Lucifer in Chains

Phase 1

So far, so good. It's been a while since I foreshortened legs, so this pose was a challenge!

Now, there ought to be gothic chains & shackles, so I would have to do some research to choose just the right kind (I'm going to look at some Walter Crane engravings for inspiration & ideas).

The hair - should it be wavy or straight?

The background - should it be a dry rocky desert or a cold fortress of ice?

Phase 2

Does the hair look good on him? I opted for wild, unkempt hair to give Lucifer a savage look.

I've eliminated the skeletal frame of the wings because when combined with feathers, the whole thing would only make him look angelic. Now, they're gathered feathers that resemble a cape.

Phase 3

Other wing is done.

I've altered the hair a bit to show most of his forehead.

As for the background, I decided to go with Dante's concept of hell - a cold fortress of ice, where all feelings die.

The drawing looks solid already.

Phase 4

Now Lucifer's chained & shackled on the wrists & neck. Could he ever escape? I foreshortened the chains to create the illusion of them coming from out of the sky. Now that I look at it, I believe three chains look too busy & heavy. They draw attention away from the main man.

Phase 5

How's this? I took away the chain & shackle holding onto the neck. That looks better.

Phase 6

Generally, the lines look clean & nothing of the original sketch has been altered much. Haaa... I finally finished inking the outlines.

It took me 2 straight hours (what's with that?)! It doesn't usually take me this long but switching between sharp angles on the ice & soft curves on the feathers is tasking.

Phase 7

Shaded-in the face. I start with the eyes because they define the character most. From there, one can begin working on everything else because the mood has already been set.

Then, went all out with the feathers. Feathers are easy to render but they take up a lot of time.

Phase 8

Rendered shadows on the body & the hair. I gave the hair a hi-gloss texture. His hair is already wild to begin with, so a rough texture would make the entire head look unappealing.

Chains & shackles are Shaded-in too.

Phase 9

Ice blocks & shards have been Shaded-in. I made sure not to feather in the textures too much so they would look sharp & rough.

I was going to add more detail to the chains but decided against it. Doing so may create friction with the subject.

The background fades from black to white from the ground up. I believe this strengthens Lucifer's presence in the picture.