Creating my Ultimate Image

Below is my original drawing. I cleaned it up a bit in Photoshop before I started painting and overlaid a grid so I knew where everything was and if the composition was eve. I tried to get everything leading into the mansion at the back so that the two main focal points would be the little bot and then hopefully his gaze and the rest of the composition would lead the viewer up to the mansion.

Next I blocked out the colour for each area and checked the composition was working. It was at this point it became clear that the positioning of the top of the window was wrong and therefore I had to manipulate the painting that I had into a better layout, as seen on the next image.

 Now with the composition changed I could begin painting in the detail all in black and white so I could get the values right before adding colour and texture. I used a combination of custom brushes set to different opacities and the smudge tool to create the highlights and shadows, particularly in the clouds where I used a very soft textured brush.

 I finally added the colour and texture to the image using overlay and multiplied layers, and added a mystical effect to the boy by changing his opacity and adding a red/orange glow. I tried to stick to a colour pallet of orange, purple and blue as these are the colours I have been using in my logo and throughout my brand, but also because they are complementary colours that work well together and don't overwhelm the image.

Finally I added a few finishing touches to the image and changed the value of the bedroom wall as it looked too far away and wasn't contrasting well with the background.