In his first of three titles, J.P. takes you on an exciting creative and technical journey showing you how he begins a fantasy illustration, "Dark Riders", purely from imagination. He covers the early stages of his process, from the initial idea to thumbnails, concept design and the final color sketch. J.P. also discusses how character personality, costumes, weapons and action poses affect the narrative of the final illustration. You will learn the creative process of composing your thumbnails, and how to use segments of your designs for future reference as you get closer to the final dynamic illustration. Over the course of the lecture, J.P. covers the uses of traditional media like markers, acrylic and oil paints, discussing the advantages of each.