The Character Consultancy

All Policies

You will find all of The Character Consultancy's policies on this page, including:

1. Fair Use Policy
2. Cookie Policy
3. Privacy Policy

Fair Use Policy

Overview

In an effort to reduce barriers to the use of copyrighted material in my works, The Character Consultancy takes the following stance on fair use, licensing, and use of copyright materials:

1. Recognizes and credits use of the original artworks, for which the creator owns the copyright, based on the doctrine of fair use
2. Utilizes fair use when reproducing materials, both for which The Character Consultancy does, and does not, own the copyright
3. Seeks written permission for royalty-free image use by the content creator

A: Fair Use Of Creators' Material

The Character Consultancy seeks permission for the use of, and credits, the creator's artworks, for which the creator owns the copyright, under the doctrine of fair use. Possible uses include:

1. Analytical, interpretive, and/or creative writings/works
2. Online (digitized) collections created for the purposes of demonstration and marketing
3. The creation of guides
4. Print and digital newspapers, periodicals, and magazines
5. Transformative use in artworks
6. Social media

Publishing The Character Consultancy's work under fair use does not require permission from or a license agreement with The Character Consultancy. However, in order to ensure accuracy in crediting of all original creators and citations, publishers are requested to contact The Character Consultancy to obtain copies and citations. See Contact Us information in the above menu.

B: The Character Consultancy's Policy on Use of Copyrighted Works

As a copyright holder, The Character Consultancy supports fair use of The Character Consultancy written or spoken works. Similarly, as a creator of artistic content, The Character Consultancy exercises the right to responsibly make fair use of works for which The Character Consultancy does not own the copyright, once permission has been sought and given. If you have any questions or comments on our use of images or believe an image has been reproduced in violation of copyright, please email us.

C: Royalty-free Image Use by The Character Consultancy

Partners that are uncomfortable publishing under the doctrine of fair use or own an image that does not qualify for fair use are encouraged to communicate this to The Character Consultancy. This License Agreement is designed to acknowledge and support the fair use of copyrighted artworks as well as encourage additional usage that may not qualify under fair use. Such uses include:

1. Use covered by fair use, to:
   • Encourage the long-term and widespread use/reproduction of The Character Consultancy's artworks without repeated permission requests.
   • Reduce the need for fair use analysis and decision-making as related to the non-commercial usage of reproductions of The Character Consultancy's artworks.
   • Provide usage assurance for individuals and institutions that are not comfortable publishing images of The Character Consultancy's artworks under fair use.
2. Additional royalty-free use of artworks in the License Agreement, subject to The Character Consultancy's approval, may include:
   • Promotional uses such as marketing and advertisements.

Artistic content creators are encouraged to contact The Character Consultancy to learn more about the License Agreement. See Contact Us information above.

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Cookie Policy

In this cookie policy you can read general information about:

1. How I use cookies,
2. The types of cookies I use,
3. For how long they work and for what purposes they are used,
4. How to change your cookie settings and opt-out, and
5. Who I am and how can you contact me.

When I use words like “me”, "my”, or “mine”, I mean The Character Consultancy, and thecharacterconsultancy.co.uk. You can find my company details below. I am both the data controller and one of the data processors. Currently I do not have any cookies on this web site, but if I add any in future, this section will give you the information you need.

When I refer to “you” we mean you as a user or visitor of our website.

This policy is part of my privacy policy. In the future, my use of cookies may include processing of your personal data and I therefore recommend that you check this privacy policy if you visit in the future.

What do I need to know about cookies?

There are different types of cookies and they are used for different purposes.

Below you can read about what a cookie is, the difference between first and third party cookies and session cookies vs. persistent cookies and what types of cookies we use on our website and why. I will also specify the types of cookies this web site uses.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small piece of data that a website stores on your device when you visit it. A cookie typically contains information about the website itself, a unique identifier that allows the site to recognise your web browser when you return, additional data that serves the purpose of the cookie, and the lifespan of the cookie itself.

Cookies are used to enable certain features (e.g. logging in), to track site usage (e.g. analytics), to store your user settings (e.g. timezone, notification preferences), and to personalise your content (e.g. advertising, language).

Session cookies vs. persistent cookies

Session cookies only last as long as your online session. This means that they will disappear from your computer or device when you close your browser. They are therefore also sometimes referred to as temporary cookies. Typically session cookies are used to remember what a user put in their basket when they are browsing a website.

Persistent cookies are different. These cookies are sometimes called permanent cookies. They will stay on your computer or device after you close your browser. These types of cookies will expire according to the time specified in the cookie. You can see the specific duration of each persistent cookie below. What’s the difference between first and third party cookies?

