Before even Begin, I will like to tell you this is one personal approach for illustration work, must of my work is Illustration so, I hope it helps to clarify some questions about this topic, I don't like to marry one method or another, and you should not do it, it takes away all the fun factor, I encourage you to try and fail, and you may find more fun and exciting ways wich fill your needs, but let's go to the point.
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It should start with one idea (as everything else), sketch the over all composition I want a view from a weird angle of a girl looking at a futuristic city, I want to leave at the viewer a lot of assumptions, as what is happening there? so let's continue
First I like to know the people inside the little story more, before developing a full illustration, this may be not neccesary but I really, don't like to make fanarts, I like to practice on character develop in each work I do, so each character I do is original so;
Here is the design I did for this character.-
Well after knowing the character, and do a little thumbnail of the over all idea, I made the lines of the sketch cleaner but of course, need polish and a lot of corrections but, at this point, I'm still quite doubt about if I should omit things or change another ones, but that is worth of doing it at this stage, this stage is the perfect momment for deciding things, later on, will be really hard for turning back and re do it, of course you can, but why bother? now we are just having fun and trying things out.
Lines polished but still not lineart yet.-
This is a quick painting, to stablish the colour palete, mood and lighting, late evening, really warm is the first thing to come in my mind at this stage, I tried to use some colors which I didn't use at the final composition for contrast sake.
So what's that thing where she is sitting? well is a good idea to have some references to know it's volume and space relative to the over all enironment of the things you might consider important, otherwise, you should make it on the fly, I wanted to try some future motorcycle design, to understand how she uses it or why.-
Well, after stablishing all I tought I needed, I start to polish, as you can see, her cloth design changed at the end, maybe I should left it this way, but I inclined for rejected it, and I covered her back at the end.
Then try some lighting shading, coherent to the kind of mood, weather and environment.-
City shading and over all elements polished up and there we have the final composition.-
Maybe I should think different the next week or tomorrow but, work at your own peace and rythm, and over all, enjoy it.
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This is some other work I've been doing.-
Some rejected idea (maybe re-picked later...)
And here is a CG Portrait , the model is my amazing friend Grace I'll let her gallery down here you should visit her.-
http://karshaforever.deviantart.com/
No doubt each passing day seems shorter and harder to beat, but it doesn't matter, let's do our best to collect all we can an truly enjoy what we have.
Thanks for reading.
Keep ON!!