Mega Dragonite

In my first posted Pokémon artwork, starring Mudkip, I explored using graphics to create a design from an illustration. I hoped this would give the artwork a more unique identity than painting a background or leaving it blank. Continuing with this idea, I wanted to illustrate and create a design of the newly introduced Mega Evolutions for the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
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First to be introduced is Mega Dragonite.
My initial vision was to highlight its flight and involved a low-angle shot of Dragonite flying towards the sky with its tail trailing. However, in all my sketches, the sizing never felt right and being unable to see its face would cause it to lose a lot of its charm. I pivoted to more serpentine gestures to show off its tail and pearl, one of the major additions to this form. Through many sketches, I decided to use foreshortening to enlarge the pearl's presence, but struggled to do so without making it disproportionate. I realised I tried too hard to fit its entire body in frame, and by resizing it to move past the frame, I could sell the idea that it's coming out of the POV.
In the graphic design stage, I tested many, many compositions of shapes and text placements. Through my iterations, I found that I definitely needed a background, specifically green, behind the wings to prevent them from fading into the white space. With these designs, I also want to include the general icon of a Pokéball, in this case, I used it as a way to frame Dragonite's head and the Mega Evolution symbol. Overall, I want the viewer's eyes to start at the pearl, the strongest point in both colour and value, then follow along the tail, sitting at the head where the circular framing holds their attention.