First party cookies are cookies that are set by the website that you are visiting and it's only this website that can access and read these cookies.

Third party cookies are set by someone other than the owner of the website you’re visiting. As an example, some pages have content from other sites like YouTube. YouTube may set their own cookies on your browser when you play the video from YouTube. Cookies set by other sites and companies (ie. third parties) can be used to track you on other websites that use the same third-party service.

Below you can see what cookies on our website are first party cookies and third party cookies.

Types of cookies and how I use them

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies are required for the basic functionality of websites that require information from you to work, such as websites that require you to log in. This does not apply to the contact form, as it simply sends your information directly to my email inbox rather than logging it.

Necessary cookies are also used to help with ensuring that you are given the option to accept or reject cookies, block non-necessary cookies from working until you give consent, and remember your cookie settings and choices. The cookies also help keep track of, if, and when, you gave consent to analytical cookies, my privacy policy, T&Cs and email marketing.

Necessary cookies are also used for payment processing (though I don't take payment via this website).

It's not possible to reject or accept the necessary cookies as they are core for the functionality of our website.

This site does not use any cookies.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies gather statistics that can be used to improve the website user's experience. The information collected via the analytical cookies track how you use our website during your visit. It helps the website owner to understand visitor usage patterns, identify, and diagnose problems or errors you may encounter, and make better strategic decisions in improving the website experience.

Marketing cookies

Marketing cookies are used in determining what promotional content is more relevant and appropriate to you and your interests. Websites may use them to deliver targeted advertising or to limit the number of times you see an advertisement. This helps companies improve the effectiveness of their campaigns, and the quality of content presented to you. These cookies may be set by the website you’re visiting (first-party) or by third-party services. Marketing cookies set by third-parties may be used to track you on other websites that use the same third-party service.

Functionality cookies

Functionality cookies are used in collecting information about your device and any settings you may configure on the website you’re visiting (like language and timezone settings). With this information, websites can provide you with customised, enhanced or optimised content and services.

Third-party cookies on my site

I do not employ third-party companies and individuals on my website, e.g. analytics providers or content partners.

How you can change your cookie settings, incl. opting out

My cookie banner always provides you with the option to say no to storing a cookie.

If I ever do implement cookies then I will also give you the option to change your mind. If that happens, just look for the shield beside my website. If you press the shield, your cookie settings will appear, allowing you to change your settings and reject cookies.

It's also possible to instruct your browser to refuse cookies from all websites, including my own. Most browsers are configured to accept cookies by default, but you can update these settings to either refuse cookies altogether, or to notify you when a website is trying to set or update a cookie.

If you browse websites from multiple devices, you may need to update your settings on each individual device.

Although some cookies can be blocked with little impact on your experience of a website, blocking all cookies may mean you are unable to access certain features and content on the site.

Who am I and how can you contact me?

My company information is:

The Character Consultancy
Address: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ

You are welcome to email me at: hello@thecharacterconsultancy.co.uk

This policy is effective from the 12th of September 2020. Updated 15th of July 2026.

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 14th July 2026

What Personal Information Is Collected

The Character Consultancy currently collects the following via the main site:

• All contact forms:
• email address (whenever we record this on our own systems we take only the first five characters of the prefix and asterix out the rest of the prefix. No suffix is recorded.)
• name (although whether to give your real name, full or partial, or some other name that you would prefer us to call you by, is your choice)


• plus (Artist Affiliates form only)
• your gallery's URL
• what you charge for a full-body, unshaded, unbackgrounded piece of art
• whether you do character design and if so, what you charge
• whether you offer a bulk discount on art and if so, what you charge for 10 pieces
• how many revisions you are prepared to do, and what you charge for them, if anything
• a link to your price list, a place to identify whether you are open or closed for business, and your Terms of Service


• or (Consultations form only)
• the name of any project you are working on
• a description of the same project
• your goals for the project
• your budget for working on the project with us
• date you would like to start the project

How This Information Will Be Used

I collect this information in order to be able to:

• send you documents as requested, including my questionnaires
• respond to your queries
• if you are a commissionable artist, to facilitate communication about art orders
• if you wish to initiate a project involving consultations with us, to respond appropriately to your request

We hold the above data for the following lengths of time:

• Query form: until we have responded to your query, except for legitimate interest data as specified below
• Questionnaire form: until we have sent you the questionnaire/s required, except for legitimate interest data as specified below
• Artist Affiliates form: indefinitely, or until you ask us to remove you from our system
• Consultation form: until the end of our project together, except for legitimate interest data as specified below

After which time we delete it.

