Hajieelkhe, Linda Bergkvist (2D)

[pushav]

Lol i get the first post!
YAy i good to see your new stuff.
Keep up the good work.

[AlyFell]

It's alright I 'spose... :eek:

Golly! What a pic! I happen to be browsing and a new piece from Linda! The figure is beautiful, but I really adore the BG as well... Superb depth of colour with alot more detail than first meets the eye. :) If it is dark, it only adds to the richness... Edit: Looking closer, those hands are truly something else...I love the soft luminescence to the skin! Outstanding!

[kisalon]

Beautiful! Such an enchanting figure.. wonderful skin and hair and all the details. Lovely, simply great!

[MoonVisionStudio]

You are in a class by yourself! The hands and feet are so masterfully done. The fabric, tattoo, the face... just incredible. Congratulations.

[degerardo]

Yeah...! This image have (any others) GREAT atmosphere.. I feel here your deep-felt :thumbsup:

[degerardo]

Ouch... I forgot... -> 7 star ;) from me.

[sphere]

Truly amazing work Linda! :thumbsup:

Is that a bird on the fabric, or just an obscure pattern? Also, what does the title mean? I am assuming it is his name.

Oh, and great job with the feet too. :D

[Kyena]

ah well, it's getting hard to leave a somewhat meaningful comment without sounding like a broken record to your posts Linda.

I didn't know you had computer problems - sorry to hear that 0.o
You have a green-shadow-thing going on right now, hm? :) If something like that exists..-> blah nevermind..forgot that you mentioned he is supposed to have green skin to start with.
It really makes the red and the other colors pop out more..it's great.

What else to say..don't really know..it's another absolutely breathtaking painting :love:

edit: forgot to add - I envy you for the background. I was trying for quite a while now to use some texture brushes to create more interesting "wall backgrounds". Like Aly also mentioned: it's beautiful.

[henningsen]

Wow, just stunning (as usual, hehe).

I absolutely love those feet and hands, and your choice of colours is simply perfect. :-)

[RockinAkin]

Amazing work as always.

I'm not sure I like the amount of green in her skin tone, but thats just me.
Keep up the inspirational work.

[Kaspaas]

Like Kyena said, it's hard to leave a meaningfull comment after all the previous ones. You absolutely are in a class of your own... hopefully I'll also be there in about 20 years :D Well, here's to another award winning image :beer:

[olive2d]

It's beautiful! I really like the athmosphere and the lighting of your scene!
Great great work!
5 stars for me
and thanks for this piece of dream

[Belltann]

I like it. The inspiration will come back. Just have fun. :)

[valentinfischer]

Jeha, i think this is a first version from you:
http://home.pages.at/insomnia5/pics/Hajieelkhe.jpg


but the new is better, damn, a lot better, as usual.

[ANARKY]

*Rifles through his collection of Broken records*

"Yup, this is the one!*

• WOW!!!•


:)
Seriously, this is a lovely moody image, the colours are gorgeous and very well realised. Green skin can be tough to pull off convinsingly and often looks gareish and bright, but you have avoided that very well. The Reds off-set the greens perfectly. The area I find most impressive and the area I find my eyes drawn too is the chest/Coller Bone/shoulder area. The Pectorals and Clavicles are mesmerising. The Tattoo is also wonderful.
Not too sure about the highlights on his skin where the fabric strands cut into his forearm, too strong maybe?
Minor Nitpick I know.:D

Great image, I cannot wait to see more! You get better and better!

[MichaelZHsee]

oh god~its been awhile and this one rocks as usual~i love the mood:thumbsup:

[JM_JM]

How is it that you get such fantastic results with everything you do?
You are truely amazing. I am assuming that your works are not paint overs,
and based on that assumption, that makes you one of the most talented
artists that ever lived! I still cant believe what I see from you. So consistent,
and beautiful. Are we that lucky to live in the time of someone so amazing?
Are you a living legend? You must be...

[TheFirstAngel]

:applause: most beautifull. great work Linda, nothing to add :) lovely.

[my tom]

:thumbsup: times billion!! amazing

[SpaceTik]

Beautiful work as always! I would darken up the shadow under his left arm a little tho :)

[ac01095881]

你真的狠厲害........................太強了

[deaderthanred]

nothing to say.. speechless.. me like.. 5 stars!
(btw, when are you publishing your book?)

[bcairns]

Wow, Linda, I really love this painting. You really have great skill in depicting drapery and subtle skin tones, which I love about all your works... At first glance, without reading your post, I wouldn't have the idea that this was a male character, but perhaps that is exactly the ambiguity you are going for in this piece. I was wondering if you could provide us with a little more of the story behind this character. That would be great. Excellent work as always, Linda!!! :)

--Brian

[Cooloola]

Hey, nice to see you have new stuff. I really really really love your works and they are simpliy increditable! I feel like that you can paint very very fast(regarding to your quality). how long it ususally take you to finish one piece? approx?? i am sooooo curious about that since i know it will take me forever to do that(and come up with a crap piece -_-|||). and, do you use any photo for reference?? i have no doubt abou ur talent and skills, just curious how you paint things sooooooooooooo real? how do you catch the lighting, color changing and extreme details?? your pieces have photo quality, but for sure no photo can be as expresive as your work. I really love them!!! oh my god, Linda, i feel that you must from somewhere out side of earth. is that true?? :D

[navate]

Yay, happy you posted this here. =D I already told you how awesome it is. Fabric and skin tones are beautifully done, and it's always lovely to finally catch a character you've been chasing after for so long. The textures in this are so delicious

You've inspired me to take another go at one of my own elusive yet persistant characters, so I hope you find your own inspiration again soon. <3

[elnady]

As always awesome work Linda:)

[Ramitxon]

Wow!, this is completely amazing, you move in another dimension Linda, I hope one day to have half your skill. 6 stars.

