[Character WIP] Lilith

[Sunbane]

Todays progress. Had to interrupt shading the hair due to cooking. =Phttp://w1.651.telia.com/~u65102548/images/sketches/Lilith_14b.jpg

[ajay1589]

I like it! My only problem is with the lips...one side is larger than the other...other than that the style looks great

[Sunbane]

Ah, yeah you're right. I'll try to fix it. Thanks for the comment! ^^

[Sunbane]

Today's progress:

http://w1.651.telia.com/~u65102548/images/sketches/Lilith_19b.jpg

Finished the hair, fixed the lips, made the face thinner, and started shading/highlighting the body.

I will fix the ugly free-flying hair clumps later They're supposed to be groups of strands, but they need more work before they look the part. I need to redo the eyebrows as well.

It's kinda starting to get overloaded with details. I'm not sure if I should proceed according to plans and add more.

[NOOB!]

i don't understand why people don't reply on this forum,i thinks its impressive,i think the hair could use more detail.

[commodore]

I like the skin color's. Funny that you have done so much and noone has commented yet. Propably cause there's so much works here.

[Sunbane]

Yeah, that's probably it...I hope! XD

Thanks for your comments. ^^

Right now I'm in a bit of misery over the hair. I tried detailing it out with individual strands/strokes tonight, and it ended up looking like cr*p. =P
So I deleted them.

I think I need to take some time off it and come back with fresh eyes and mind.

And I need to figure out what to put in the background. Any ideas? =)

[NOOB!]

i don't see enough space for a background,but also i don't know anything about the character,so i wouldn't have any suggestions for a background.hehe.

[Sunbane]

Oh, I'm pretty sure I can squeeze something in there. =)

Anyway, if anyone wants to know the story of Lilith, here it is (very briefly):

According to some ancient texts, Adam had a wife before Eve, and that was Lilith. Like Adam, she was sculpted from clay and created as his equal. Apparently she was strong-willed, and refused to be treated as inferior by Adam. Adam went to God and complained: "WTF! She won't let me be on top when we do teh nasty!!111121". And so God ripped out one of Adam's ribs and created Eve for him instead. Being thrown out of the house, Lilith went away to live in a cave somewhere, where she gave birth to demonkind.

In recent years, some fiction writers have used Lilith's name for all sorts of vampire stories, but this is supposedly the original myth. =)

[Sunbane]

After a little hiatus, here's the current progress:

http://w1.651.telia.com/~u65102548/images/sketches/Lilith_25b.jpg

I've only just started on the background. The flying thingies are still only 5 second sketches.

I noticed a perspective error in the outfit:
The middle strap should probably tilt a bit to the right and be moved a bit left.
I'm not yet sure if I'm going to fix it, since it would mean redrawing in three layers. =/
Feedback regarding this would be great.

I intend to make her left eye (to our right) somewhat smaller.
I think it floats out too far towards the edge of her face.

I still have lots of detailing to do - both on the character and the background.
Please give me any opinions you may have.

[BrutalMonk]

I like it!
Cool colors. Nice background.
The idea was good but the hair is now a bit detailless. But nice.
Thanx,
Dave

[Sunbane]

Yup, right now the hair is a bit "helmety". I haven't gotten around to adding more details to it yet. There are also plenty of details missing from the outfit.

[Tonik]

Lovely work. It's a very stylish piece. Those flying things in the background look fun. Will be keeping an eye on this to see how it comes along. Good job.

[MathieuBertrand]

Very impressive, I love her eyes.
The shading is pretty good too.
I would probably give her a meaner expression but thats just me.

edit: maybe since she is a mother she should look older...

[jmBoekestein]

Good stuff man,

The whole(edit:picture) looks very moody, looks like there's something brewing there. And if you ask me those "flying thingies" would only need some shading after carving them out a bit. They fit right in. What would make it more real though, I think, is putting some of them partly behind her.
Have a blast.
PS:fixt-it...uhm...I think...

[Sunbane]

Yay! =) Thanks everybody for commenting!
And don't hold back on any crits if you see something that looks off.

