Knight & Hummingbird Manga Cover

I’m commissioning a full-colour illustration that will serve as the cover spread for my new concept series, “Champion for Hire.” The image must show our medieval knight—plume of pink-tipped feathers flowing from his helmet—standing or moving dynamically beside a small, glowing blue hummingbird familiar. While the two characters remain true to their fantasy origins, the setting should lean toward present-day scenery (think city streets, shopfronts, coffee stands) so the Isekai premise is obvious at first glance.

Visual direction
• Style: crisp, Traditional Japanese manga line work with vibrant, cell-shaded colour.
• Mood: a playful, almost whimsical energy, yet with enough motion or tension to hint at action.
• Background: predominantly modern details, lightly threaded with subtle fantasy cues (faded runes on a bus stop, a neon sign shaped like a sword, etc.) so neither side overpowers the other.

Key character notes
• Knight: full armour - he’s moon-lighting, not fresh from battle. Pink feather tips must pop against the palette.
• Hummingbird: bright, magical blue with a gentle aura or particle effect. It should feel active—either hovering, darting, or looping around the knight’s shoulder.

Deliverables
• Final cover artwork at 300 dpi, CMYK, sized for a standard tankōbon (front 127 × 190 mm with 3 mm bleed).
• A layered PSD or AI file so title logo placement and minor edits remain possible.

If you’re comfortable working in Photoshop or Procreate and can hit this balanced tone, I’d love to see your portfolio samples and hear how you’d tackle the concept.

NOTE: I do not have a character reference sheet for the knight or hummingbird - i am happy to share some inspiration for you when we start working together.