Concepts and Ideation - Sketches for Book Cover Illustration

A client came to me recently asking for illustration work for a book they're working on. They requested an art style similar to that of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. For anyone curious about the look of the art style, this is the reference they provided, and a pretty good summation of how the game itself looks. To this day I still find it one of the best looking games out there.

We're currently working out details of what the main character on the cover will look like. They wanted a very similar costume to Link's with slight alterations, such as color and the shape of the hat.

So far it seems the bottom character pose is closest to what they wanted. The next step will be to finalize the pose (make it slightly less awkward), add the jagged stylized outlines and create a version big enough to fit on a book cover. The book will be 5.5" x 8.5", and the illustration will include the character and minimal background elements. More changes to come soon.