The Emperor - Revised Edition (Patreon)

I was very happy with the creative choices in this piece, but I was unhappy with the underlying structure. There was something about the pose of the old version that felt very un-emperor-like to me. My failure here didn't have to do with AI, but with a lack of reference gathering that was also happening during this period.

Skipping on the reference early in the process is the sort of thing that will only bite me in the butt only sometimes. When I stick to my best practices, awkward poses like this don't happen. Thankfully, I was able to rearrange the existing elements and spend some time cleaning up the painting. The end result feels much more in line with my original vision.

I hope you enjoy!

-Pete