To keep from describing the same guy over and over, I try to get models from the internet. It’s usually just something I can look at while writing the character. For ERIS (Eternal Truths, Book 1), I was mostly depending on imagination for Ranulf, but for Lucien I had ample help from Luke Goss.
I love looking at that man. Luke Goss played Prince Nuada in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Nomack in Blade 2, and several other parts that I enjoyed watching a great deal. When I saw a picture of him sporting a head full of blonde peach fuzz with a beard to match, I knew that was who I wanted as my model for Lucien. Hell, if this ever gets turned into a movie, I want him to play Lucien. 😛
If you do an image search for Luke Goss, one of the first pics that shows up is the one I was staring at while writing Lucien.