Black Mage - Character Concept & Illustration Process
This is an illustration I made during a six week portfolio project in my school.
Funnily enough, after four weeks or so, I had already realized a lot of things I would do differently, if I were to start again, but I was already to deep to change much, lol. I still like the final piece and taking something from it is definitely valuable. :)
I chose a character design I had been messing around with for a few months. Wanted to practice a fantasy, and less "oh, but this would be so invconvenient for battle!"-mindset ^^; Her personality changed quite a lot since her first sketch...
Her look for the illustration. I wanted her to be more confident and capable black mage, harnessing her power and knowing how to rain destruction upon her enemies, rather than a shy litte girl that is new to the craft! (I ended up not drawing the fabric.)
Some of the thumbnails I made to get into the mood I wanted to convey. Still like the idea of A2, but after some feedback, B's versions had more impact. Maybe another time. :>
First grayscale sketch, combining B1 with a bit of a different pose.
Messing around with the clouds, as well as more interesting shapes for the spell and lighting!
Added some color for testing. Changed the background after a chat with one of my teachers to add more depth.
Final piece after some color changes and adding more effects!