SPIKE

This is my first attempt to digitally paint a concept, design and lighting without any reference. The biggest challenge I encountered was changing everything midway since I felt my thumbnails needed to be pushed more. Because of that, I had to rework areas, erasing and painting over lights and shadows over and over again. It got a bit frustrating since I lost count how many hours I spent on this. It was actually supposed to be a warm up exercise but there was something about it that I couldn't let go of. However, I'm quite satisfied with the result. 

In this piece, Spike, a pre-historic turtle, takes on the playful nature of a domesticated puppy, wide-eyed, innocent and ready to play at a moment's notice.