Creating concepts with David Sequeira

In these mini tutorials we will be exploring some approaches to concepting charac-

ters and creatures in any 2D digital software. Senior concept artist David Sequeira
will guide you through his process for creating three fantasy and sci-fi designs,
using a different ideation technique for each.

Concepts © David Sequeira | artstation.com/artist/david_sequeira

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Figure Drawing for Concept Artists
Warrior
Silhouettes
We’ll start off by creating a generic fantasy
mercenary using a front-view silhouette
technique, incorporating elements of gesture
and negative space as discussed in Figure
Drawing for Concept Artists. This method is easy
to use when creating model sheets as part of a
professional concept art pipeline.
I’m working in Adobe Photoshop here, using
a chunky brush that resembles charcoal. Even
at this early stage you can add a lot of mood
and gesture to the character – in this case,
the relaxed confidence and power of a typical
veteran warrior.
Geometry
The silhouette’s main “shape” is that of a
triangle pointing upwards, which helps to
lend the character his sense of strength and
balance. The triangle shape is not only present
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in his overall body, but is echoed in the negative
space created by his legs and even under his
arms in some poses. A triangle is quite a static
shape, but with one foot placed slightly further
forward, and the addition of some clothing,
we will bring more of a sense of motion to the Above left
silhouette. Creating a strong,
distinctive silhouette is
Sketching a good foundation for
One of the most fun parts of the process is just your sketch.
creating random designs, using the silhouettes
as a base to work on top of with loose lines. Above right
Here I start to flesh out the design with clothing Triangles will be a
and accessories. When creating the costume, I recurring part of this
keep in mind what kind of cultural background character’s shape,
and role the character might have; in this case, I strengthening his
am blending classic fantasy barbarian clothing design.
with plate armor like a knight’s. Even if you’re
creating a fantasy character, you can maintain Right
a sense of functionality and purpose in their Explore different
clothing and let the costume tell a story of its costume variations by
own. However, don’t spend too much time on sketching lightly on a
this stage – keep your drawings loose and clean! new layer.
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Figure Drawing for Concept Artists
Line art
I choose the thumbnail that matches my
central idea and seems best suited for the clean
line drawing (in this case, the third thumbnail).
If you were working on a project with an art
director, this might be the stage at which they
choose parts or pieces of several thumbnails
that best match the brief. I start to draw with
clean lines that are easy to read, reworking any
anatomical details, proportions, or perspective
details that need correcting as I go along. Keep
the design fairly simple at this stage – you
can always add more armor, such as shoulder
plates and a helmet, after this initial layer.
The lines of the armor and cloth can add some
motion and volume around the body, which
will make it easier to create grayscale tones and
shadows later. Approach clothing and fabric in
the same way you would approach the gestures
of the character’s body. Even when drawing
weapons and armor, you can use them to add
motion and visual flow that lead the viewer’s
eye to the main focal point of the figure (in
this case, the head). I often create the face last,
allowing me to focus only on the costume.
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Grayscale I don’t make it too shiny and reflective, but
Adding a skirt gives more dynamism to the enough to create a weathered metallic finish.
costume, creating another “triangle” that Looking at photographic or real-life references
reinforces the main gesture of the body. I start of metallic surfaces is valuable at this stage.
the grayscale shading process by applying a And now the concept is complete.
gray base to the character – first one shade,
then others separated into layers for skin,
armor, cloth, leather, and so on. This enables
me to adjust one layer’s properties without Above left
changing the others. A very dark costume can Note the recurring
make a character look evil, so I use a balance triangular details in
of light and dark grays to give this warrior a his armor, echoing
neutral appearance. his overall shape and
stance.
Shading
The final step is adding light and shading to the Above right
character, based on a light source that’s almost Apply flat gray tones on
frontal and slightly above the character. I new layers to establish a
merge all the gray layers and create a new layer simple base for shading.
above them set to Multiply mode. In this new
layer, I use gray to paint in the shadows. Then I Right
create a new normal layer between the shading Use quick shading to
and the line art, on which I start to refine the capture a light source
rendering to make it more smooth. For the and differentiate
metal surfaces, I use a lighter gray and start between the materials of
to paint the zones where the light hits directly; the character’s costume.
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Figure Drawing for Concept Artists

Left
Some different methods
of visualizing a
character’s shape: rough
gestures on the top row;
flat overlapping shapes
on the bottom left; and
the three-dimensional
inner flow of forms on
the bottom right.

