Please excuse me, I'm trying to let out my frustration over not understanding something.
A single angle picture of a character doesn't always show all the details of the character. If the character was symmetrical then perhaps one can get away without the need for a ref sheet but for asymmetrical characters like my character Lord Suragaha a ref sheet may be needed since the design is different on both sides.
EX:
- Suragaha only has scars on certain sides of his body
- His USMC marking is only on one side
- He is partial blind in one of his eyes
If I gave an artist a one sided image of Sura they will only draw the side they see. What if I want Sura drawn at a different angle? One that shows the other side of his markings?
Ref sheets also make it easier for an artist to draw a character since without one you'd have to verbally list the details that may not show in the image you send them. Often times artists will over look things you wrote that don't show in the image or may leave them out completely. Ref sheets are also more consistent ways of accurately showing a characters design that regular pieces may not show. I have gotten lots of art from users of Sura and while I love them all very dearly many times users have gotten his markings wrong from the way I'd imagine them. I'm usually not picky about stuff like that but for people who are spending money on comissions and may want their character(s) drawn exactly the way they imagine them a ref helps. If I gave artists the pics that users have drawn for me of Sura chances are they would get confused as to exactly what his markings look like since none of the pics are consistent.
So in all honesty ref sheets are very useful and no you don't have to say that "Reference sheets are for little 5-year olds who don't even know how to draw." Because that is an unnecessary and rude comment.
There is nothing wrong with sharing an opinion but do try to be more considerate and mature about it. Many people here including myself use them not only for character art but also preset making.