I don’t know about you, but I find it pretty boring when an author introduces a character by simply describing what they look like (or by relating their life’s story).  But I love it when an author captures the essence of a character in two or three well-written sentences. Like this description I just read today: “The mayor’s wife mirrored his girth and utterly lacked Norvin’s good humour.  She was both rotund and big-boned and greeted the world with the sharp edge of her tongue.”