Character library
One cast, ready for every story.
Start with a name and a few photos
Save a name, role, and one to three clear photos for anyone you want to illustrate — yourself, family, or friends. For best results, take all three — front, left, and right — in the same sitting, so glasses and other details match. Reusable character profiles are for people right now.
Design a look in any story's style
Pick a curated style or any story's own art direction, and we illustrate that character to match — that's called a "look." Because every style draws a little differently, a character needs its own look for each style you want to use it in.
Review every angle before you approve
Once a look finishes generating, look through everything it made — the front view, the full-body pose, and any left or right angles you asked for. If the person wears glasses (or another accessory they always have on), it needs to show up on every angle that shows their face, not just the front. If it doesn't, don't approve — try the look again instead.
Once it's ready, it's yours to reuse
A finished look is yours to use in every book that shares its exact style — no redesigning needed. Making a new look, or deleting an old one, never changes a book you've already made.
Your photos, your control
Reference photos are saved only because you chose to keep them. Remove a character or a single photo at any time — your finished books keep their own copy of the artwork regardless. Designing a new look uses one generation from your free monthly allowance or purchased credits.
Warning: A side portrait missing glasses carries into pages
If a left or right portrait comes back without glasses, any book page that uses that angle will draw the character without them too — reject the look and try again instead of approving it.
Keep reading
Common questions
- What is a character in Onceling's character library?
- A saved character is a name, role, and a few reference photos you keep in your account so you don't need to re-upload them for every new book.
- What is a character "look"?
- A look is an illustrated version of a saved character in one specific art style. You design a new look whenever you want that character to appear in a book using a different style.
- Why does a character need a different look for each style?
- Illustration styles vary enough that a look made for one style won't match the artwork of a book using a different style, so a look only works in books sharing its exact style.
- How many generations does a new look use?
- Designing a character look uses one generation from your free monthly allowance or purchased generation credits.
- What should I check before approving a new look?
- Look through every angle the look generated — front, full-body, and any left or right views. If the person wears glasses (or another accessory they always wear), it needs to appear on every angle that shows their face; if a side portrait is missing it, any book page drawn from that angle will draw them without it too, so don't approve it — try the look again instead.
- Does designing a new look change my existing books?
- No. Once a look is ready, it stays exactly as it is. Designing another look, or deleting one, never changes the artwork in a book you've already made.
- What happens to the photos I upload?
- Reference photos are only kept because you chose to save them for reuse. You can remove a character or a single photo at any time from your character library.
- Can I add pets, animals, or objects as reusable characters?
- Not yet. Reusable character profiles are for people right now — you can save a name, role, and photos for anyone you want to illustrate, then reuse them across future books.
- What if I run out of generations for a new look?
- You can buy a generation pack from your account to keep designing new looks.