Working Methods
The input I receive from the art director varies: sometimes I get a thumbnail sketch, similar to the image above; sometimes just a verbal description, written directions, or a script (in the case of a storyboard).
Often there is photographic reference available; in this case, the client had a "shoot-around" of the vehicle which I was able to use to make an accurate drawing. The most important element (usually the product) establishes the perspective for the rest of the image. If the main element is correct and believable, it will help to carry everything else.
In the recent past I would have done this drawing on tracing paper, which would have been scanned into Photoshop. Now, using the Cintiq screen/tablet, I do this and all subsequent steps right into the computer.
Using a variety of Photoshop brushes, I freehand in a background scene. The car is on separated layers, the lowest of which is a simple white shape which makes the car opaque. If my background doesn't work out, I can still salvage my work on the car.
I am careful to make sure that there is plenty on image beyond the expected crop.
Using a "multiply" mode layer, I use an airbrush-type brush to add weight to the background. I'm only thinking in terms of value (black/white) here, color can be dealt with later.
I add layers ("normal" and "multiply" modes) to give dimension to the vehicle; these layers are "grouped" with the other car layers. Whenever I feel that I making difficult strokes, or strokes that may need to be cleaned up separately, I just make a new layer. I can always merge layers later if needed.
As a quick way to add color to an image, I put a "color" mode layer on top of everything else, and use a "color" mode large brush to change my grays into saturated hues, broadly. These color zones can always be refined by additional "color" layers, or touched up with opaque colors on a "normal" layer. Usually I don't worry about making the colors too intense, because I can always lower the opacity of the color layers to back off the saturation. This color layer was actually dialed back to about 75% from what I applied intially.
This image was working well early on, so I can quickly wrap it up by adding some opaque highlights on a "normal" layer.
This is an action shot, and some of the detail and crispness of the background is competing with the vehicle. so I want to apply a blur to most of the image. I do this by making a "merged" layer (which combines all the work so far into a single, new layer on top); I do a blur filter on that entire layer and then erase through it to show the sharp layers underneath, but only around the headlight, where I want the focus.
I save this multi-layered file as a .psd (Photoshop) file, and keep it in case changes are needed. I save a copy as a flattened .tif or .jpg file to give to my client.
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