Creating Consistent Midjourney Dramatis Personae: Barton "Bart" Redtape and Xiaolei "Lee" Li

Interested in creating a comic that explores the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and legacy IT bureaucracy? Look no further than Claude.AI and Midjourney! These two tools allow you to build consistent characters and bring them to life in various settings. In this blog post, we'll walk you through the mechanics of using Claude.AI and Midjourney to create two characters: an IT bureaucrat in higher education and an AI researcher in China. With these tools, you can easily create detailed, realistic characters and inject them into scenes. Follow along as we show you how to bring your story to life. 

 

This article provides a step-by-step walkthrough to get our characters consistent and even into the same scenes with one another, all within Midjourney.

 

Step by Step Instructions to replicate this output:

 

 

Step One: Generate your general narrative background.

 

Claude: I want to create some characters for a comic like Dilbert. One would be an IT bureaucrat in higher education, and the other would be an AI researcher in China. What would create a humorous foundation for each character?

 

For the IT bureaucrat in higher education, you could create humor by playing on the stereotypes and frustrations often associated with bureaucracy and academia:

 

1. The character is always more concerned with following obscure, outdated policies and procedures than solving problems or innovating.

 

2. They are constantly in meetings discussing trivial matters or trying to implement unnecessary changes that complicate everyone's work.

 

3. The character is obsessed with acronyms and jargon, making communication more transparent and effective.

 

4. They resist change and new technologies, insisting on using outdated systems and software.

 

5. The character is more interested in maintaining power and position than supporting students or faculty.

 

For the AI researcher in China, you could create humor by playing on cultural differences, the rapid pace of technological advancement, and the competitive nature of the field:

 

1. The character always works on cutting-edge, and sometimes absurd, AI applications that may or may not have practical uses.

 

2. They constantly try to outdo their rivals in other countries or companies, leading to humorous situations of one-upmanship.

 

3. The researcher is so focused on their work that they must pay more attention to essential self-care or social interactions.

 

4. They often misinterpret or misapply Western cultural references or idioms, leading to humorous misunderstandings.

 

5. The character is always trying to navigate the complex bureaucracy and politics of the Chinese academic and tech world, with amusing results.

 

The contrast between the slow-moving, change-resistant bureaucrat and the fast-paced, innovation-obsessed researcher could also create humorous situations when the two characters interact or collaborate on projects.

 

Step Two:  Let's generate some names for our characters (aka Dramatis Personae)

 

Claude: what would be some good names for these two?

 

Here are some suggested names for the two characters that play their roles and personalities:

 

IT Bureaucrat:

1. Barton "Bart" Redtape

2. Philbert "Phil" Formfiller

3. Reginald "Reg" Rulebender

4. Mortimer "Mort" Procedural

5. Percival "Percy" Policymaker

 

These names incorporate bureaucratic and procedural elements while having a slightly old-fashioned or stuffy feel to match the character's resistance to change.

 

AI Researcher:

1. Xiaolei "Leo" Li

2. Guanyu "Gary" Gao

3. Jianjun "Jay" Jiao

4. Wenbin "Wes" Wang

5. Zhihao "Zack" Zhang

 

These names are common Chinese given names and surnames, with the addition of Westernized nicknames that the character might adopt when interacting with international colleagues or trying to fit in with global tech culture.

 

Some combinations that might work well together:

 

1. Barton "Bart" Redtape and Xiaolei "Leo" Li

2. Philbert "Phil" Formfiller and Guanyu "Gary" Gao

3. Reginald "Reg" Rulebender and Jianjun "Jay" Jiao

4. Mortimer "Mort" Procedural and Wenbin "Wes" Wang

5. Percival "Percy" Policymaker and Zhihao "Zack" Zhang

 

I picked names, so now I can get ready to do detailed character profiles. I chose Bart and Leo, but I changed Leo to Lee.

 

Step Three:  Now, let's generate some narrative character profiles and get a detailed description of each character. First, Bart.

 

Claude: what does Barton "Bart" red tape look like? Give a detailed description.

 

Barton "Bart" Redtape is a middle-aged man in his late 40s to early 50s. He has a round face with a slightly receding hairline, revealing a prominent forehead. His hair is short, neatly combed, and mostly gray with a few remaining streaks of dark brown, which he insists is his natural color.

 

Bart's eyes are a dull blue, often hidden behind a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses on his bulbous nose. He has a constant squint as if constantly trying to read the fine print on a document. His bushy, graying eyebrows are frequently furrowed in concentration or consternation.

His thin, tight-lipped mouth rarely breaks into a genuine smile. When he does smile, it's usually a smug, self-satisfied grin after enforcing a particularly obscure rule or procedure. His chin is double, with a hint of stubble that he missed while shaving as he was too busy reviewing the latest policy updates.

 

Bart is of average height and slightly overweight, with a noticeable paunch that strains against his button-down shirts. He always wears a short-sleeved, white, or light blue dress shirt tucked into a pair of khaki pants that are a little too short, revealing his black socks and sensible brown loafers.

 

He accessorizes his outfit with a plain, brown leather belt and a lanyard around his neck, holding his ID badge and a collection of keys to various offices and file cabinets. His shirt pocket is always stuffed with pens, a small notepad, and neatly folded memos.

 

Bart's precise and deliberate movements reflect his methodical approach to work and life. He walks with a slight hum as if carrying the weight of all the rules and regulations on his shoulders. His voice is monotone and nasal, with a tendency to drone on about policies and procedures, putting his colleagues to sleep during meetings.

 

Step Four: Generate a Midjourney prompt for that character (Bart). 

