Fiona

Set in 1780's Scotland, Fiona looks back to see her mill burning to the ground.
Cover for C.A Hope's Novel, New Lanark: Spinning New Lives 

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I enjoy painting simple scenes like this because it allows me to focus entirely on the emotion of the character rather than secondary details. Though, one small requirement was that her shell bracelet be visible. This somewhat dictated the placement of her arm, but I think it works well in this case.

Below is the "sketch" I submitted for approval. When working digital, I've started going full color and paint for these sketches. It really doesn't take much longer than a b/w drawing would, and I rather solve most of the problems at this stage so that after the sketch is approved it's just a matter of making it look good.