Finished what would have been my Retro Spaceship entry, had I finished it 4 days earlier... I'm not very comfortable with mechanical stuff so I'm fairly pleased (just now) although I know I could have put in a lot more work on the "solar oars" especially. But I'm sick of them now (Been at this all day, when it was only meant as a warm up before trying again at another image I started yesterday and kept failing miserably with...)
Very Cool! Excellent spaceship. I like the old style recognizable
radio antennae and the solar oars together with new propulsion and sensor
arrays thingies.It makes me wonder how
they work and the what for.The moon is
Beautiful!I really like the moon and its
city lights. I think you should get out of your comfortable zone more
often.
I think that looks pretty great! Is that a city in the top left quadrant of the moon, built into the crater?
Going outside your comfort zone is a good thing (though maybe not always as satisfying or rewarding as this), and I think your skills are more well-rounded than you give yourself credit for.
Thank you And yes, I think it was originally Moscow before I placed it on the moon and changed it a bit I thought it'd be nice for the ships to have a destination of sorts.
www.charlotteahlgren.com IFX Gallery Elfwood Gallery
Phew... Yesterday (or, to be more accurate, today at 1 am) I finished the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. And I was so upset and frustrated I could barely sleep, after. For all I knew this was the last book in the series and all the characters are spread all over their world, their destinies still unfulfilled. But now I've done some googling and found that there are (at least) two more books coming, although it may be a while. I prefer reading finished storylines (because you never know when the author will be hit by a buss and never finish at all) which is why I bought all 5 books at once, but I guess I'll have to settle down and patiently wait for the rest of the story. And maybe paint some again... If I can remember how to do that...
www.charlotteahlgren.com IFX Gallery Elfwood Gallery
Figured I'd post a wip for once... Plenty still to do on this one and I can't believe how many times I have to repaint everything. The hair is the fifth or six version and I'm still not happy - will probably keep this though and just try to improve on it... Hands are far from done (and I'm aware that the two straight fingers on the raised hand look particularly odd), dress is not done, jewellery is not finished (and she's missing a strap! oh my!). Background is obviously still missing. A big fire is what I intend, though I noticed when inverting the background layer (so I could see better when painting her hair) that she pops so much more against pale blue. Only then all the light colours are wrong so they'd have to be repainted and I tried a quick overpaint and she pops much less with cool lights and cool background. Very annoying. Anyway, in spite of all difficulties it's gone better than I expected, so far... (Haven't painted in far too long, now...)
It still looks very good at this stage Voluspa. I think you are very brave using such a highly saturated primary as a base colour in her dress and I'm sure the issues you raised will be sorted as you progress. But, there is just one observation on the anatomy that I would point out and that is to do with the thickness and weight of her neck. Combined with the strong lines of her jaw, it is a slightly masculine feature for me. I did a little paintover to illustarate the tiny change it may take. It only took me a minute or two and you kick my butt with your paintings, so it should take you no time at all!
I actually think you have done quite a nice job thus far on the hair. Most male folk like long thick hair on women folk, and she has plenty of it! Looks good!
This piece is destined for greatness methinks....... No pressure!
Charlotte, it's a great painting so far: reminds me of classic Flemish portraiture. But the biggest issue is her face. Specifically, it looks more like a him. The neck is very thick for a female, and the jawline very square. With the heavy brow and small eyes, the overall impression is that Melisandre is keeping a very big secret from Stannis.
As a remedy, I'd advise making the neck much less thick and square by curving it in and up to the skull. And trimming her chin and recessing the lips a bit will remove some of the masculinity. Also make sure you maintain the angles across the face: hairline, eyes,
nostrils, lips, and jaw should all run parallel to each other. So I
think lowering her left eye and tilting her lips a bit will help too.
I hope that's helpful. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!
Thank you both. I've already slimmed the neck ever so slightly after Dom's advice but I'm not sure I want her too slim and girly either. Guess it's because I want to convey she's a strong woman (if misguided ) and perhaps also because I think somewhat masculine women can be very beautiful... Anyway I'll take a look at her facial features - they didn't feel quite right so your advice is going to be a great help, smolin :)
Looking good! I think Dom and Smolin's recommendations about slimming the neck, shifting a few features to fix alignment, etc. are spot-on, but I like that you're wanting to hold on to some of the details that makes her—in my eye—quite stunning, and that's the slightly masculinized, strong, handsome beauty you've captured. It's very refreshing to see! My IFX Sketchbook :: My Website
Hey! So here's your thread :) I will reply on the lates image, then ;) I really like the way you worked her silhouette! The hair has a nice shape and the hands are in an intereting position. The red dress makes her strong. I think, what you'll do (or have done) with her neck and face it's really up to you. But if you don't want her to look a typycal delicate female, you can make something in between? A bit strong and delicate at the same time? Just an idea :) Isis Sousa - CG Artist http://www.isissousadesigner.com
I've done some minor changes to her face and neck, not sure if I'm done with that or not, yet... I think her head is probably a bit on the small side compared to her torso but it helps make her look tall, to me. Not sure if Melisandre is tall but I guess my version of her is. She's supposed to be a bit scary after all... I've mostly painted and repainted (and repainted again) her right sleeve but I think I'll need to leave the dress so I can work a bit more on everything else...
When I started painting Melisandre, I expected to spend a few days on her - I think it's been almost two weeks now. So I figured I needed a break and did some "speed painting" (or rather sloppy painting with fairly small features that couldn't be noodled with forever) inspired by the current weekly challenge. I spent about three hours and somehow all day has passed anyhow... I'm not sure what happened? (And no, I don't intend to enter this in the weekly, it's not nearly good enough. Just needed to doodle.)
Oh and I might need to explain... the purple blob is supposed to be a wormhole kind of thing. And the vegetation was supposed to be alien but ended up more autumnish...
(Been at this all day, when it was only meant as a warm up before trying again at another image I started yesterday and kept failing miserably with...)
And yes, I think it was originally Moscow before I placed it on the moon and changed it a bit 
