Final piece
Exploration sketches
Process GIF
Rough sketch. Done very quickly just to get the idea out of my head.
Tight sketch. I set all the elements in place so I could start rendering everything.
First pass. This one took a while since I was trying to get the proper style.
Second pass. Previous poses were too stiff so I had to do a redo. I also deleted the guy on the left since it was messing with composition.
Final pass. Added strange rock formations in the background for better visual interest and changed the dog's pose to aid in composition.
I did this piece at the end of last year for an unreleased project for an undisclosed client. However, the client approved the posting of the piece. It was an interesting assignment where I had a lot of freedom to interpret the subject, which was about hiking in nature. To me, that's always best experienced in the company of friends, always taking that next step that gets us closer to our destination. I wanted to make it all colorful, just like nature is.
I added a process GIF and some sketches. I hope you like it!