[Mex]

Im very enjoyed to see such tender portrait. Delicated soft colors .. umm... Very peacefull. Thank you for good mood :-)

[duddlebug]

A beautiful piece, Linda!

I love the composition, lighting and the colours, but the details in the face are just splendid! (and the tattoo and the hair and the fingers and the fabric and the... the...)

I know you said that you were overjoyed with the feet, so i hope you don't mind, but the only thing that bothers me is the little toe. I probably wouldn't have noticed without the close up, but the little toe seems a bit too cylindrical and 'sausage-like'. Maybe it needs to taper a little more to the end and/or have more of a curve on the top..? It's the accuracy and rendering of everything else that makes this stand out to me and it's the tiniest detail... but maybe i'm just thinking of my feet!? :)

And it's five stars from me...

[ashakarc]

Freudian Manifesto of the ultimate shemale !!

Why do I get uneasy as my eyes take the journey from the top of the head that looks like some well known master painter, down to the unexpectedly flattened chest with green fluourescent glow, down to the facinating ornamented cloth? I guess, there is a more into it than that I could understand momentarily. I will keep looking at it, ..until I get green ...

Smells like a revolution..

[Igo]

Whoo, great piece. It's nice to see peopel re-work old ideas making them ideal to their vision. When I get some free time I'm hoping to return to some work from highschool, and seeing you do this is very much a good kick in the butt, come free time.

Love the feminie men too, in a totally heterosexual way, because it becomes numbing seeing so many overly done muscle men, or fat men all the time... very well done, no crits. The handle on the skin surface texture and colors, as well as the anatomy is very inspiring, great work.

Waiting on your next piece,
Dave

[HellBoy]

Wow enayla is back

well done you :applause:

[loocas]

He really does look way too feminine :)

Nevertheless, the colors, light and the textures are awesome, as always :thumbsup:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/rating/rating_5.gif from me, I'm not even worthy judging, but still... :applause:

[shoaib]

beautiful work as always. Really like the figure, skin tone and hair... good mood.

[paintbox]

Enalya, your 'major' works are always insightful, and the depth of your work is becoming more important than your technique, or so it seems ... no doubt you have your moments where you redo a part a zillion times (long live undo) But your works are growing in terms of scope and emotion.

One question : does a faster computer mean the strokes become more fluent as well ?

[mindrot]

Beautiful work as always Linda. Love the atmosphere of this piece.

[ShinChanPu]

What an awesome demostration of good taste, sensibility, solid aesthetical foundations and marvellous skills!!...

Some times five stars aren't enough to qualify your works.


Nothing else to say. :bowdown:

[Art2]

Hey Linda,
I won't give you stars, 'cos I know you prefer one of these over any star :D
Here you go, don't eat it all at once!
http://www.oldtimeconfection.com/Chocolate%20Bars/wonka%20bar.JPG

[Jokinen]

Amazing work Linda, just astonishing! I think you really succeeded with the lightning and the textures. Did you plan the colors and lightning before you started painting or did they just come up while painting?

Good work as always. 5 stars for you :)

-Juhani.

[DDS]

Perfect. Mood is amazing, everything fascinates me. I love your works :)

[[nitin design]]

Love the lighting, the intricate details, the depth of the image and most of all the expression on her face. Excellent as usual :thumbsup:

[HocusPocus]

amazing!!!

Really great work!

[DAREONER]

pfuuuu it's so perfect, the choice of your colors is wonderfull...masterpiece

[giza]

I love her skin, great work.

[lauranonce]

Again a spectacular portrait.... what can I say that isn't already said?
Respect... I would like to paint as you do :)

PS (the feet are really amazing! ;) )

[cLos71]

Wonderful piece... of course :bowdown: Quick question, how much do you find yourself switching from Painter to Photoshop? I haven't tried Painter yet and find myself wondering... am I missing something?

[ThomasW]

Wow! That is one Beautiful illustration! The colors and lightning are great! And the details really makes the painting come alive.


One thing did bother me about the arm (the one with the tatue). It looks like the arm is streathing more then the other one, and perhaps its a bit to long? But other then that I have nothing else to say but - amazing!

[Riddick]

As always, nice work Linda!
This picture was in the Exotique entrance, I presume that she is in the book.
There is maybe too much blur on a lot of part, but the global effect is great.

[RubenDrakkar]

Simply A Total Genius You Are, Inspired A Lot On Bougereau's Paintings Great Technic

[evanfotis]

What can I say.. awesome image Linda:applause:!

Atmospheric, delicate, and with such dexterity...it aproaches supremacy.

Just a proportions thing that I noticed:
The tatooed arm, seems quite thiner than the other one. although it's in the foreground, and longer as well ? if you extend the line to the elbow and down to the hand.
But this is a brilliant painting, not stricktly an anatomy study anyway, so artistic license is pleaded...

