the topic is really debatable, besides, I often catch myself thinking that it is not the content of the reference that attracts me, but its design at all. some look like a work of art, and others just like... a picture, don't know.

I like it when there are images with both flat color (so that the pattern is clearly visible) and with a render within one canvas. It always looks interesting

I mean something like this
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57931198/

This looks really cool!!! 0W0hea

1) If I have a full render, I need flat colors. If I have flat colors I don't need full render - the answer to that is simple. Full render is nice to show how the character in the final stage should look like (some specific light behavior, sparkling etc), but flat is more important while commissioning, for artists. About details... depending on a character I guess. If there's a specific trait to keep in mind or way the sacles/fur behave, then sure, details are important, but usually the less the mess, the better for an artist to see what they should draw.

2) I don't really like chibis, because they somehow deform the proportions and they may be interpreted in a bad way. If there is highly detailed full body in a full render, then I would like to see the same lineart without too many details, render and with flat colors.

3) Once again - it's always for the best to have both high detailed render and less detailed flat colors. If I was to pick one, then less detailed flat.

Cheers.

This is a very detailed answer!😮
Thank you very much for explaining each point! 🤍 I added them to the notebook

Flat colours and no perspective angles, 3/4 views I feel work well. The more basic a sheet is for the character leaves less room for interpretation, it's not as fancy! but it works well for being, well, a reference! :D

*wrote down* о.о
Sounds so... logical. But it never occurred to me... <:D
Thank you!

A reference is primarily something that will help the artist in drawing this character. No unique angles, no full rendering, just a clear simple pose, flat color and the presence of all the details. The render is good as a separate art inside the reference, which will help you figure out textures, for example!
As an artist who paints according to clients' references, I am exclusively against situations when full art is sent to me instead of a reference (very often these are adopts who were sold precisely due to the beautiful rendering picture). As a client, I also want to get a clear reference with original colors and a clear pose c:

Polunoch, this is a very logical point of view. Thank you)

I agree that perhaps the reference should not contain a render. And an excess of details. But... As an artist, it is often very difficult for me to understand a flat color and a small amount of details on a character, because in this case I do not understand the volume... ><
This is where my questions arise «what is the right way», «what is convenient for the owner and artists»

I wish I could find something average and convenient for everyon

While wrote this, I figured out how to combine this, lol XD

For a central full body, I would opt for medium detail and flat color! But since I like details, high detail would also be a good plan, hehe. But remember that if there are too many details at full body, the artists may miss some of them. This can be solved by separate footnotes and text, additional angles. As an addition с:

1) Medium or Highly detailed full body with flat colors
Considering the art will be sized down so it can be viewed on sites (like FA), a full render will make it too difficult to make out the colors and details. To show scales or fur texture, a more detailled full render close up

2) Simple geometric forms with notes. For complex characters with many colors, a full body with flat colors works great to easily pick out the colors.
Chibi: Not a fan in any way, but a "small simplified" version of the characters can be used as a height/size chart. Example (of my own ref) https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47961029/ SFW

3) Not sure If I understand it correctly, but I love refs which have: 1 full body side view (best way to see proportions), half body + face front view, view from above, teeth/mouth, eyes IF they are complex. If character has accessories or weapons then these as a close up for details.

Something like this sums it up perfectly what I mean:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/56730887/ SFW
with a ref like this, you can see every angle of every body part. And because it is a flat color, you can pick the colors easily and don't have to "guess" the correct shade

Hope that helps <3

Your comment really helped)

At least I'm glad to see a note about chibi (because I don't like drawing chibi x)) And I like the idea you showed on your second link. I think I have an outline of what references can try to create for the characters ^^

1) Flat color for sure, the rendering is only important if the character has hard geometric shapes that needs to be communicated via shadows or the texture-material is hard to show with flats (like pearlescent colors etc. ) Also the design is not altered by the artist that much if the reference is flat colored (if someone has a really specific rendering technique that might be inaccurate representation of the colors or materials and this has happened to me many times)

2) Chibi or no palette at all, if I have to color pick then I use the full body flat color so I know exactly where I picked the color from.

3) That shows the design well, there are no question parts like "what material should I render this part as" or "what does the back looks like behind the wing". A good reference is when I don't have to ask the owner more about the character and I can find everything on the reference itself.

This is my personal view point but as I can see this seems like a popular general opinion among artists. x3