Real Worlds - Enforcer Key Illustration Process

Enforcer Sketch

I started off by copying and pasting the thumbnail I chose onto a separate canvas.

I then drew out a box in an attempt to fix drawing so it made more sense for the perspective it was in. I then did a sketch over it to add in the enforcer's features and armour.

Lighting Pass

Since my chosen genre is survival horror, I wanted my enforcer to look quite terrified and have lighting to reflect that mood. I decided to use a flashlight that had been dropped on the floor to illuminate my enforcer. Here is the basic sketch over on how I'd think it'd look. I plan to use a reference later to help me accurately capture this when I clean up the sketch.

Edits Based on Feedback

I had a discussion with Sam using the image shown under the lighting pass heading. He suggested having the part on the tongue on the left being in the foreground and then showing it curving around the enforcer's other arm. He commented that it would be uncomfortable for the arm to be that straight in the previous image so I had it bend inwards to make it look more relaxed. Sam also showed me how I could use the Photoshop tools to distort the perspective more.

Final Sketch

I then did some more sketching to make the shoulder piece look better and have it curve on the shoulder. I also fixed where it was placed as it was a little too far down. I then sketched the hands.

Lineart

I went over the sketch with a black pen and cleaned it up.

Flat Colours

Here are the basic flat colours for my key art.

Lighting 

I then duplicated the colours and made them darker. I used a multiple layer for the shadows and a soft light layer for the flashlight beam. I used a brush to add some texture to the background to make it look more interesting.

Background

I then blocked in the Nightstalker's spikes. Using a soft light layer, I coloured in the reflection from the touch light. Finally, I darkened the edge on the canvas to help make the enforcer pop.

Finished

Finally, I added in the enforcer's shadow using a multiply layer. This is the finished key art.

Reflection

Compared to the last key art, this was more in my comfort zone as I had a simpler background. My main struggle with this key art, was the perspective. I haven't drawn a lot of extreme perspective so I had a lot of trouble especially when it came to the shoulder pad. To help me with similar drawing in the future, I plan to draw more life drawings with a focus on extreme perspective and anatomy.