[akewt]

great piece linda. when you talk about the crash i presume you mean your computer crashed resulting in loss of work. very sorry to hear that, its soul destroying to lose artwork of any kind.


i'd love to see hair on the homogeneous figures legs. it would add intrigue and a touch of the grotesque!

[Solothores]

Well, I guess if you have to characterize melancholy, your newest work would be a very valid example of how you can archieve it, Linda. Great pose, great mood, great composition and wonderfull colours, that you used there. And the subtil catch, that he actually is not a she if you focus on it and notice the details, is very stylish! I wouldn't had mentioned it beforehand, it would have been interesting to see if ppl came to the conclusion by themselves (me included! :D) Madame, please stay on this path! :love:

[esternocleidomastoideo]

Quick question, how much do you find yourself switching from Painter to Photoshop? I haven't tried Painter yet and find myself wondering... am I missing something?
...please answer this. I'm also curious...

About the picture... :eek: BEAUTIFUL!!!

[PavelPetrenko]

Great face expresion, very biutiful elf girl!

[Enayla]

Whee! I've been plugged, thank you to whoever did that :D

Pushav – Thanks :D

Posh – Thank you. The hands were such a challenge for me – I usually don't work with light and shadow this way, and making it apparent that they were HANDS, not tentacles or something, while they were mostly in the dark was really hard.

K.Salonen – Thank you :)

Jose – Aw, thanks! I'm still not so sure about the tattoo, myself. I'm very glad you like it!

De Gerardo – Thankee!

Sphere – Hah, did you actually notice the bird? I didn't think anyone would! Hajieelkhe is, indeed, his name – it has no actual meaning in any 'real' language. To him and his people, though, it simply means 'lost one'.
http://www.furiae.com/images/haji-detail2.jpg

Kyena – Aw, thanks :] It's weird how difficult it is to get textured backgrounds right. Some artists seem to do it with such great ease – sometimes it takes me more time than a more 'intricate' background would have.

Henningsen – Thank you :] In retrospect, I'm so glad I went with red and green rather than the green and blue I had imagined for a while.

DivideByZero – Thanks :] Well, to each his, or her, own :D Green skin isn't necessarily very attractive.

Kaspaas – Aw, thanks!

Ilove2D – Thank you kindly!

Belltann – Thankee :] I'm trying to, it's been frustrating, though.

Falcore – Haha, yeah, that's one of the previous versions of Haji. Trying to remember, I think I've drawn him six or seven times now. I'm glad you like the new him :D

ANARKY -- :grin: Thanks sweetie! The chest area was insanely difficult for me. I had no one and nothing to reference from and I think that apart from the hands and fabric, it's also what took me the longest to paint. I'm happy you like it. And you're probably right about the strands – I was hesitant about that part myself.

Sh@ke – Thanks :)

JM_JM – Awk, you make me blush. I really do produce a lot of crap, I swear, and there are quite a few artists that are more skilled than I (several responding in this thread, in fact). Thank you, though – you've put a big smile on my lips.

The1st_angel – Thank you, Sasha :D I love your night elves, by the way. They're awesome. I've sneakily followed the WIP thread.

My tom – Thankee :]

SpaceTik – Thanks! And yeah, you're right – I hadn't even thought about doing that.

Deaderthanred – Thanks :] The book, uh, well as soon as I've finished it. Life's been pretty stressful here for a while, I've not had the time.

Bcairns – Thank you :] The ambiguity is, indeed, one of my 'things'. I'm fascinated by androgyny and I love to paint it. Something of the story... well... there's a small chance the story about Hajieelkhe and his brother Indeoque might go into my book, I'm not sure yet. I'll tell you this: There was once a man and a woman who loved each other with great intensity. When the man was dying, the two of them went to see the Goddess of Death, Mehach, and in their arrogance they dared demand from her that they be reborn together. In spite of all odds, they told her, they would love each other in their next life. No matter what, they would not be able to resist the pull of two souls tied together. Mehach, dark-eyed, smiled at them and asked if they were really sure that this was what they wanted. They said yes. It's not a very good thing to demand things from someone like her.

Cooloola – I'm not sure if I do paint very fast. Sometimes, yes, when I'm very inspired. The painting of Hajieelkhe took about a week to complete. With him, I found the original idea for the pose in a photograph – which looks nothing like this. I never referenced the photo at all. I did reference a photo I snapped of my own hands in a similar pose, and of my own feet (much uglier feet than those, I assure you). The fabric was a blanket I'd piled on top of my chair next to my desk, to look at the folds while painting. Sometimes when I do a painting, I've asked friends to model for me first, but that wasn't the case with Haji. That's about it :]

Navate – Aw, thank you. Lauren (again!). I can't wait to see your character :D

Ahmed – Thankee.

Ramitxon -- :blush: Thank you.

Mex – Thank you – very poetic comment, by the way.

Duddle – Thanks :] And, awk, you're totally right about the toe, I can see that now. Haha, thank you so much for pointing it out! I'll see if I can get around to fixing it (though man, I wish I'd posted this before Exotique, it's already in that book now with the odd toe, haha)

Ashakarc – Haha! Yay! I'm sorry, but I love the way you've looked at this picture. Thank you!

MooingCow – Thanks :] Glad to see I'm not the only one who is tired of the buff, the fat or the gross portrayal of men – I like to see men as beautiful, or feminine, or graceful.

