Why: Using different words for the same feature across prompts

Skipping QA

Why: Approving generated images without systematic review

Close Enough Thinking

Why: Accepting images with minor inconsistencies because regenerating takes time

Reference-Free Continuation

Why: Generating new images of established character without loading references

Multi-Variable Changes

Why: Changing multiple things at once (pose + outfit + background + lighting)

Trust Previous Success

Why: Assuming a prompt that worked before will work identically again

Validation Checklist

• [ERROR] Generation Without Character Bible

  • Attempting to generate character without a character bible. Consistency impossible.
  • Fix: Create character bible FIRST with:

• Identity anchors (face, hair, body, outfit, accessories)

• Style descriptors (art style, color palette, lighting)

• Prompt template with exact wording

• Reference images (turnaround sheet if possible)

• [ERROR] Generation Without Reference Image

  • Generating established character without reference image. Drift guaranteed.
  • Fix: Load reference image before generation:

• Upload turnaround sheet or approved previous image

• Use IP-Adapter or image-to-image with reference

• Or use trained LoRA with trigger word

• [WARNING] Vague Identity Descriptors

  • Prompt uses vague identity descriptors. Will produce inconsistent results.
  • Fix: Replace vague descriptors with SPECIFIC identity anchors: BAD: "pretty anime girl with blue hair" GOOD: "heart-shaped face, large sapphire blue eyes, small nose, sky blue twin-tails shoulder-length with ribbon clips"

• [WARNING] Vague Style Descriptors

  • Prompt uses vague style descriptors. Art style will drift between generations.
  • Fix: Specify EXACT style characteristics: BAD: "anime style" GOOD: "90s anime cel-shading, bold black outlines, hard shadows, saturated colors, Studio Ghibli influence"

• [WARNING] Color Without Specification

  • Color mentioned without specific shade. Colors will vary between generations.
  • Fix: Use specific color descriptors or hex codes in documentation: BAD: "blue eyes" GOOD: "deep sapphire blue eyes" or "eyes #1E90FF"

Document exact color in character bible for reference.

• [WARNING] Synonym Usage Across Prompts

  • Different words for same feature detected. Pick ONE term and use consistently.
  • Fix: Document canonical term in character bible. Use ONLY that term in all prompts. Never substitute synonyms.

• [ERROR] Facial Feature Drift

  • Facial features do not match reference. Character identity compromised.
  • Fix: Do NOT approve. Regenerate with:

• Stronger reference image influence (increase IP-Adapter strength)

• More specific facial feature description in prompt

• Different seed if pattern persists

• [ERROR] Hair Style/Color Drift

  • Hair does not match reference. Visible consistency break.
  • Fix: Do NOT approve. Regenerate with:

• Explicit hair description in prompt

• Hair color in specific terms (not just "blue")

• Accessories explicitly mentioned

• [ERROR] Outfit/Clothing Drift

  • Outfit does not match reference. Character consistency broken.
  • Fix: Do NOT approve. Regenerate with:

• Complete outfit description in prompt

• Each accessory explicitly mentioned

• Color specifications for each item

• [WARNING] Art Style Drift

  • Art style drifting from series aesthetic.
  • Fix: Compare to series reference images. If drift detected:

• Reinforce style descriptors in prompt

• Use style reference image

• Consider different model if style incompatible

• [ERROR] Quality Issues

  • Quality issues detected. Cannot approve for delivery.
  • Fix: Do NOT approve. Either:

• Regenerate with different seed

• Use inpainting to fix specific issues

• Adjust prompt if issue is systematic

• [WARNING] Cross-Image Consistency Check

  • Inconsistency detected across series images.
  • Fix: Review all series images together. Identify the drift point. Regenerate divergent images with stronger reference. Consider retraining LoRA if drift is systematic.

• [WARNING] Multi-Character Scene Consistency

  • Multi-character scene has consistency issues.
  • Fix: For multi-character scenes:

• Generate characters separately if possible

• Use composite/layering approach

• Verify each character against their bible

• Check relative proportions against size chart

Handoffs

• generate image|create image|make image → ai-image-generation — Image generation needed - ensure consistency validation wraps the generation
• generate video|create video|animate → ai-video-generation — Video generation needed - ensure consistency validation for each keyframe
• brand guide|brand identity|logo → branding — Brand-level consistency needed, not character-level
• ui components|interface design → ui-design — UI consistency needed, hand off visual standards
• creative direction|campaign|content strategy → ai-creative-director — Strategic creative direction needed beyond visual consistency