Top right
A balance of angular
and curved surfaces
creatures a balanced
appearance that’s
neither too gentle nor
too aggressive.

Bottom right
Establishing the
character’s design with
a cleaner line drawing.

Cyborg
Outlines
We’ll approach this second character with
a different technique. I want to design a
mysterious, somewhat feminine cyborg, with
a touch of an assassin. Here I use hierarchies
of large, simplified shapes to visualize the
most important forms. I also bear in mind
principal flow, which is the overall shape and
movement of the body or object, and inner flow,
which is the lines and overlaps that suggest
volume, folds, and mass within the figure. In
these sketches you can see how I visualize the
character’s body: first as gesture sketches and
flat overlapping shapes, then as forms with
inner flow and volume. For more tips about
improving your approach to gesture, turn to
page 36 of Figure Drawing for Concept Artists.
Lines and shapes
Even if the character is a cyborg or robot,
consider how lines and shapes can create a
psychological impact on the viewer. This rule
is not set in stone, but curvy lines give a more
gentle aspect, while straight lines are more
aggressive. On the left, you can see how the
curved lines help to create a gentle flow in
the character. In the center, you can see how
angular lines create more aggression and
hardness, which is often used when designing
enemies. Finally, there’s a hybrid version with
some curves and angular interruptions in
some places, creating a sense of rhythm and
a balanced look that is ideal for a neutral or
protagonist character.
Sketching
Here I am building up the shapes and pose of
the character, keeping in mind my idea of a
feminine assassin cyborg so I don’t lose those
aspects as I draw. I also try to preserve the
sense of motion and direction present in the
thumbnail. I stylize the legs to be a little bigger
than normal, so that I have a larger surface to
work with when adding detail and tone later.
The cyborg’s nutcracker-like joints become a
recurring visual theme; repetitive shapes or
details help to convey a mechanical feeling, and
it’s subtle ideas like this that give a character
more flavor!

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Figure Drawing for Concept Artists

Line art Grayscale

I begin the final line art on a new layer, using I add the gray base on a new layer underneath Above left
clean lines for a more sci-fi feel. If you struggle the line art, as covered in the previous project. The finished line art
to draw mechanical parts, just use some I use darker tones for the base this time, to with added joint details.
reference material and adapt a few specific create more of a stealth or combat vibe. To keep
parts to your character; this allows you to bring the dark grays from becoming overwhelming, Above right
in real-world elements without losing the flow I balance them out with high-contrast focal Darker tones befit an
of your drawing. Try to use common sense areas such as the face, making the overall tone assassin-like character.
when drawing joints, mentally visualizing how seem more neutral.
the mechanical parts would move. If you’re Top right
part of a professional project with 3D modeling Shading The final design after
and rigging artists, it’s important that your The last step is adding shading and tiny details. shading and detailing.
design works in different poses. This type of I shade with a simple hard-edged “cel shading”
dynamic pose helps to show how the character style, typical of animation, using only one Bottom near right
might move, compared to a static standing pose level of shadow and one highlight to denote Extra bevels add more
like in the previous concept. reflective materials. Adding extra lines and volume to the forms and
bevels to some areas, such as the legs, creates shading.
I am also careful not to overload the design with more interest and volume, making it easier to
details, so the viewer’s eye doesn’t get tired. For read the character’s shape. And after that, the Bottom far right
example, the character’s legs show a balance of concept is finished! To distinguish between
detailed areas and smooth surfaces. Similarly, I reflective materials from
add lots of mechanical detail around the head matte ones, just add a
to make the human face pop out visually. brighter highlight!