Hellboy – Thanks :D

Loocas – Haha, sorry :D and thanks!

Shoaib – Thank you kindly.

Paintbox – Aw... :blush: Thank you. As for a faster computer, yes, I have to say that it does. Above all, I can work in large formats without fearing the whole project turning sluggish. I can flip horizontally, upside down and here and there without lag. I can actually work properly in Painter for the first time in my life. I can't praise my BOXX too much – it's one of my best friends, hehe.

Mindrot – thank you :)

Shin Chain Pu – For some reason, your comment really got to me. Thank you.

Art2 – YAAAY!! Yum!

Anthriel – Thanks :] I was a little uncertain of the colours (save for the green in his skin), but the lighting I'd planned out initially. I wanted it to be a little different from what I usually do, meaning, there would be some shadows falling over his skin that would make a few of the details, such as the part of the hands, show very vaguely in the dark. It turned out to be far more difficult than I had planned!

DDS – Aw, thankee.

[nitin design] - :bows: Thank you!

HocusPocus – Thanks :]

Giza -- :D Cheers!

(moving on to the fourth page, man, my fingers hurt from all the typing!)

Lauranonce – Thankee – I'm so happy you like the feet!

cLos71 – Hm, this one was done about 50/50 in the different programs. I just find the two are good for very separate things. I sincerely doubt I'll ever go back to painting solely in just one of them. I feel stronger, using both. I don't switch back and forth often (meaning, not every hour or so), but let's say I'm starting to feel uninspired or stumped in Photoshop... then I just pull the picture into Painter, and usually, I'll break my block. It's awesome :)They really compliment one another. Having said that, though, I worked just fine in Photoshop before I got Painter – it's just that going BACK again is a no-can-do.

Riddick – Thank you :] I think Haji is in Exotique, indeed.

Ruben – Thank you :D And yeah, Bougereau is a big inspiration to me.

Evan – Thanks :] Ehe, you noticed the arm is a bit longer, huh? I did indeed exercise my artistic license to screw around with details, on that one. I hadn't intended for it to be thinner though :sheepish: I'll see if I can get around to fixing that.

Akewt – Thank you... and yes, that's exactly what I mean. I lost a lot of work. It sounds silly, but it was really difficult to get back from that. Hehe, as for hair – Haji's particular species is quite hairless apart from on the head. There might have been scales, but he prefers not to show them.

Solothores – Thank you honey <3 I'm glad you enjoyed the discreet androgyny of the piece.

Esternocleidomastoideo – I am SO sure I misspelled your name somewhere, sorry, haha. I did respond to the question above :) thanks!

Simon3D -- thank you :)

Phew, done with the answering, for now. I hope I didn't miss responding to someone - if I did, it wasn't intentional.

[Ranath]

excellent

by far your best one, and actually the best I've seen for some time. Really cool colors, the contrast of the colors really makes this pic alive.

[W-I-L]

confused! I was sure you had already posted this here.. must have seen it when i was browsing your website a couple of weeks back... it wowed me then and it wows me now. the feet and hands are incredible. colours amazing.. whole atmosphere just perfect. not o mention the character.. i think he is excellent. you created him when you were 17? it's great wehn characters just stay with you and evolve throughout your life isnt it?:thumbsup:

[Titan]

beautiful as usual......any refferences used on this pic? either way its really fun to look at...I love the play of light...

[Sylanya]

Wow, the feet are very graceful looking. I wish I had feet like that (it would help so much with gymnastics). I also love the fabric and his hair. And he does look to have a greenish skin tone. This is very beautiful and serene. I like the dragon tattoo. :D

[Mu]

Hi Linda,

part of the benefits of having registered at cgtalk is that now I can finally freak out in public over how absolutely stunning the atmosphere and beauty of your paintings is. I do check out your gallery on a regular basis and each of your tutorials helped so much...

That said, I wonder, erm... is that actually some kind of beauty ideal of yours in real life, too, or is it just the way your male painted characters happen to look?

Because, while they obviuosly have become sort of a trademark of yours, they do not look like the sort of men women would actually want to date or something (don't mean the dress code, here, lol), - or do they? Maybe female members of cgtalk can answer that question. Some of the people who posted in this thread even referred to "her" though you said it was a male character...

So, if someone like Hajieelkhe approached you at a party and said "let's have a drink", would you secretly go "ah, finally met him!"?

Just wondered...

[Urrgos]

Absolutely brilliant. I love the flesh tones and the fabric is incredible. The pose is so classic... powerful and demure all at the same time.

[Gmax]

Copy all of the comments above, plus a little remark that this piece reminds me of why I was attracted to drawing in the first place: the prospect of one day hopefully being able to draw something like this was what put that pencil in my hand all those years ago. Many thanks for that reminder and for showing us the real meaning of excellence.

[Enayla]

Ranath – wow, thank you! This piece means a lot to me, personally – as it's the first time I feel I've actually managed to capture the 'elusive' Hajieelkhe... but I thought everyone would just feel it was another 'portrait' and nothing else. I'm thrilled to hear you liked it.

W!L – Hey Wil :) And thank you! You're right, I've only posted it on my webpage, previously. I hadn't even intended to do that, initially, but ended up feeling the page needed an update. I'm happy you like the piece, and yeah, I first created Haji when I was around seventeen years old. Of course, the character has gone through great changes since then, but that's pretty much it :]

Titan – Well, as I said previously in the thread, I did use references for feet and hands, and I had a blanket piled on a chair next to me to get the folds right :] I'm glad you like it.

