So for the last week or so I've been studying anatomy. Muscular and skeletal, and this was my first attempt at utilizing my studies. The only reference used to create this was a picture for the pose. Structure, muscles, and shading were all me. Like my last post, this is the first stage. Black and white ink drawing. Started off in loose pencil sketch, I refined it to a more detailed drawing, then traced it with black pen and sharpie. Scanned in, set to black and white at 300 dpi, I pulled it up in Photoshop, erased all the extra spots and pencil marks I missed.

Then I lay in my flat colors and gradient background.

Then I add highlights and shadows, use a picture of clouds under my gradient background, and and a blur effect to the cape and hair to give it the sense of movement. Then, using the lasso tool I enclose superman, and his eyes to add an outer and inner glow effect.