Well, the majority of my characters are based off of real people, so it can be easier to picture them. But, in one of my books, the villian looks like the prettiest person you can imagine, and that looks different to everyone! Other than that, it's rare when I have to really think of what a character looks like.

When I'm thinking of characters for stories, I draw. A lot. I don't have how the character looks in my mind when I create them, but I put a pencil to paper and they shape out. Of course, I edit things. A lot. A character's ethnicity can change four times in a day of development.

Unfortunately, I can't draw, and when I do try do draw a charrie they end up looking like a two-year-old's art. Usually what I do is I try to outline a personality as much as possible, and then kind of assign an appearance to the character. I find that I generally have a similar mold for most of my characters, but make it an effort to vary their appearances.

Here's an example:

Say you have a male character who's often on the run. He's tough and gritty but prefers running to fighting. I'd probably make his hair long and wild, his skin dirty, because he's too busy to take care of himself; his clothes would be unwashed and unfashionable; and I'd might make him tall, with broad shoulders and strong legs but a weak core. Really, it all depends on what features you associate with what personality.

(for example, I often find my shyer characters with short black hair, and often green eyes. But perhaps you consider them blond with grey eyes. It's all in the person, and, of course, who they know. Generally I find it likely that you unconciously associate a certain trait to an appearance that someone you know has, who also has that trait, if I phrased that correctly.)

I make my characters' personalities first, then create their appearances. Also, I try to get them as unstereotypical as possible- like, I'll give my dark/shy character blonde hair and blue eyes, and my super happy bubbly energetic person black hair. I have an entire section on wall in my room covered in character sketches and drawings- that's mostly how I decide what they look like.

First their personality comes to me, and then an appearance that fits it.

If it's a 'good' charrie, a name will just HIT me and I'll know absolutely everything about that charrie. And for the rest of my life, that charrie is a part of me. My only 'good' charries in this way are Clover and Zandibar, but I always know how they would react to anything that happens to me. 

Drawing also helps me connect to the charrie. Like how I didn't consiously know Zan was left-handed until I tried to draw her. Every single drawing I made had her as a lefty. I guess she was a lefty in my subconcous the whole time. 

I recently drew a new picture of Clover's face, in honor of EVIL's revenge becoming 'alive' again. I can still connect with her, months after writing with her.

I don't decide my characters. My hands do. I just sit down, and feel my fingers begin to type. When I look back on it later, I realize that i've woven a rich character with an awesome backstory with room for change. My charrie's appearances? They come from my pure imagination. Names always come last.

Dun fact: All of my characters are factions of myself on one way or anouter. If you combined them all, you would have me!