WIP - Fanshen

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Wow, I love the dress already.........and think it's amazing you can build this via lights and darks with no drawing.  My brain cannot comprehend how, but it appreciates the outcome!  Can't wait to see more as you develop it  :)

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((Like Heulwen, my brain cannot wrap around how you can do such wonderful work without a predrawing. Just blocking in and going with it seems so much a hassle, but you make it look so lovely. The dress is beautiful, but her expression is especially fetching.))

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She smells of the sun
And she's constantly saying
That's it's alright because lies sound so nice
And like soil to seed goes, casting my fears aside

-Satellite, BT

 Interesting. Way cool, too.

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I'm a Twit now! Wait a second....

 ((Okay, nobody else has said it, so I will.

Hey...nice Fanny...

:) ))

Oh dearest Fanny!  As beautiful as ever!

(( Wonderful!  I can't wait to see more of it! ))

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Wow awesome stuff!

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"I want to hurt you just to hear you screaming my name..." - Tarja -

Thanks for all the kind words folks. I'll be getting back to this soon enough. Been working on the other workshop project. Also, feel free to critique. You see something that doesn't look right to you, speak up. Your don't have to be an artist to see something wrong. So if something feels off, say something. That's why it's a Work In Progress thread. Appreciate your time!

Yours,

Eri

Slight pose change, adding more twist to the look back. Facial work. Proportions work on the arm.

There was something a little too "young" about the first take of the face. So I did a two value repaint to get something a bit more adult and classical. I also pushed the turn a bit more. I'm showing this closeup, because it reads better. I work these things at a much higher res than I show as a rule. Also, dropping back to these solid values helps me not cheat with all the blending. I was getting ahead of myself there. Also, I did hit Neetie's crits.  Thanks Neetie!

Today's update. Working on the ground, the dress, the arm and torso. Playing with some compositional ideas and lighting implications. Critique welcomed and appreciated.

Ok finally got a free hour to work on this, turned the shoulder back a bit per Aktarin's comment. Chopped the frame on the painting behind her down a bit. Was getting crazy there. C & C welcomed.

Ok, I'm still working this in high value, but I was getting eye strain looking at it in half grey so I ran the levels down to get a full range. Working on blending the values in the body now, lots of work on the scene itself. Work on the painting and it's frame, the table, etc. Critique is always welcome. Remember that nothing will be as black as this is at the moment. I'll be working the darks later with color on top of the grey under painting. This is just so that I can see what's happening in a full scale as opposed to the half I've been working with.

The bit that looks slightly 'off' to me is her......deltoid?  Um, the connection between her shoulder neck and head.  It seems to rise very high in a very steep way.  Also the alignment of her neck, as it were.  She looks slightly like she's sticking her neck out, turtle-fashion, and I always kinda imagined Fanny being ramrod straight!  The apparent 'height' of the (? deltoid ?) is what gets me most, though.  However what I don't know is whether this is a 'trick' on my vision played by the part of the values hiding where the 'lines' will be, or if it's really the angle it seems to be.  I'm guessing it's a trick, and the only real problem is I don't know how to 'see' in values properly  :)

Hope that makes sense, but I doubt it  ;)

Loving watching the process!

Finally got some time to get back to this. Hopefully hitting the notes from last time. Work on the dress and around the body overall.

Going well!  She looks almost.........Munchy   :)

Holy wrinkles, batman

Back to this after a long hiatus. Brought it over to Artrage for a bit more painterly control.

The thing I see about the table legs comes from my brain (at least) being used to such table legs as having their "outward hump" on the corner, as seen with this table:

Fanny's table seems to have the legs humping out only to the side, and they're also like... coming out from under the table-top.  I don't know a lot of tables of that style that are put together that way, since the hump-out of the legs is a decorative thing and usually put out on the corners and not hidden under a tabletop. 

I find the perspective over all a little "high" in regards to the viewpoint, and I'm not sure if it needs to be that high for how we're looking at Fanny. I'd have to put it in my computer and play with it myself to see.  The angle of the floor just seems pretty dramatic, which in turn affects the table, etc.

Her near cheekbone does look a little low compared to the far one.  I think if you took the eyeline and lowered it a smidge or two as a guide, it would show the near cheek's "droop".

/nitpicks for breakfast!

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Just call me Artie, dear.

Lolz perspective is a bitch.

Red lines are what's there, green lines are my uh, "corrections"

Click for bigger 'cause it's really big.

The issue with the table (and less noticably the picture frame) is that it's going to a different vanishing point than the wall.  If the picture continued, the table would actually intercept the wall, sliding into it in a way.  If you pull it out to the same vanishing point as the wall (as defined by the convergence of the footboard, which seems fine when looking at it) then the table will sit more correctly.

Also, the far leg is back a bit farther than the near leg.  I think that was just a matter of like, unconciously wanting to show that claw foot even though it might get partly covered by the dress.

I didn't mess with the oval picture or the vase because ovals r hard in perspective.

I think this would also help in the viewpoint seeming so "high" - we're seeing a bit too much of the tabletop right now, methinks.

I hope that helps!

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Just call me Artie, dear.

((Keep up on this one! I just noticed it now, and the progress I see as I scan down is very distinct. How many hours have you put into this? I still remember reading some of your early work about Fanshen back in the day. I can't add any more criticism then the great notes that have already been given, so I just want to add that I love the faint outline of light in the mirror. Such a small detail, but it brings that image of the image to life. Well done!))

Long time no update. Hitting Artie's notes, so a lot of repainting & painting out in progress here. Vase will come back once I get the table more established. Shortened the neck a bit, and did a total repaint of that area. Big change to the hair style, going for a more aristocratic coiffed look. Hair curlers anyone? Moved the cheek bone up, need to do a bit of softening there. Moved the jaw down and back a bit, and did some work on anatomy there, defining the massetter. Still not happy with the shoulder girdle and the clavicle. This angle is weird on them and it's hard to visualize what they would look like and how they'd catch the light. I might have to break down on have someone pose for me, just so I can stop fussing with it. As always, all comments are welcome.

Not so long an update. Lots more work on the neck, back and shoulder. Some anatomy work on the forearm. Refined the table shape and got a shadow started under it. More tweaks to the hair, lowering it down just a bit so it doesn't look quite so Maire-Antoinette.

(( Still looks awesome. Can't wait until you feel you've finished it.

Oh, and the Gnome Crunchies are in the pantry. Caramel flavor! ))

 I'd Rather Be Fishing. . .

Ok, stole a few moments from the employer this morning to get at this while the comments were fresh in my mind. Hit the notes, I think. Need to work some highlight back into the neck, as that it's gotten a bit uniform in the process of reworking. The images were very helpful H'. Don't ever depreciate your comments. They're generally very insightful. Thanks to the rest of you for the comments. Always appreciated. Hopefully get some more time on this today.

Took this home last night and repainted the face (four times before I got something I liked). Got some tilt into the head which I think helps the gesture of the look. May need to look at the highlights on the hair so that there's no cue's left over that counter that tilt. Took care of the chin falling back making her all "English". Maybe needs a bit more contrast in the face yet, though this is an underpaint so that might be taken care of when the color comes in eventually. Will give myself a few days on it before I touch that part again to get fresh eyes. Again, all comments and observations welcomed.

P.S. Not sure I like this after all.... *sigh* back to the drawing board. Oh gods, punage too.

And five tries later again...

Trash it, do over, trash it, do over. Closer to what I want...