Behind the Mask

(Said a few hours ago.) Just like coffee from Dunn's! I've been working on humans like crazy for the past few months. (Gasp.) Mostly, they've all been masked, but I was searching on google for an image of a masquerade and this photo of this woman popped up, and it just stayed in my head. So I sketched her out in my English class, and editted quite a few things. So I've decided to be an artwhore, and post my WIPs... get some critiques on the makeshifts, and work towards my final piece. (That's my climax, and I've almost reached it! It's mostly started, I'm just deciding how shiney I want her lips, her eyes, her mask feathers, and whatnot.) I'd like some C&C on what's public as of right now, so I can make adjustments in my closer-to-final piece(s).

If this turns out, I'm doing more humans. *pokes* I've done a Halle Berry already. (She turned out hot, but nobody'll ever see her because she was a commission.) (End of few hours ago.)

WIP: Sketch http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15668474/
WIP: Blotch Colors http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15668508/
WIP: How Not to Color Chins and Jaws http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15671258/

*takes a deep breath* Used: Graphire.3 tablet, with pen. Corell Painter that came with it, drawing based off of reference, around 8 hours total. (5 of that non-stop.)

Basics: The first sketch was done at home this morning, when I was lookin' stuff up on Google. Then I left to catch the bus since my car is busted. After that, I was lookin' at school for masquerade and started sketching it there. Sketched through lunch hour. Afterwards, I sketched a more defined, less "rough" sketch in English. The first (digital) sketch was in MSPaint. The second was editted in Corell Painter, then I used the dodge and burn tool that're in Adobe Elements. Then in Corell Painter, I continued to do the shading on the chin, then switched it over to Open Canvas in French, where I did the eyes. Afterwards, I put it back into Elements to use the smudge tool to get it all to mesh in with the black background.

Special thanks to those here: http://www.spankmag.com/f/d.cfm/cc.70397/p.htm
As well as: :iconpinkdagger: Rose-of-Rei of dA

Image (c) Jillianlily Weiss
The reference in my brain is (c) whoever took it.