In this three part series, John Thacker shows his complete process of creating a fantasy environment with a single character. This tutorial starts with a very simple sketch and explores the steps and choices to refine the design through quick line art, layout of values for balanced, eye catching abstract appeal, and how to keep things simple and understandable during the refinement passes. Also explored are thoughts on decisions regarding shape language, how to choose colors based on both mood and technical reasoning, and balancing of detail for readability.