This was created as my submission for the monthly Character Design Challenge. October's theme was Dia De Los Muertos which is such a cool theme, plus this was one of the rare occasions I had the time to work on a personal project!
My concept was this: Deceased mother and daughter only get to communicate once a year (via a metaphysical telephone line, of course), so there is a LOT of catching up to do!
My concept was this: Deceased mother and daughter only get to communicate once a year (via a metaphysical telephone line, of course), so there is a LOT of catching up to do!
Some basic steps of my process:
The focus of the illustration here was the character, so that's where I started from. Her pose was essential in conveying the feeling of being at ease and of casual chit-chat. This sketch was OK but needed refinement.
Final sketch. Added details on clothes, flowers, etc. I'm pleased with her face, pose and background grave, so it's time to move on to the painting process.
This is a colour draft. I will NOT be painting on top of this layer, but it serves as a useful guide for my final colours. I don't always need colour drafts, but they're essential when painting scenes with a lot of bacground detail or scenes with unconventional lighting conditions which is the case here.
Actual painting begins. First step is to paint the basic forms and refine the outlines.
Time to add some lighting and shadows and give depth to the illustration. Most of the time I keep my sketch layer on top of everyhing in low opacity (20-30%).
Zoom-ins:
