To be more precise, here's two particular cases I have in mind:
Case 1: An entirely original character. It has a name but doesn't belong to a specific copyright (except its creator's universe, I suppose) and has been depicted by several different artists.
Case 2: An original character that belongs to a certain copyright. It has a name but is not a canon character in that copyright (for example, an original Final Fantasy XIV character/a player character in an MMO, most commonly) and has also been depicted by several different artists.
In both cases, the creators are not artists, and have commissioned, requested, or otherwise obtained art of their character from various artists.