Step-by-step: Building up the emotion of a scene
1 With a relatively simple composition like this one, I generally like to work in black and white first before I bring in any colour. This enables me to concentrate purely on the composition and layout of my scene. It also means I can work quite fast and can quickly sketch my design. I want to create a static camera angle to help focus on the character in the image. 3 Colour can finally be added into the scene. I deliberately choose a more desaturated colour palette as an extension of the character’s mood. He looks bored and a little depressed, and I want to carry this feeling into the environment, too. The young king is still the main focus of the image however, and the level of detail is gradually being built up. 2 I continue to work in black and white, and flesh out details in my design of the character’s costume and throne. The shapes are still fairly chunky so I can quickly make adjustments where necessary. I focus a lot on the figure’s positioning to make sure that he appears bored and uninterested. It’s crucial that the image reads well now, before I take it any further. 4 Eventually, I reach the final stages of the image. I include a warm light source to beam down on the character to help separate him a little more from the bleak surroundings. Detailing is given to the face and upper body to help focus the viewer’s eye. It’s also important to capture a bored expression on the character’s face to sell the image and how uninterested he is.