Step #1:

I take a general idea of what the client wants and I turn on some tunes and spend no more than 5 minutes drawing up these little guys. Anatomy and the correct use of perspective go down the drain here! Draw what goes through your head and leave it! Later on we'll go back and fix it but right now we need to get our artistic juices flowing before the ideas slip out of our heads.

General Idea: Deer who enjoys to paint.

1- A small deer alone, trapped in a great tree as a storm brews outside. The only thing to keep her company is the drawing along the walls of the inner tree.

2-Trapped in a box..the only thing to keep her sane is her drawings come to life. A little bit of irony in there

Step #2:

Once you've drawn a few general concepts you can narrow it down to a less broad idea. This is pretty much step one but with less artistic freedom. Crank up the tunes and get a few references out if you're having trouble then take another few minutes to draw.

More specific Idea: Draw Brooklyn up high on the mountains just watching out into the distance, with her colorful art plastered around the rocky walls that surround her.

3-Not my favorite this drawing needs an over haul but just goes to show, not all of your works are going to turn out the way you would like. Don't get discouraged if your first tries aren't working. Keep trying!

4- In the end this would be my final choice. It sticks to the clients request while also giving me so freedom to explore.