Why artists need to stay focused on their target

Digital art.

This piece was a cover for a book by Stuart Heinrich. I started by making sketches that followed detailed descriptions from the client. After creating three options, they chose one that I then refined and added colour to (see our picks of the best digital art software and the best drawing tablets if you need tools for your own work).

To help the client imagine the outcome, I made several versions with different colour schemes. Once a detailed sketch has been approved, I finalise the artwork.

Sometimes the process gets so engaging that you end up deviating from the original plan. That’s what happened here. I had to fix a lot of my work so that it was closer to the approved sketch. The lesson? Always keep your final goal in sight through every stage

Sketches

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

Colour development

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

(Image credit: Artem Chebokha)

Deals on gear

See below for deals on drawing tablets that we've reviewed.

Wacom

Intuos Pro Medium

Huion

Inspiroy H640p

Wacom

Intuos Small

XPPen

Artist13.3 Pro

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.