← back to For you
a little recipe 🎨

Create characters
with personality

I turn my friends into tiny hand-drawn characters, based entirely on their personalities. Then I put them on notes, birthday cards, even cakes. Here's the exact recipe, free. :)

Okay, this is one of my favourite things I've ever made. 🤍

I turn each friend into a little character, drawn entirely from their personality. The dancer got a twerk. The hopeless romantic, heart-eyes and a "muah muah muah."

Then I pop them on a note, a card, even a cake. Watching someone realise the tiny character is them? Best reaction ever.

It's free. Steal it, make your people. 👇

Chibi character dancing in a party hat and sunglasses Chibi character with heart-eyes blowing kisses Chibi character in a cap and glasses looking cool Chibi character mid-dance with a 'HA!' speech bubble Chibi character with a DJ console and a cheeky grin Chibi character in a tutu holding a giant hammer

(Drawn from their personalities, not their names. ;)

the whole recipe

Three steps. Ten minutes. Free.

1

Copy the prompt

It's right below. One tap and it's on your clipboard, ready to go.

2

Paste it into Manus

The AI tool I used to draw all of these. Sign up with my link and you get 500 bonus credits to play with.

3

Make it them

Swap the [brackets] for your friend's vibe: their hair, their energy, their catchphrase. Hit go, then tweak till it feels like them.

// The style base (paste this first, it's the secret sauce) A cute hand-drawn cartoon chibi character illustration. Use clean, confident black marker linework on an off-white cream paper background with a subtle paper texture. Use simple flat colour fills (no gradients) for hair and specific props only. Add a soft light-pink blush on the cheeks. The drawing should feel like a professional artist's quick marker doodle: charming, slightly messy but intentional, and full of personality. // Then the character Character Name: [name] Anatomy & Pose: A solo full-body chibi character with a large round head (about half the total height) and a small expressive body. Standing in a [pose, e.g. twerking, mid-spin, shielding their head, bouncing] pose that captures their energy. Face & Expression: [expression, e.g. cheeky wink with tongue out, nonchalant 'heh' smirk, heart-eyes with a little drool]. Include details like [glasses, big teeth, dimples]. Hair: [colour] hair in a [style, e.g. voluminous butterfly cut, low ponytail, half-up bun]. [detail, e.g. dark roots with lighter tips, side parting]. Outfit: [clothing, e.g. baggy oversized tee and shorts, a classical dance outfit, a ballet tutu]. [accessories, e.g. a party hat, shutter shades, a hair clip]. Props & Vibe: Surround the character with [3 to 4 objects, e.g. a DJ console, a giant hammer, musical notes, a floating bottle, hearts, sparkles]. Text Elements: Include a small handwritten name label '[name]' and [number] speech bubbles with their catchphrases: "[phrase 1]" and "[phrase 2]". // How to turn a real person into a drawing (read them, then exaggerate) - A bit of a menace? Give them a giant weapon, or a split "angel and devil" face. - Always dancing? A big dynamic pose: a twerk, a spin, a bounce. - Always laughing? Eye-smiles (^^) and hands squishing their cheeks. - Obsessed with someone or something? Heart-eyes, maybe a tiny bit of drool. - Effortlessly chill? Half-lidded eyes and a "heh" smirk. - One signature habit? Float 1 or 2 little "totem" objects around them. // Pro tips - Only colour the hair and 1 or 2 key props. Leave the clothes white so the character pops. - Long catchphrase? Split it across two speech bubbles to keep it clean. - Always say "cream paper background" so it doesn't come out clinical white.
🎨

The tool: Manus

I pasted this prompt straight into Manus and it drew these for me. If you sign up through my link you'll get 500 bonus credits to start.

the actual magic

The fun part? Noticing.

Read someone's personality, then turn it all the way up. That's the whole game.

👀

Look closely

The catchphrase they always say. The way they move. The thing they'd never admit they love.

🪞

It's a mirror

Everyone draws everyone differently. Your version of a friend says as much about you as it does them.

No art skills

The prompt does the heavy lifting. Tell it their vibe, then exaggerate.

Once you have the characters…

This is where it gets really fun. A few things I've done (and you can too):

💌

Postcards & letters

Print the character, write a handwritten note on the back. Instant heirloom.

🎂

Birthday cards & cake toppers

Yes, we actually printed characters onto cakes. The reaction is unreal.

🌐

A tiny website for someone

Build a little one-page site for a friend, with their character as the star.

Stickers & wallpapers

Phone wallpapers, laptop stickers, group-chat reaction packs.

👯

The whole friend group

Make everyone, line them up together. A little illustrated family portrait.

🎁

The impossible-to-buy-for person

When they have everything, give them something only you could make.

A chocolate birthday cake with a printed cut-out of a hand-drawn character standing on top among the candles
Yes, we really put a character on a cake. 🎂 The reaction was everything.

Go make someone's day. 🤍

This is what I mean by using AI to make real life a little warmer. A drawing that quietly says: I see you, I get you, here's proof.

Make your first character →
Opens Manus. My referral link gives you 500 bonus credits to start.