Gatekeeper

This is the final illustration for the contest. I changed the initial building in the background to a large door where she stands in the front to guard against enemies. She is a powerful villain with a duty to protect the empire and prevent enemies from trespassing.

This rough concept reveals a wider view of the gate/door that the gatekeeper is guarding. The skull of a vulture at the top of the gate symbolizes the civilization's dark nature. 

Current progress on the illustration

Refined minor details and colors for the concept design.

Tried out various lighting scenarios with simple values.

Experimented with thumbnails to explore various compositions.

This is the current look of the guardian, there are already a few changes planned on certain features of the design. So it will be edited before I move on to the main illustration with environment.

Experimented with a few silhouettes to identify the shapes that best fit my character.