Sketch Redux (November)

This time around, in honor of a surprise for me in Spectrum 15 (Dawn Murin, WotC AD, submitted this piece on my behalf without me knowing), we have the development process for "The Howling Delve"
Sketch 1

To this Dawn asked that I zoom in to focus more on the character, and flop it to help the flow of the cover graphically
in addition the editor had these comments
Got feedback from the editor, and she loves it! The only thing she commented on was the condition of his robes. I agree with her that they should look much more gnarly. His gray-blue robes were stained--Mystra's mercy, in some places charred--soiled by old urine and waste.
Yuck! Another good reason for a tighter crop on Varan. I want people to look at your painting and imagine what he smells like.
Sketch 2

To which Dawn had this to say
This is lookin' good! The magical orb he's holding is very cool and I like where you're going with the lighting! What do you think about him looking a little more directly at us? Almost like we've snuck up behind him and caught him off guard. I'd really like to get a good look at his face and that empty eye socket, and a crazy man always makes for a good portrait. It would better engage the viewer and create more of a sense of unease if he's making eye contact with us. Not that you *want* to make eye contact with him!
Sketch 3

Dawn liked this so we moved on to
The Final