This drawing is my entry to Art Explosion, Week 20: Theme - POWER, organized by @juliakponsford. Thanks for arranging a fun contest!
I saw this guy on the street once, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA (I lived there a few years ago, working on the Elder Scrolls Online game).
I was struck by how strong he looked, even though he wasn't huge or a bodybuilder or anything. Kind of independent, self-sufficient, don't take no bullshit from anyone. And so when I started thinking about the word 'power' for this contest, I remembered him and tried to draw from memory. Difficult. I probably failed, but it was a fun exercise. :)
Here are the steps.
First loose sketching, with Photoshops default Pencil tool. Then lots of erasing, moving stuff around, and refining with a darker stronger brush.
Lastly selecting some parts on a layer and filling them with black, reducing opacity, erasing softly to the top to create a gradation, then refining the tint layer.
I tried to keep it loose and sketchy because that can sometimes give a feeling of vibrancy and energy to the final image. Not sure if I succeded though.
Well, that's it, thanks for looking, see you next time! :)