[quote=@Ellri]
Ok, we're bored, so we thought to start a bit of a discussion...


Almost everyone uses images of some sort (drawn, photographed, whatever) for their characters. Sometimes alone, sometimes with text on the side. Our question, and topic for debate is simple:

At what point in the process of making your CS do you acquire such?
[/quote]

Always at the beginning. 

When I'm doing a character — be it original, for a fandom RP, or my own personal use — I find getting a picture after I get the concept down, in more ways than one, helps me establish what kind of character I want to make. More often than not, the kind of picture I get will help me determine if the character I'm making will be a hothead or a reserved tatician. Whether it's for a character that's going to be used in a real life setting(School, workplace, home), I will find a face claim that fits what I have in mind. After that, only then do I finally get to the lesser details such as likes/dislikes, fears, hobbies, odd quirks, and everything that will come naturally by me looking at the picture.