Sketching: Edward Kenway, Assassin's Creed IV

I've finally, after some good long while playing, finished the main story arc of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. So, naturally, I made some form of art of our dear Edward Kenway.

"We Could've Been Heroes." -Edward Teach
Also on display in my DeviantArt.

This whole piece took around six or seven hours or thereabouts. Not on the level of Kylo Ren, to be sure, as this was made on half an A4 paper. And even then the image only occupied the center right.

This image was used for reference, and I added some more for the right hand, as I decided to mix up the pose a little bit.

This was just a sketch made late at night. I later changed it up and ended by simply erasing everything completely.

The first sketched done was in HB pencil. crude, and only halfway done when I started shading in.

Now this was the face of an overgrown monkey. I would have changed that many times by the time I was done.  That wasn't as bad as how it was at first, though.

I used my 6B very much here, and HB for the lighter parts. After that, brush everything with a cotton swab. Also, in the meantime, I worked my way downward with the sketch.

Changed up the face a bit, and proceeded with the collar. The skull pin proved to be something annoying.

Then, I went in and shaded in the hand and gun. Actually, I didn't need to edit this out much at all.

I detailed the vest and flintlock in the belt. That part I needed to deviate from the reference, for the in-game shot of Kenway didn't have straps for the guns. I think it was also at this time I started to use the 2B more, and also tampered with the face (yet) again.

The rest was quite straightforward. The lower part of the vest were only hampered by my schoolwork.

Then, the belts and clothes were shaded in. That also wasn't too bad. Also, having learned about the problem with the guns' straps, the lower flintlock was a breeze.

All that was left was the arm. I decided to leave it at that and add some smoke effects.

Then, on to Photoshop to balance out the contrast, and I moved the eye a little bit to make it more striking. And that was all.

The result? The face was strange but at the very least recognizable (according to my friends). The smoke needs work. But that was all. And that is all from me for now.

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Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a game by Ubisoft.