Sylvana – Thank you :D The reason to why I'm so happy with the feet is mainly that, well, I usually think feet are ugly. I think even pretty feet are ugly. :sheepish: But I somehow like the look of Haji's feet – which was a huge breakthrough for me. I hope I've finally learned how to paint feet, now. Who knows :D

Mr. Mu – Hello there, and thank you. Hm, beauty ideals. It's a difficult thing, you know – I have to admit that as far as looks go, I prefer beauty to handsomeness. If I compare two actors that are both thought of as good looking – such as, say, Tom Cruise and Jared Leto... the former has no appeal at all to me, artistically, while the latter has large, thick-lashed eyes, full lips and a delicately attractive bone structure that makes my knees weak. I don't like buff, big, muscular men. Hairy chests will always be a huge turn-off. Beards, moustaches and thick arms bore me to death. Having said that, there's a difference between what the eye appreciates, and what the heart cares about – I fall in love, and am attracted to, people rather than looks. What I like to look at isn't necessarily what I like to be close to.

Urrgos – Thank you :] The pose actually took a lot of work – I'm glad you like it.

Gmax - Haha, you got your comment in while I was posting mine. Sneaky! Thank you very kindly, though - those are warming words.

[Elsie]

Stunning as always, Linda.

The lighting in all your recent work never ceases to amaze me, as do the textures - that wall looks fabulous, I've been trying to achieve that kind of effect but it refuses to work for me without looking like a random bunch of colours slapped together with some nifty brushes - :cry: I want to know how you do that!

Skin looks awesome, my favourite thing are the feet. It looks as though the toes are the only part with a blood supply heh, which actually makes me think of how Geisha leave that tiny unpainted space on the back of their necks underneath the white makeup to give people a hint that theres a real person under there - seems to work here aswell by giving such an ethereal character a slight link to humanity. I think some of the facial looks quite similar to your own here :)

Five stars, keep on rockin' :D !

they do not look like the sort of men women would actually want to date or something (don't mean the dress code, here, lol), - or do they?

*giggles* I'd date him! Not enough green skin about, says I...

[Ego]

Woaaaaaaaah, its finally finished and I can see it! I remember almost going nuts when you showed us the wip and my poor monitor could not see it well. Beautiful work as usual Linda.
Congrats!

[SePu]

Awesome painting ..... I really like the pose as well ... colors, lighting, everything looks beautiful. Great work Linda.

[Maeror]

very beautiful image. im still waiting for news of your book, could you give a best and worst caste senario for its release date? even if you dont have much of an idea when it will be finished, an update would be fantastic

[iChiaz]

Omg... Amazing, like everytime.

[okjoss]

hello

your works are amazing...

congratulation

Joss

[olijosman]

ho! impeccable accomplishment...really amazing, Linda.I love the complementary colors use in this painting :drool:

[Abadonna]

OMG, this is such a greaat job!!

the whole pic is so erotic! wonderful atmosphere.

[shtl]

My favorite from you...(personnal taste...)

The light is beautyfull, skin very well rendered, pose natural, composition as simple as efficient, clthes just lovely feeled... And expression subtil.

Masterpiece type. (I'd love to see it on a giant canvas, 3 or 4 meters high! )

[WormGod]

WOW WOW WOW! My most favorite piece for 2005, right here! I just bought a house and need a wall painted. Think you can paint that on my living room wall? *wink*

Excellent piece. Simply brilliant!

[Neil]

You continue to produce the best front page pieces.
The tone variations and colors throughout the skin is brilliant!

[IvanPA]

Your work is fantastic, the light, the colors, the composition. Congratulations.

[thriller]

Man, every time I see your stuff I want to pull my hair out . " How did she achieve those paintings? " I keep saying to myself. Love you work Lynda. 6 stars from me.

[republika]

wow , spectacular work as always. great mood and colours. incredible. you inspire me. congrats.:applause:

[michael-olszak]

this is really cool man !!

[michael-olszak]

awesome man. it really struk me when you said that this is a he.

the piece is briliant! the design, pose, colors and atmosphere. simply awesome.


respect man.

[DivineRAiN]

gorgeous piece.. love the color choices, pose, and your beautiful character n his skin. Amazing work on the hands, feet, n cloth, lighting as well. It is nice to see feminine looking men, but I figured it has a lot to do with spending my teen years in the 80's. Back then Nick from Duran2 could look pretty feminine.. I remember a few ppl actually took him for being a female.
Anyway, there's plenty of manly male characters to look at here on this site, it's nice to see you're painting men differently. If I could paint, I would be doing the same.

[BGHart]

WOW! This is a beautiful and very original character. Love his pose too. Sorry, I don't know what to say - I am just happy looking at your image.

[Fus|on]

wow, wow and wow - awesome work. alot of depth, lighting and the details are mind blowing (to my newbie artistic sense)

any news on when your book is coming out?

good to see you back :applause:
Keep them coming :)

[snowkiwi]

Wow! The skin's translucence, color, and realism are sweet - all-round beautiful. An inspiring piece.

[frogchild]

Nice use of color. It's a pretty enough piece.

