When the movie came out, I had already been anticipating not only its release but its reception into the wider pop culture world since it was announced. There's a host of reasons as to why. Besides having a gripping mythology, Black Panther represents an ideal like all the best superheroes. An African king at the head of the world's most technologically advanced and isolated nation on earth that fights for the world provides a deep and rich creative soil to cultivate. I knew that if general audiences could be exposed to his story, then Black Panther could be the household name he deserved.
It's also extremely important to note that Black Panther was the first Marvel movie featuring a majority black cast and creative team. While there are other movies that had paved the way such as Blade, none had the opportunity to make such an impact. There's a lot more to be said here, but if you're curious, you should probably read other more authoritative voices. A quick google search provides some articles by major outlets like Rolling Stone and The New York Times
With that being said, let me walk you through a piece I created in anticipation of the movie's release
This is the starting sketch. I wanted to give his positioning a sort of regal strut that emanated with strength. He ended up looking more static than I would have liked, but at least, the intention was there
I then went over the lines with inks. As you can see, I had already done most of the detail in the pencils. The big change came in BP's left arm as I changed it to work within the frame of the piece
The I added a gradient background with a flat darker grey for his body.
The I added the backlight to really give some strong contrast and make his figure pop
Then, his necklace and other ornaments were added. I used a highly textured brush for the shadows.
That was it! It's not a complicated piece by any means but I hope you see understand how I put it together! BTW Here's a bonus version. I had added some text and when I was uploading to instagram, I was playing with some of the filters and I'm a little bit salty because this one filter made it look much better than what I had done lol Maybe I should have had a little color from the get go!
