By: Rimsky
This had been what I have always wanted to be: A lone courageous warrior with his trusted steed on a crusade to find the meaning of life.
He fights for what is right, believes in no god or others, only in himself. White here represents superiority and righteousness. A trustworthy companion is one just like the special people who have sacrificed their time and effort to assist him at times when he needed it most. He will be ever grateful towards them and shall return the favor on a later date.
The characters are cast in a desert environment under harsh, direct sunlight causing overexposure. First (failed) attempt to create a lens flare effect via painting as the lens flare tool from photoshop isn't working out too well for this scene.
The image below shows how I initially start off my digital paintings: A quick draft and creating a palette consisting of the base colors which I intend to use. The draft serves as an important guideline so even if you need to make alterations in the process, you wouldn't veer too far off course.
Tools used: Adobe Photoshop CS4, Wacom Bamboo