[raghavendraachari]

Master

u are great ur works are amazing .I love the pose , skin tone and every thing

[kiboSVK]

great piece VERY good lightning and atmosphere GREAT :drool:

[francescaluce]

great tecnique. but change style. try something new.
I'm bothered by all of your women.



ciao
francesca

[artjunkie]

Another beautiful piece... honestly Linda, I love getting lost in watching the details in your drapery... such a wonderful excess. Simply amazing, girl... good on ya!

Oh, and WHEN did you say your elf-world book was coming out?

Cheers!

[Trower]

Woww... Hebetated, stupified, dumbstruck... that's me by the way... Not this piece or the creative savant that made it. J/K.

There are so many immitators out there, but truly.. only one, Linda Bergkvist...

I unashamedly admit, that I have tried to observe her lessons and evolve... though my own artistic habits constantly get in the way of any real breakthroughs or developments.

In some cases, my souless crude attempts have ended in some form of horrible self-flagellation, such as banging my head on a desk until my eyes fell from their sockets... or sitting for half an hour watching crap like 'Eastenders' on UK television... Sheesh, I'd prefer to have my nuts roasted.

Her subjects are often incredibly beautiful and ethereal... 'Hajieelkhe' really is no different, as I'm sure the majority of people will agree...

In some small way, I'd like to write something constructive, that might hint at things which could be improved somehow... but not only, have I failed to notice any obvious flaws in this particular piece, I just don't have the technical ability currently... to wander thus... so arrogantly.

I rarely sign into CGTalk to pass comment on an artists work now, but my fingers just fail to stop typing, when a new ship from the Enayla port takes sail.

Each wonder stares out from my screen like a breath of fresh air, that effortlessly calms the wind behind my boarish bragging and rodomontade.

She gives, gives and keeps on giving... developing herself as much as her legions of fans. I think people often forget the development that has been made in this artists work, but in all honesty Miss B, you are testimony to what talent and lots of hard work can achieve.

I love the sensitivity and meticulous nature with which you seem to approach every aspect of the gems you provide.

You are a priceless art master... keep going...

Respectfully,

Trower. :D

PS:- Sorry to hear you had a crash... Hope you are ok.

[paperclip]

I like. I like a lot.

Congrats, Linda. I think this one definitely goes into the top five. I particularly like the green shadows/coral highlights on the skin, you don't see that often and I really think it works here. So this is where you've been! I wondered....

May I ask how you did the background?

[TedTerranova]

Beautiful image. Your skill in depicting characters is just insane. The lighting is also great. I'm glad to hear that you're getting back into making more paintings.

[Nux]

blown away. each painting is more impressive than the last. i want to fly to sweden and have you teach me all you know, ha ha.

i will strive all my life to achieve the skill you display.

FANTASTIC WORK!

[GekiSan]

You are in a class by yourself! The hands and feet are so masterfully done. The fabric, tattoo, the face... just incredible. Congratulations.

Nothing more to add! Complete Agree!

[Mastakojo]

Wonderful atmosphere and lighting.
I think it is really sucessful in capturing the right feel of a picture, although i think the way his face is looking straight upward is a bit unnatural. I would really love to see a graphic novel of your fantasy world filled with all these characters, hopefully publish with all these paintings with hardcover hehehhehe, ill be first to pre-order.

[feero]

I my God you are a genious ...I love it ..aH ! one more thing , Linda you are the Queen of the artist in the world

[animalunae]

My new favourite Bergkvist!

I especially like the choice of colors and nice work on the cloth, looks rather stunning. I also like the depth in this one...

I think you have improved quite a lot since Spoiled really. No place for constructive crits I suppose, and oh you should get a pattent on that brush you use for the background :) It puts a big fat Enayla sign on it!

[urgaffel]

I'll just repeat what I said earlier: at first glance I didn't know what to think, but damn, those lips and that face just makes me want to make out with... that person :blush: Love it :)

[JeroenDStout]

Finally an image on front page which really deserves it :) very, very nice. This may very well go on my wall :)

Top work, I'm impressed! Large version! Large version!

[Enayla]

Phew, trying my best to keep up with this. I know from experience that if I leave the responding until later, I might never get around to it! So here we go, I have time before Lost starts:

Elsie – Thank you very much :] I'm happy you noticed the bit with the toes. That's one of the 'unplanned' things in this picture... it just so happened that when I reached the final stages of the picture, I found the skin tones to be a little drab. I touched them up with slightly peachy hints in places, and then on a spur of the moment thing, painted his toes a more fleshy red. I loved the result, I felt it changed the whole impression of the image, so I kept them that way. It seemed more sensual, and yeah, I suppose it might be that slight hint to humanity, I don't know. Thanks :]

Queenie – Haha, I'm glad to see you're excited <3 Thanks hon.

SePu – Thank you kindly :]

Maeror – Thank you :] I don't want to paint myself into a corner by giving away any dates when it might be published, but I've written eight out of ten stories, and I'm hoping to finish the remaining two when my life is a bit less stressful. Hopefully soon.

Chiaotzu – Thankee :]

Okjoss – Thank you!

Olijosman – thanks, that means a lot coming from you: you're one of my personal favs!

Abadonna – Cheers :] I tried to capture some innate grace without blatant sexuality in this image. I'm happy to see that people can appreciate the subtle sensuality :)

Shtl – Thank you kindly :] Maybe I should try to make Hajieelkhe available as print.

