Rough In Idea and Pose

I have a rough concept of a cat like warrior in my mind. I'll spend the first few minutes blocking in the general pose while keeping it loose and thinking of the overall silhouette. The design of the outfit will be worked on along the way through the painting. At this initial stage, there is no need to worry and overwork on the details. Most importantly is to keep it loose and looking at the painting overall.

I like to start off with a mid range tone for the background depending on the subject and lighting. Slowly adding in the darks and highlights to bring out the form as I develop the painting

Pondering Outfit. Strong Silhouette

I move on to think a little more about the outfit and define the anatomy of the character.

*Simple shapes vs complicated shapes

Design Appeal Vs Functionality

I decided to break off the shape of the armour around the knee to have a better design silhouette ,which also allow better articulation of the character. Constantly thinking about form, design appeal and functionality of the armour and items.

* Constantly flip your painting horizontally to correct mistakes and have a fresh perspective of your painting.

Lighting and Contrast

Once the rough design is set in, I'll add in lighting to bring out the form of the character. Working on the body anatomy, outfit, accessories and weapon.

Addng in Fur

Defining the facial features more in this stage and, touching up on the fur with a tint of white.

Background. Keeping it Loose.

The strokes are kept loose but enough to suggest some form and hint of structure in the background. I wanted it to be some form of oriental temple.

Details and Refinement.

Further details are added in at this stage, the emblems, patterns and textures. Refining the different materials for the items, e.g. metallic surfaces, cloth etc.

Colour Adjustments and Final Touches