Part of a fortnightly sketch group with my old
Uni chums, we're given a topic to simply draw something from our imagination. This fortnight's topic was Wild West, so of course...Cowboys!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxv76tiDei0gLKSraindt0ibD3MKzjteKPQFNPe2-kwXHavsdHeEo8rtlqj1ZYl_VLSF64C2FjEtJUp_UfHH4TGhbFU6n9oWfQqonZhhpLJl4ZHrrE2_NzzxU8pgyrqtPkhHunihHKQI/s400/Cowboy09.jpg)
Trying to get myself into a better habit of doing research and fleshing out my character more. I began with these thumbnails, actually I started with better thumbnails but the idiot I am, I deleted them all!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvNYwOulJ2GP5Zcrcwiqhw8KhFPFGeEEe5CAhnSaAWebE45BAbcSnJ7p_aoFdNj1KEBWuuFQj49-J9BW0VqUPxPDKaVytTS_Enf_yhErCEDlskigduYGZUG5u7wtHlXqAbPsceSqJuhw/s400/Cowboy_Silhouettes.jpg)
Then with the chosen pose, I fleshed it out and added some details and tone.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLSnW5e3G7CrvV9o0ucwvuj3_BK8SxOxGCq9P8yVrewmeqN8CT1eIJeRAGCNzbpXOMRt7rDoiVF6A_qUtvuceMcrU7uug6AVNfPXVVGieSqkRpDrj4RwW2OcLQguU4vSQZUivxnWQZtk/s400/Cowboy.jpg)
Although I was happy with it, it is incredibly boring. I knew I could so better. What was so boring about this image? I thought the angle was very dead and the character proportions could be pushed more.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0-8FQYPHyCxgPN82L7gKX0-RhXaykO1A5RJYeEz0YN1UZkDhpwLwsZ0AyV0febI70NVBQvQOtEPI5HEyBzM4rvnNu9wQ7sRHU68GfEb_2iIa-0OV7eCK4vzT9YLCdaQmOTikoTA9glc/s400/Cowboy11.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgf8u-8tgZQKK2wvaMLJ0VlLWtU3LWOs7e-ApGAVo8aDXHEnFDc_ZkZS_QALRMKccOJnGadiBSzpXC0gYdrxALNj2LmlpyYDaS60L0iBqKBTDpFOMfsQR0AVXWib5aSqLR5ORqkrJQow/s400/Cowboy10.jpg)
Taking some sketchbook doodles into Photoshop, I built up the character more, really focusing on shapes and angles.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPH67cIGFR_k4z8I5Sxj8KGhx-jm0CQQxAiIPs6gN0tiCF-_7fTLX9q0FkLoM13YRJ9F9bDbkEhGg6nO5VMk91nZ0d9b4iCovIi5_IwJLrQqUZBmXojQSDxZcWsDb7sfYCBL13DwLqjM/s400/Cowboy01.jpg)
Added details and tonals.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcFWmp4L9pvZzYxsd2_3qVGsPdnfABJRD_AS0eE1NlzKyH7eBfq4oCzUzT5UB47pOgFvImFi0Rv0uAb7d9NqUPYiUJY1F5n95I9LQNnVVRGnzIhtrTFdJucbeudF3-AqfNUVgGse_mS8/s400/Cowboy03.jpg)
Colour picking from some Red Dead Redemption art, I blocked in colours, using my tonal as a guide and a reminder of what I want the light to be doing to old Hoyt.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPvrb3Z7WwFm_Sez0jNW-lNcqn5Ln49z3ltXZyQamGuPGcdIutzL4RsHOjA8f8_ZczSL0GrRQYwYqZHAWz9Hmurpgop8BY_bpEV-iqTOpETK0tG3dY7ILqnjmdlvBeswuxbwuvII3P4E/s400/Cowboy05.jpg)
Cleaned it up once more, correcting the shotgun perspective (which I still doesnt work, grr).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_bCbRcoqNFDTGUuC3Wou5bfx2zlHUmeJZwT_fzg8aKegnD02rnjcSUZ4wOmPg5OWVEDI9BhRT-BuyH2NWIOoZ9BCOI6ASMJYo1mqKEx2QglAHDFyv9pVfF2n4eAF1RE-IB-dy3mTomI/s400/Cowboy06.jpg)
Without lines.
With lines.