WormgGod – Aw, thanks. Haha, if I had the time and you had the money, it would've been a deal!

Neil – Thank you :] I spent a lot of effort on the skin tones – I'm glad you enjoyed them.

IvanPA – thankee :D

Thriller – Hahah, sorry to cause you frustration. Thank you for the compliment, though!

Republika – thanks :] Quite an effective avatar you have there, by the way. Love the bright red with the grey.

cr@ash – Thankee <3

DivineRAiN – Aha! Another one who appreciates the feminine looking men. I, too, grew up in the eighties. A lot of my liking for the more pretty looking male faces comes from my favourite artist John Bauer... I grew up loving his work, and appreciating how he depicted men.

BGHart – Thank you very much :]

Fus|on – Thank you :] Like I've said previously, I don't want to set a date yet. Let's just say I'm getting there :)

Snowkiwi – Thankee :]

Frogchild – Thanks!

Raghavendra – thanks :) I'm so happy to see that the pose is liked: it was quite difficult to paint without any direct reference. Took me a lot of time and effort to get it to look just like I wanted.

Tomas – Thank you :]

Franscaluce – Heheh, thanks :] I'll always paint what I enjoy, though, rather than what other people want me to paint. And this isn't a woman.

Artjunkie – Awk, thankee <3 !! I don't know when the book is coming out. I'm trying my best to finish it, but stuff (yes, evil stuff!) keeps interfering.

Trower – :blush: You always succeed in putting a bit smile on my face, and sometimes (like now) to make me blush on top of that. Thank you, Ross!

Paperclip – Thanks :D I'm not sure I even remember how I made the background. It was one of those feverish things, you know? Mainly by using Painter's oils, Painter's palette knives, and whatever other tools I came across, trying the program out. I just had a blast with it. Thinking back, I think I adjusted some stuff later in Photoshop, but I can't be too sure. It's difficult to tell apart what I did in which program, since the picture travelled so many times between the two of them.

Novacaine – Thank you :] I've done mainly sketches lately, aside from this picture of Haji. Painter is an awesome program to sketch in!

Nux – Haha, well, thank you! I think I'd make a poor teacher for things like this, not knowing (most of the time) half of the reasons to why I do things the way I do.

GekiSan – Heeeh, your avatar always makes me giggle. Thank you!

Mastakojo – Hmm, you might well be right about the face. I think I might've become too caught up in wanting to capture exactly what I wanted the features to look like, and maybe lost sight of anatomical correctness. I sooo do not want to change him now though, the face looks exactly the way I've always imagined him.

Feero – Haha, genius? I'm a very silly Swedish girl with monkey feet, that's very far from a genius. Thank you, though <3

Wim – Aw, thank you. I still consider, sort of, Spoiled to be my most complicated work so far... but I somehow like Haji better. Probably because the character means a lot more to me, you know? Big hugs to you – love the avatar, by the way.

Urgaffel – Haha, you're too cute. Thank you!

The Parrot – Thank you <3 I'm giddy with joy that Hajielkhe here is so appreciated. To think I waited for ages before I even dared to post it on CGtalk, haha.

[Katea]

Hi! Linda

I think I coul repeat everything people have already said so I'm not gonna ;) But I see you are very patient ;)))

The picture is beautifull! The guy is very feminine but thats not a crit :) I love the feet, but I think the hands are just awesome :)

BTW I did notice the bird right away :)

Cheers :)

[Djampa]

Well Linda... :D

If we had 6 stars to give to you... I wish could give u 10 stars!!... :bounce:
You are awesome, and since you changed the curse of my own life I always get happy and emotional for you anytime you post a new work.
It is a pleasure and inspiring to see it, to watch the efforts, the study, the evolution of your work.

Take care and keep going.
Congratulations on that piece of art ! :applause:

[umbrellasky]

Hi Linda :D, what everyone else said ^ :D

I love this, def one of my favourite paintings from you. Gorgeous colours, lighting and texture. Wonderful painting!

[bakanekonei]

absolutely beautiful. i love girly men.....well, in art anyways >__<
aren't the palette knives in painter so much fun? you know what i found is the cheap little version of painter (2.o i think) that comes with the new intous has a much easier form of the palette knife to work with.....i don't know why it just seems alot sleeker.

[Hana-chan]

beautiful as always! :love: :thumbsup:

[paperclip]

Feero – Haha, genius? I'm a very silly Swedish girl with monkey feet, that's very far from a genius. .

I can testify to this, you know!

[gardogg]

Beautiful lighting and color. Nice coposition and design. My only crit is that this looks like a girl in MANY ways. I think that the features are feminine in the face, the pose, the feet, and the chin. I don't know if that is what you were going for. But if you wanted it to look like a boy you probably need to alter some of the feminine looking traits.

[BenDstraw]

very beautiful stuff right there. Its funny how feminine he looks I thought he was girl at first but nice job.:thumbsup::applause:

[rawgon]

beautifull composition and once again masterfull color! DAAAAAMN its so cool!

[ilusiondigital]

I say in my own language, rozando la perfeccion,

You are a great inspiration and maybe the best artist in this century :arteest: :love:

[Branko]

beautiful and inspiring.

