Illustration Process : Step 1

I recently started an illustration of Tyrion Lannister from the Game of Thrones. Progress is slow as this is a rather large and detailed illustration that I'm developing. I wanted to post about it as I move through all the various development stages I typically use while creating such an Illustration.

Step 1 : Pre-development Research

Pre-development generally involves researching the subject and getting familiar with all the elements that I want to show. Here are some images I found of Tyrion from the HBO TV series as this is the version of Tyrion I want to illustrate.

The lower image has a good view of his body and some nice detailing of his clothing that I may use, while the top is a much cleaner view of his face. My illustration will have to basically merge the two images seamlessly to arrive at the Tyrion I want to show.

I'll admit that I don't always have a clear plan for a background, but when ever I find something that's interesting I'll grab it and hold on to it. It doesn't always even need to be from the same material as my subject. I don't believe I'll add a background this time around, but I can always add one in the future.

After I'm happy with my reference images and research, I'll begin the line work.