Detected
Compositional Thumbnails.
The prompt for the piece was a character hacking into the systems of a space station while another character provided covering fire for them.
They also wanted it to have a cyberpunk feel to the image.
After receiving these thumbnails they chose option 2.
Colour Thumbnails.
The options for the colour palette were somewhat limitless so I tried a bunch of very different moods. (Left)
They ended up choosing 9, but wanted some of the red alarm lighting from 8 added to the picture.
After receiving that feedback, I investigated how to integrate the red lights without getting them lost in the pink and purple lighting that was already there. (Right)
I also did a bit of brainstorming to come up with a premise for the scene, in hopes that it would inform my visual development of the scene.
Rough Blockout
At this point I took the thumbnail and painted it up a bit to get a feel for where the major elements of the picture would be and how I wanted to frame the characters with the environment.
I was also trying to think about the purpose of the room, and what sort of props it would need to function properly. IE - Computer terminals, screens or holograms, handles for people to grab onto in zero-G, servers, air circulation, heavy airtight doors, and so on.
Prop/ Object Design
I took the major elements of the thumbnail and tried multiple designs for each of them, so I wouldn’t have to try and figure out so many details while drawing up the layout.
This was somewhat time-consuming, but it was also pretty fun!
Thumbnail Iterations
Next I investigated the design the different elements in the picture. I put together a reference board on pinterest to assist with roughing out different versions of the picture.
In the end there were parts I liked from a few different thumbnails so I made a collage of them to end up with the final thumbnail I’d base the background on.
Costumes
I also had to do some investigation into the costumes of the characters. The client wanted the space suits to be based on an outfit I designed in a previous commission I did for them.