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Figure Drawing for Concept Artists
Creature
Thumbnails
For this third concept I will be creating a
cartoonish forest creature. This requires a
different approach because it’s more stylized,
but I still want the design to have a natural flow.
When you create a cartoon or stylized character
or creature, their materials and surface texture
can help you to convey a lot about them – half
the work is done if you can decide what they
are made of! Here are my rough thumbnails
to start off with, experimenting with different
shapes and organic materials.
Research and imagination
When you start out designing a character,
creature, or even architecture, understanding
its materials will help you to show gesture and
form. Here are some quick tips that will help
you to use your time wisely in the early stages
of concepting:
1. References are fundamental. They give you
a better understanding of the subject
and make your design more real and
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plausible, even if it’s a cartoon. One of my
thumbnails is a toadstool creature, so I
draw studies of real toadstools that might
be relevant.
2. Some organic objects have a natural flow
that can help to push the overall gesture
of the subject, such as the leaves and bark
texture on these plants.
3. 
Adding moss, ivy, or other graphical
elements to these rocks helps to create
shape and volume.
4. After a while you will develop a mental
library from which to create familiar
objects with fantasy or alien aspects,
without needing reference.
5. Surface texture can help to give form and
directional structure to your subject.
6. Mixing all these aspects and approaches
together – real life, stylization, and
imagination – can bring more strength to
your drawings.
Sketching
After the thumbnail process is complete, you
should have an idea of which concepts to
develop into a final drawing. Grab the parts
that you feel are interesting as a starting point,
and start a new sketch to push the gesture of
the character. Here I’ve chosen the overall idea
of the elderly toadstool thumbnail, but added
aspects from the others, like the mushrooms
growing on his head. Roughly joining these
ideas together, I make a cleaner sketch with a
more exaggerated pose.
Above left
Thumbnails for an organic forest
creature.
Above right
Research the different aspects of your
design and experiment with how you
will depict them.
Right
Piece together the final idea from
aspects of the previous thumbnails.
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Figure Drawing for Concept Artists

Line work
I reduce the opacity of the sketch to 20% and start to
refine the idea on a new layer. The creature’s face is the
main focal point, so I leave some open space on the right-
hand side to lead the viewer towards it. The flow of the
beard also directs the viewer towards the creature’s face,
though I reduce the amount of detail nearer the face
so that the beard does not become distracting. When
drawing the arms and legs, I add some flowing textural
lines that create direction and volume. To help with
shading later on, the weight of my lines is influenced
by where I imagine the light source to be: the lines are
lighter on top of the character, and thicker underneath.

Grayscale
I add a gray base underneath the line art, the same as
in the previous projects. The tones are similar to a real
mushroom, with a dark cap and lighter body underneath.
Keeping this in mind, I play around with the contrast of
the mushroom’s body, using the dark beard to help the
face pop out.

Shading
I use the same approach as the cel shading in the previous
project, but this time I use an opaque textured brush,
which saves a lot of time in adding variation and flavor to
the shading process. I start applying the shading, keeping
the light source in mind, on a layer in Multiply mode.
Because the line art already has some internal flow and
motion (like the creature’s arm, for example), I make
sure the shading follows the same direction to add the
correct volume. For the highlights, I work on a new layer
in normal mode, focusing on the nose to keep the face as
the main focal point. After that, the concept is finished.

Top near right

I put more emphasis on line weight here, as it helps
to convey the surface and texture of the character.

Bottom near right

The final design with added shading.

Top far right

Applying flat gray tones on a new layer.

Bottom far right

Gentle blending in a circular motion, especially in
light or rounded areas, makes the shading feel less
smooth and digital.

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