Character & Environment Concept - Bazaar of Bargains
This detailed endpaper illustration was created as part of a mock-client project to simulate a real-world book illustration brief. My goal was to showcase my strengths in combining character, creature, and environment design into a single immersive spread. The brief came from an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, which helped ensure the scene captured the tone and richness of a lived-in fantasy world.
Set in a bustling desert marketplace, the piece features a wide range of fantasy races — from fae and tieflings to orcs, dragonborn, humans, and natural animals — along with layered character interactions and carefully balanced light and texture.
You can view the original brief that guided this illustration by expanding the section below.
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“Create an endpaper illustration set in an Arabian- or Persian-inspired desert market. The scene should be rich in vibrant colours, fabrics, and fantasy elements, with multiple fantasy races present. The setting is a desert town, so materials like sandstone, lamps and silk should be visually prominent.
In the scene, I’d like a young man speaking to a jovial genie merchant who sells an assortment of odd, whimsical, and nonsensical items — though the market stall is just a front. In the story, the genie is a powerful, well-informed being who enjoys pretending to be a merchant but doesn’t actually need the money.
The young man should have his face uncovered in this scene, with a tattoo of a dragon, partially visible on his cheek and disappearing under his clothing. He should appear reserved, but smiling. The genie should be cheerful and welcoming.
The time of day is noon, with sunny weather.”
Project Overview
To illustrate this endpaper project, I followed a structured, client-style workflow to simulate a real-world book commission:
Mock Client Brief → Thumbnail Concepts → Rough Sketch → Final Sketch → Base Colours → Final Rendering (quick time-lapse available)
To begin the project, I created 3 rough thumbnails to explore composition, perspective, and the overall flow of the scene. Each version positioned the genie’s shop and surrounding market stalls differently to test how best to convey the energy and scale of a bustling desert bazaar.
The goal at this stage was to find a layout that balanced world-building with character storytelling. Ultimately, Thumbnail 2 was chosen by the mock client for its immersive viewpoint and stronger sense of market activity.
Stage 1: Thumbnail Exploration
Stage 2: Rough Sketch
With the chosen thumbnail locked in, I began translating the layout into a full-resolution sketch using an industry-standard endpaper template provided by the client and based on common publishing dimensions. At this stage, I blocked in the characters using simplified mannequins to establish clear, readable poses before adding detail later.
The focus here was on solidifying the scene’s overall structure — refining the perspective, character placement, and market layout while maintaining flow and clarity. This version was then shared with the mock client for feedback before moving on to the final linework.
Stage 3: Final Sketch
In this phase, I refined the entire sketch — developing every character’s pose, expression, outfit, and interaction with their surroundings. I also added intricate prop details, patterns on fabrics, and architectural elements to bring the marketplace to life.
This detailed sketch served as the blueprint for the final render. Once the mock client reviewed and approved this stage, we moved forward to colour and lighting.
Stage 4: Base Colours
Once the final sketch was approved, I moved on to establishing the flat base colours for the entire scene. These initial colours were chosen to reflect the general palette & atmosphere we were aiming for, though much of the final richness and lighting would be developed during the rendering stage.
Since base colours can often appear flatter or cooler than the finished piece, I also shared mood board references to communicate how golden sunlight, warm tones, and ambient glow would later transform the scene — ensuring the mock client had a clear vision of the final intent throughout the process.
Stage 5: Final Rendering
This final stage brought the entire marketplace to life through detailed rendering, dynamic lighting, and carefully applied textures. Each character was painted with individual lighting based on their pose and position within the scene.
Textures were layered across the environment to enhance the desert setting, including worn sandstone walls, carved arches, patterned fabrics, and the dusty street. Every corner of the spread was rendered with attention to colour, light, and ambient mood, drawing from Persian-inspired design and the warm golden tones of midday sun.
A mockup showing the full spread endpaper illustration of the “Bazaar of Bargains”
Timelapse of Full Process
Here’s a quick time-lapse capturing the entire process — from the rough sketch (after finalising the thumbnail choice) to the final rendered illustration.