IO: Yes, I'm pretty happy with the shading, considering that I haven't used any references. It's not perfect, but I think the current level of realism will do for this piece. I'll see what I can do about her age. It would probably be difficult to correct, since her head/face really is too short to reflect adult properties (my mistake, I've been drawing in manga style for the last four years). So just adding wrinkles would probably just make her look freakish. -_-

I will move on to detailing the character today, so hopefully I'll have another in-progress shot up by tonight, or tomorrow.

[Sunbane]

Latest progress (which isn't a lot, I admit):

http://w1.651.telia.com/~u65102548/images/sketches/Lilith_31b.jpg

I haven't really had the time to work on this for the last couple of days, but the time that I did spend, was spent mostly on the face.

* Worked on the shading around the eyes.
* Added more realistic eyebrows.
* Added eyelashes.
* Added reflections to eyes & gem.
* New tattoo design (the old one interfered with new eyebrows and shading)

[ditchman]

this is very beatiful work, the way the light plays on the different surfaces of the face is great. the only thing that bothers me is her head and body seem to be at two different angles. the body looks realy flat on (reinforced by the neclace having no angle) and the head is veiwed from an almost 3 quarter angle, but it doesn't seem to me she has her head turned. It almost seems lke 2 different pictures to me, just my opinion. i still think it's fantastic work.

[Sunbane]

Yup, you're pointing out the biggest problem I'm currently having with it. I think the general body alignment is okay, but the middle strap and the gemstone amulet are in the wrong perspective, throwing it all off. I'm also unhappy about the rightmost strap, going over her shoulder; it too implies a more "head on" perspective.

I've been hesitant to do anything about it, since it would mean lots of redrawing - but now I think I may as well go ahead and butcher it up. =P

[ditchman]

yeah, it was definately the amulet thowing it off, glad you'd seen it already. (i'd hate to think i'd ruined your day)

[ajay1589]

The part that pulls this peice together...are the eyes...the way you've created them is outstanding...other than her clothing/jewelry i think it looks awesome

PS:I must admit...based on the first drawing i really didnt think you could make her seem "beautiful" but the details are what has made her!

[Sunbane]

Current progress:
http://w1.651.telia.com/%7Eu65102548/images/sketches/Lilith_41b.jpg

I haven't quite had the peace of mind to work with it, after I started reconstructing the outfit to better fit the perspective. I've been busy digging out prospective employers (my contact person at the unemployment agency is after me!). But now I'm back in gear with it. Kinda. =P

* Started detailing the hair. Not finished. Will probably save it for last.
* Added yellowish accents to the clouds.
* Drawn in the flying thingies in solid colors.
* Tweaked the perspective of the broach and redrew the straps. Had to start over again with the shading in those parts of the image.

I also forgot to hide the palette layer before taking this in progress shot. Sorry. =P

I will try to have this finished by the end of the week. I have been working with it way too long...

[marcowilz]

nice picture. I like the style of the hairs.

go on

[NOOB!]

ooooooooooooooh aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah eeeeeee!!

turned out better than i thought it wud,love the eyes.

[ditchman]

looks better now, i really think this is a great piece

[Sunbane]

Thank you all. ^^

I've been working on the thing tonight, and it's fast approaching finished state. But now I really need your help. This is about the "flying thingies":

http://w1.651.telia.com/~u65102548/images/sketches/Lilith_44_WIP2.jpg

How detailed do you think they should be? Is this sufficient, or should I polish them some more? Or even tone down on the highlights? Any and all opinions would be appreciated. ^^

[ditchman]

sorry, i meant to mention the flying things actually. just wanted to say i prefered them a bit sketchy, they looked a little skeletal. that's what rocks my boat anyway

[ajay1589]

i think they r perfectly fine how they r

[Sunbane]

Hmm...seeing them now the day after, I can conclude that I'm not satisfied with them. =P
I will work some more on them and post the picture in the finished 2D forum after final adjustments have been made.

Thanks all for your feedback!

[magnetos]

that looks great SUN but there is something wrong with the proportions on her face and the body did you use a reference picture?

