This was the finalised concept art I produced for the design of a character known as 'The Preacher' for an unreleased Netflix TV show pitch titled 'The Gift'. Dave Bautista was officially attached in the starring role. The show was to be set in the American West in the late 1800's and would follow the story of a stoic and mysterious werewolf hunter who finds himself embroiled in a centuries old conflict. I was asked to work on some preliminary designs for the protagonist.

Painted in Adobe Photoshop.

Colourways for the The Preacher's outfit.

The general design of the outfit was inspired predominantly by Clint Eastwood's appearance in Pale Rider, among other classic Western characters. It was important that the ornate silver cross be visible as a key part of the character's identity.

Hairstyle options for the Preacher.

The fade option (number 3) was my selected choice. Utilitarian, practical, period appropriate and stylish.
This image was to showcase the range of options from shortest to longest.

Facial hair options.

Presented in a similar fashion to the hairstyles. Ultimately the middle option was chosen, although I did have a soft spot for the goatee.

Detail shot of the jacket and silver cross. It was important to convey the texture and materials of the clothing.

Detail of the preachers gun belt, featuring a pair of Colt Army 1860 revolvers. The signature weapons of The Preacher. The one in his right hand holster features regular cartridges, whereas the revolver in his off-hand holster across his front contains silver ammunition for combating wearwolves.

Line drawing turnaround of The Preacher.
This was done to give a clearer look at the costume details as well as a look at the character from the back.

The Preacher's knife. For this I was inspired by American Civil War cavalry knives.
The show being somewhat fantastical and heightened called for a slightly over the top weapon such as this. The handle as you can see featured spiked knuckles for use in a fistfight, and the reverse angled point at the bottom of the blade was intended to cause heavy bleeding when attacking an enemy. Gruesome stuff.

This sketch was used to inform the placement of weapons on The Preacher. Being a heavily armed character, I felt it was important to find a practical way of storing all of his gear.