If you have any complaint about how I handle your personal data, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by emailing the contact details given below, in the "Business Name, Data Controller, and Data Processor" section. I would welcome any suggestions for improving my data protection procedures. I will acknowledge any complaint within 30 days, keep you informed of progress, and explain the outcome. If l am uncertain of the identity of the person making the complaint, I may request additional identification information (such as phoning you on the number have on file or checking with you your date of birth). If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, I will be obliged to check you have the authority to act on their behalf either confirmation of power of attorney or a signed letter of authority from the person you are writing on behalf of).

If you want to make a formal complaint about the way I have processed your personal information you can contact the ICO which is the statutory body that oversees data protection law in the UK. For more information go to ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. This is in accordance with the UK Data Use and Access Act 2025.

Mailchimp

We also collect the following using Mailchimp:

• preferred name (whether this is your full or partial real name, or a nickname, is your choice)
• email address
• name of your creative project, if you have one (to help us personalise newsletters and one-to-one commuication with you)
• age (to help us ascertain what kind of content you are likely to want in your newsletters)
• whether you are familiar with teamwork (we find that clients who are still living at home often require more, and different, after-care than those who have left home)
• whether you are a commissionable artist (we understand that you are busy seeking work or completing commissions, and respect your need to only hear necessary updates from us)

We use this information to tailor the mail we send to you, to best suit your requirements and hold it until you unsubscribe from us.

Legitimate Interest

We collect data by seeking potential new customers on various online platforms for the purposes of commercial interest:

• Date of initial contact (to help us calculate average length of time between initial contact and a sale)
• Preferred name (to personalise our contact with you)
• Source (to help us focus our marketing efforts to improve sales rates)
• Usernames on multiple platforms (to ensure that if a potential client loses their account or the platform goes down we can still reach them)
• Watch, Follow, or Subscribe statuses for above usernames (to assess engagement of potential clients)
• Patreon pledge date (to allow us to study average duration of pledging)
• Discord username (to allow us to have synchronous contact with potential client and to facilitate provision of marketing materials)
• Questionnaire/s sent, date sent, date of chase-up (to record the provision of marketing materials and to facilitate timely follow-up)
• Blog/Mailchimp/Kaleida and date/Project Planning session (to record the offering and provision of marketing materials; Kaleida date taken as Kaleida project continually updates)
• Declared expertise (contact's status as an artist, writer, etc., to give context for our relationship with the contact)
• Sales qualified (to indicate whether we believe we believe a sale is likely to result from nurturing a lead)
• Project title + description (to tailor marketing to client)
• "Vertical" (meaning the client's demographic, to give overall context about them)
• Sales funnel progress (to record progress with lead-nurturing)
• Shown finished work (to record whether we have shown relevant works to contacts - blog posts to artists who agreed for their art to be used, etc.)
• Linked on profile page + date (states whether this contact has linked to us on their profile page and since when)
• Notes (record of lead nurturing done so far)

Some of the above data is a result of profiling based on the data we hold.

I will store this information for as long as I believe you and The Character Consultancy will continue to have ongoing communication with one another.

We keep data up to date as much as possible, including secondary or replacement accounts held by the same person.

Please also see our GDPR page detailing the sources of information stored on our database.

Third Parties

I share parts or all of the above data with:

• TCC employees: I provide only as much information as the given employee needs in order to do their job. Wherever necessary I anonymise data, e.g., for data analysis.
• Artist affiliates: I will share the details you provided in your form with any client of mine who requests the Artist Find service, if you are a suitable match.
• Artist Find clients: If you order an Artist Find and choose one of the artists I provide then I may share your contact details with your chosen artist/s.

Please note that while I am based in the UK, many of my contacts live outside of the UK. I share the data on the above basis regardless of where a contact is from.

Business Name, Data Controller, and Data Processor

The Character Consultancy
International House
64 Nile Street
London
United Kingdom
N1 7SR

Data controller and processor: Hayley Watkins

Contact me at: hello@thecharacterconsultancy.co.uk

Your Choices Regarding Your Data

The forms on my web site and the Mailchimp newsletter are optional to use or sign up for. If you do not wish to share your data with me via these avenues you are welcome to avoid doing so. As an alternative you may wish to contact me via my various social media accounts instead.

If you wish to request access to, correction or, or deletion of your data, please email me. Up to date information regarding your data rights can be found here: on the www.gov.uk website

If you wish to make a complaint, www.gov.uk provides guidance here.

Opting Out

If you wish to opt out of any future contact from TCC, please let us know via this email address.

Please not that this is an alternative to the right to be forgotten, in which all of your details are wiped from our records. If this happens then there is a chance our staff will find you again and contact you as if you were a new contact.

When you opt out, we will keep a record of all of your usernames but no other data, and assign you the value "DO NOT CONTACT - Opted Out".

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