[ragdoll]

always love the subsurface scatter feel you give out on all your paintings...

adds an extra level of depth and dimension to it!!! :thumbsup:

5*'s

-rj

[Faber]

I have to join the fanclub here.. your work is inspirering, dreamy, fantastic and consistent as always, I always love the light. I cant believe its photoshop. It would be interesting to see you break your own mythological world, just temporarily, and see you do something entirely different with your talent. I know creativity comes from within and therefore is fairly connected to our own inner worlds. many great artists keep reliving the same imagery throughout their life, its quite normal I guess, but it would just be fun to see you explore other paths too, now that you have all that talent and skill to work with.


on another note..

Lol i get the first post!

can some of you teenagers tell us why this excites you so much? If you have nothing else to say, please post it somewhere else outside of this forum, its retarded.

to the moderators: could you perhaps make a thread for these individuals. I am thinking a concept along the lines of having a seperate category of the forum where kids can post their posts and always be first. just make it autocreate a new thread and close the old every time a post has been posted in this section.. ;)

[bscott]

Hi. Big Fan of your work. I notice an improvement in the skin tones. An as usual, it's great work. You didnt ask for a crit, but I have a one anyways. The chest is the only complicated area in this piece. It seems to flatten out a bit, I think this is because, the right shoulder was drawn to high, creating a distortion of the chest. This is also evident if you imagine the length of the right humerus, which is concealed by the cloth. That's all, great work!

Brian

[carnera]

my colleagues words were "is it rendered?".

its an amazing picture.

[harshdesign]

great mood and emotions on her face....as always linda :)
i love your imagination...

[FiYoG]

Wow, this is beautiful. The lighting and colors are unreal! I literally started salivating when I saw this. I need more stars.

[wildcory1]

nice work. She looks a little green

[Trower]

Me... make you blush?

I guiltily admit that there was more than a little colour in my cheeks, upon realising that 'Hajieelkhe' was a man...

... erhemm (clears throat)...

I really should be locked up... for a very long time... a very-very long time... not... not that I've got anything against homosexuals... I mean... they certainly shouldn't be locked up... well not unless they enjoy being locked up... I mean I could tell you some stories... and I'm not even gay... well... erhhhmmm anyway... J/K.

Doh! I do try so hard to be mildly amusing... and generally fall short.

In all seriousness, I hope that knowone takes this post to heart. I'm generally pretty inoffensive.

'Hajieelkhe' is an amazing piece of 'Bergkvist' artwork... I've popped back to this post thrice-times this evening, just for the simple reason that I wanted to spend more lost minutes looking at the closeups...

Thankyou Lady B, for this latest CG delight...

If a little flattery keeps you posting, I'll keep flattering, as I'm sure many other fans will.

You are, after all... worthy of each smattering of high praise thrown your way.

I doubt many people on here could criticise or deny your intrinsic value to the CG community.

Bests,

Trower.



:D

[Stalsby]

stunnin as usual linda!! a +

[gra7]

u are the legend...


:applause: :eek:

[RealCapri]

Loving your painting as usual. Your ability to paint beautiful skin just keeps getting better :thumbsup:

[Darktwin]

The colors of this piece really speaks to me, and it says beauty. I'm so in love with this piece, the palette you chose. simply amazing and beautiful. I definitly want this on my wall. wow, simply wow. Your work is so inspiring to me and I want to thank you Linda, thank you very much. :thumbsup:

[teruchan]

That's an awfully pretty he. Ahem... I mean.. the art!!

Very well done and yes the hands are amazing.

T

[idiom]

Really awesome as usual but I dunno, I'd really love to see you branch out more and try to paint other sorts of things.

[bin]

:thumbsup: Wonderful painting! 5 stars from me...

[Titan]

Really awesome as usual but I dunno, I'd really love to see you branch out more and try to paint other sorts of things.

Hey Idiom, no offense or anything and I apologize in advance for interjecting this into Ms. Bergkvist's thread, I'm not trying to start a debate but I just wanted to respond to your comment.

I've seen people make similar comments in the past to other artists, including myself...but the thing is that most artists know what they like, they know what captures their imagination, and they know what is fun and expressive for them. Most artists arent out to please everyone elses idea of what art is or what it means to be an artist. Why should they spend time doing something they dont feel like doing or doesnt excite them just becasue YOU think thats what their art should do, or YOU think they need to learn something...speaking for myself, if I couldnt do what I really like and enjoy, then I'd rather not do it at all..

Again, I really mean no offense to anyone, I just have strong feelings about this subject which probably stems from my father who was an extremely over-opionated art Ogre...

all apologies for going off topic...

[Romero]

Good lord thats one unbelievable painting. Don't ever retire.

[Spc]

I am spechless .. awesome pictrure.
Linda you rock.
:buttrock:
5 Stars!

[SunGlare]

How Do You Do.. the THING You do?


stunning.
the fabric interpretation, very natural, and bird motiv.. nice. Fin de Siecle is very close to my hart.

[Enayla]

Since some express delight over Haji's hands, I thought I'd share an almost full-size close-up of them (actually, full size is quite a bit larger, but this is more manageable). You can see here, that they're not at all as detailed as they appear at a distance. You can also see the luminous-skin trick I used to make him sort of glow in places.

http://www.furiae.com/images/haji-hands.jpg

Katea – Thank you :] It's funny how some people can pick out the little details I think I'm so discreet with, at first glance… while others can't see them even if I point them out.

Djampa – Whee, thank you!

Enialadam – