In this lesson, you will learn how instructor Mike Butkus develops early ideas for a movie poster through rough composition sketches and creature design studies. Mike builds the layout of a one-sheet poster by balancing the main character, opposing force, setting, title area, and overall visual read. He also explores zombie and creature variations, showing how changes in expression, silhouette, texture, and gesture can shift the mood of the poster before the final design is chosen.

This lesson belongs to the course Entertainment Poster Design Part I: Concept to Drawing. In this 7-week course, instructor Mike Butkus teaches you how to develop a movie poster from concept to final drawing. Working from a fictional action-horror brief, Mike demonstrates how story, composition, reference, character design, projection, and light-and-shadow organization come together to create a paint-ready poster illustration. This course focuses on the drawing and design stages of the poster process, laying the groundwork for Entertainment Poster Design Part II: Final Painting (coming soon).

Throughout this course, you’ll have access to the NMA community for feedback and critiques to improve your work as you progress.