The Flame Path Expert

2nd of three illustration dpeicted the progress of a fire mage as she gains more and more power. I love fire. It makes for very dramatic lighting and if possible I'll often make it the only lighting in the image, hence why all the illustrations in this series are depicted either in total darkness or at night.

Face detail as seen on the full resolution version of the illustration

Sketch prior to flat color and painting.

timelapse video of process. (posted through youtube for better quality). Credit to William Nguyen, his face lighting reference tools are fantastic and you can see me pull it up briefly in the video.