Solgaleo gijinka - Drawing process + ref

Before I start! OBVIOUS DISCLAIMER- I do not own the top left image of actual Solgaleo- its there for reference purposes only- it belongs to pokemon- which of course I don't own either!
(Can't be too careful)

Okay! So this is the first time i've done something like this and me and computers don't really get on so i'm not sure if it looks... good? But I thought it might be interesting to share my working process with character design! Full image is below~


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Ive numbered them so, here goes~ :3

1. Figure sketching

First I start off with like a really rough figure sketch. I wanted him to look intimidating so wanted a tall, muscly figure looking down. I'll usually do a few mini sketches to get ideas before trying a larger scale though~

2. Adding detail/ refining form

What I do after is a far bit of redrawing/ tracing of my initial sketch and then start to
Here i've made him a bit bulkier and muscly. The added armor pieces and clothing help to accentuate this, especially in the shoulders. When i'm happy wit the scrappy sketch, I trace it (using my computer screen) onto a clean sheet of paper and then fineline in ink- this way, I avoid pencil marks when it comes to colouring. I have a few different colours of fineliner- I used yellow on his hands because I wanted him to be holding some form of bright energy.

3. Background colour

I start with a base colpur layer with promarkers, moving from lighter colours to dark.
I've learned its better to draw/ colour the background first and, although it's a pain, it does seem to be gradually improving the quality of my drawings. So I wanted to emulate the cover of pokemon sun with the sky's palette. The yellows, oranges and greys compliment Solgaleo's design really. Also, I shaded the bottom clouds and parts of the cliff in purples/ blues where the sun doesn't hit- kind of adds more depth!

4. Figure colour

Integrating the figure is always challenging. especially with dramatic backgrounds. I am happy with some parts but still feel the shadows aren't dark enough- I really need to be braver/ more decicive about this, heheh! I guess that's me all over though X3
Design wise, i'll usually stick to the colour palette of the pokemon, but add details such as the woven belt/ sun motifs and stylized patterns on the leg armor
My understanding of light is at least growing every time I do something like this!

5. Pencil shading -> completed image

I don't always but I love going over my promarker layer with coloured pencil. They're softer and easier to work in gradients/ shadow and depth. This works well especially in the clouds.
I also pick out highlights with a white gel pen- I also got the sunburst effects more defined in this way. I 'd recommend getting one if you're into traditional art- they're a godsend- help fix your mistakes and everything! XD
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So... I hope this was interesting, even just to look at! this is just a rough of my working process~

How I pick apart and design clothing for a character is a whole other process, so i'm sorry I didn't go into too much detail here, but hopefully you can see which parts I used and adapted from the reference. And if anyone's interested in that process, let me know and i'll put something togtether fr the next one, maybe~ <3

Let me know what you think!