How to write a commission brief that gets the art you actually want

Every commission begins with a brief. Some briefs read like a screenplay — vivid, specific, layered with the kind of detail that gives a painter somewhere to stand. Others read like a Google form filled out in a hurry. Both are valid, but the first kind almost always ends up with better art.

This isn't because the second kind is bad. It's because the artist ends up filling in the gaps from their own imagination — and your character lives in your imagination, not theirs. The closer your brief gets to the picture in your head, the closer the final piece will land.

So here's what fourteen years of taking briefs has taught me: the questions to answer, the parts to skip, and the words that always make the artist's job easier.

Start with the one-line pitch

Before anything else, write one sentence that captures the character. Not their backstory, not their stats — the essential vibe. "A tired paladin who has stopped praying." "A bard who became a librarian." "A drow ranger who hates the surface but lives there anyway."

That one sentence is the lens. Everything that follows should reinforce it.

The five details that matter most

After the pitch, lock down these five specifics. If you can answer all of them, you have a great brief. If you can't answer three, ask the artist what to add.

• Species, build, age range. "Half-elf, tall and lean, late thirties" beats "fantasy person."
• Skin, hair, and eye specifics. Hex codes are welcome. "Soft purple skin with darker freckles" is plenty.
• Outfit and key items. One distinctive piece is enough — "tattered violet robe with silver constellations stitched in" — not a full inventory.
• Mood and lighting. "Melancholy but powerful, warm dramatic lighting" gives the artist a tonal palette.
• Pose or moment. Standing, in motion, mid-spell, holding something? Pick one. Vagueness here is what makes characters feel generic.

A great brief isn't long. It's specific in the right places and silent on the rest.

References are gold. Mood boards are diamonds.

If you only do one extra thing, send 3 to 5 reference images. Not "draw this exactly" — references for vibe, lighting, color palette, similar species or outfit, even movie stills that capture the energy you want.

A Pinterest board with fifteen carefully-chosen images is more useful than a 2,000-word description. It lets the artist see what you see.

What to leave out

Backstory longer than three paragraphs. The character's full stat block. Lists of every adventure they have ever been on. Every accessory they have ever owned.

All beautiful for your campaign. None of it makes the painting better.

Closing the loop

The best briefs treat the commission as a collaboration. You bring the character. The artist brings the craft. The brief is the bridge. Get it right and the piece will feel like both of you painted it — which, in a way, you did.

If you've got a character waiting, start a brief. Or read more about how character art commissions work. Either way: the sooner you write that one-line pitch, the sooner your character ends up on the wall.