 

Midjourney Prompt for Bart:

Pixar Style middle-aged man, late 40s to early 50s, round face, receding hairline, prominent forehead, short gray hair with dark brown streaks, dull blue eyes, thick black-rimmed glasses, bulbous nose, bushy graying eyebrows, thin tight-lipped mouth, double chin, slight stubble, average height, overweight, noticeable paunch, short-sleeved white or light blue dress shirt, khaki pants too short, black socks, brown loafers, brown leather belt, lanyard with ID badge and keys, shirt pocket with pens notepad and folded memos, precise deliberate movements, slight hunch, in an office setting with stacks of paperwork and filing cabinets, highly detailed, realistic, 8k resolution --ar 2:3

 

 Step Five:  Now, let's generate some narrative character profiles and get a detailed description of each character. Next, Lee.

 

Claude: what does Xiaolei "Lee" Li look like? Give a detailed description.

 

Xiaolei "Lee" Li is a young Chinese man in his late 20s to early 30s. He has a sharp, angular face with high cheekbones and a well-defined jawline. His jet-black hair is styled in a trendy, slightly messy look, with short sides and a longer top that he often runs his fingers through when deep in thought.

 

Lee's eyes are a deep, dark brown, always sparkling with intelligence and curiosity. They are framed by thick, expressive eyebrows that dance around as he talks about his latest AI projects. His nose is straight and proportionate to his face, leading down to a pair of thin, often chapped lips from late nights spent in the lab, forgetting to drink enough water.

 

He has a slender, wiry build, with narrow shoulders and long, thin fingers constantly typing away at his laptop or gesturing wildly as he explains his ideas. His skin is pale from spending most of his time indoors, hunched over his computer or tinkering with robotics.

 

Lee's style is a mix of tech-savvy and slightly disheveled. He often wears a plain, dark-colored t-shirt with a subtle tech company logo or a nerdy science pun. Over this, he sports a slim-fit, zip-up hoodie in a contrasting color, which he zips and unzips absentmindedly throughout the day. His jeans are slim and slightly worn, with small stains from late-night snacks or minor lab accidents. On his feet, he wears a pair of trendy, brightly colored sneakers that look a bit out of place in the corporate environment.

 

Always carrying a sleek, high-end laptop bag slung over his shoulder, Lee is rarely seen without a pair of wireless earbuds in his ears, either listening to music or attending virtual meetings. His movements are quick and energetic, often punctuated by sudden excitement when he has a new idea or breakthrough.

 

Lee's voice is animated and enthusiastic, with a slight Chinese accent that becomes more pronounced when discussing complex technical concepts. He speaks rapidly, his mind always several steps ahead of his words, and he frequently uses tech jargon and AI terminology, leaving his non-tech colleagues scratching their heads.

 

Step Six: Generate a Midjourney prompt for that character  (Lee). 

 

Midjourney Prompt for Lee: Pixar Style young Chinese man, late 20s to early 30s, sharp angular face, high cheekbones, well-defined jawline, jet-black hair, trendy messy look, short sides, longer top, deep dark brown eyes, thick,k expressive eyebrows, straight proportionate nose, thin chapped lips, slender, wiry build, narrow shoulders, long thin fingers, pale skin, plain dark-colored t-shirt with tech logo or science pun, slim-fit zip-up hoodie, slim slightly worn jeans, minor stains, trendy brightly colored sneakers, sleek, high-end laptop bag, wireless earbuds, quick, energetic movements, in a high-tech lab setting with computers and robotics equipment, highly detailed, realistic, 8k resolution --ar 2:3

I keep PIXAR STYLE at the front of the prompt and HIGHLY DETAILED, REALISTIC, 8K RESOLUTION as the basis for consistency.

 

 It's time to stitch these two characters together in a scene. Let's learn to use Midjourney's CREF command and the PREFER OPTION SET commands to streamline your workflow over time.

 

Step Seven: Create the shortcut for Bart

 

We must set some ease-of-use options to create consistent characters with the Midjourney CREF command.

 

First, let's use /prefer option set option Bart then Image Link [which is the URL you get when you right-click your MJ or other image reference and select COPY LINK). While typing, you first set the option to your Character's name. In this case, Mine is Bart.   Then, you click +1 More, select Value in the drop-down, and paste the image link.

 

The final looks like this in Midjourney:

 

 

Step Eight: Create the shortcut for Lee

 

Do the same thing but for Lee. Same as for Bart above. Once done, we have the basis for our two characters to start interacting. Now, let's get them around a conference table for a chat.

 

Step Nine:  Create a prompt for two men in a conference room

 

Give as much detail and camera direction as possible. I kept this short for the example here, but the more specific you are, the better your storytelling.

 

Midjourney Prompt: two men sitting at a conference table deep in discussion. We are zoomed in to see their faces --v 6.0

 

I like U3, so let's use that one for our first exchange between these two very different men.

 

So here's the problem to solve. How do we inject these two into this scene? I use the VARY REGION function. 

 

Step Ten:  Get Bart into the scene.

 

Use the very prompt with these prompt commands (--chef and --Bart):

 

It's the same prompt, but I've selected the location where I want Bart to sit. I append --CREF and the --Bart to the end of the prompt. This yields another quad of photo tiles, and I liked U2, so I selected that.

 

This yields this photo of Bart in the conference room:

 

Step Eleven:  Get Lee into the scene.

 

So, how do you get Lee into the shot with Bart? We just lather, rinse, and repeat the actions we did for Bart on the other interlocutor in the scene.

 

It produces another quad with a high verisimilitude Lee injected into the photo.

 

I like U1, so I selected it, and now we have Bart and Lee talking in the conference room!

 

Step Twelve:  Select your favorite or do a regeneration until you find one you like!

 

And there you have it. Bart and Lee are having a wee chat in a conference room, and they can be consistent characters for you over time.