[Sunbane]

Nope, the only reference I used was for the eyebrows. The painting was based on the sketch you can see in the first post.

And yes, the head proportions are off. I've been drawing mostly in manga style before, and the error has been with the picture since sketch stage.

[MorganRalston]

It's pretty cool. It looks like a japanime rendition of one of, Hellraisers, Cenobites.

[magnetos]

hey SUN hope you dont mind but i was curious what she might look like with a few touch ups so i did this ,its not finished or anything but i think it looks cool it could also give you some inspiration :)
if you do mind i'll take it off right away of course

http://www.magnetos.lazoom.com/lilith2.jpg

[Sunbane]

It's pretty cool. It looks like a japanime rendition of one of, Hellraisers, Cenobites. Hmm, I never thought of that! It's cool that you pointed it out. Thanks! =)

Magnetos:
*jumps in terror*
Eek! Scary! O_O'''
Cool vision though! =)

[BeaverFlens]

Ive gotta say, theres something funky about her chin/neck.
I think her neck should be more directly under her chin.
Magnetos version looks better I think...

[Ilikesoup]

I love this thread and you've got a great drawing here. You've explained your steps very clearly, too. Some random thoughts/crits:

The flying thingies only need enough detail to show that they're harpie like creatures as opposed to crows. More detail won't hurt, but add too much and you'll lose the sense of distance in the sky.

I love the eyes -- black and shiny like black pearl or onyx. Something about her left eye makes it look like it's set too far left in her skull. It's either set a bit too far from her nose or just too wide, I can't tell. Could be as simple as changing the glint/shine.

Hair looks great as it is, but keep in mind that the amount of highlight will be dependent on the amount of light hitting it. Dark scene will yield few highlights. But the many thin highlights give her hair a nice stringy, not quite oily, appearance.

I love the color scheme. It always amazes me when people can stay within a consistent color tone (I can't). The purples look great.

Going back to your initial sketch phase, the fairer skinned Lilith gave me the impression that she doesn't see the sun much, keeps to the shadows. I like this version you're doing as she has a slightly exotic look and doesn't really care either way -- kind of adds to her defiant character.
BTW, I've noticed that you offer very useful crits to others. Hope you find mine helpful to you. :)

[Sunbane]

Thank you! All crits/comments are useful to me. =)

Since this thread is still going, I guess I better announce that the picture is finished and posted in the Finished 2D section. =) This is what it looks like:
http://www.cgnetworks.com/gallerycrits/36170/36170_1101911635_medium.jpg
Thread here:
http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=190951

For the final touches I took the flattened painting into Photoshop. I upped contrast a bit to make it look more vivid, added a subtle bevel/emboss effect and made the frame around it.

It pleases me that so many people left positive comments on the eyes - but it's kinda funny also, since they were super easy to do. I'll explain how I did them:
The base color for the eyes is black. I added a little bit of soft highlighting to them, just enough to give them a little volume. For the reflection I copied some of the painted clouds from the background into a new layer, scaled it down and trimmed it to fit the eyeballs. Then I set the layer to addition mode (linear dodge) and fiddled with its opacity until I found a nice balance. The light glares are in my "effects layer" (also addition mode).
That's it. =)

It always amazes me when people can stay within a consistent color tone (I can't).
It's actually very simple with the way I worked: I used the same shading/highlight colors for the entire piece. Here I have 3 colors going: The reddish shading color, the light blue highlight color and the bright green highlight color for the light that the gemstone emits.
If you look at the exposed palette layer in some of my in progress shots, you'll see that I have a number of different shading colors, but they just represent how the shading color evolved during the course of the work. I started out with "Shade I", but once I had applied a layer of that, I found that I needed something darker - so I just duplicated the shading layer and merged them together, ending up with "Shade II". I repeated this process a while later and got "Shade III". But then I decided that this color was too saturated for my taste, so I took the shading layer through a color filter and ended up with the final shading hue; "Shade IV".

With this sort of approach, it's actually hard to stray from the tone - you'll have to introduce new colors to do that. =)

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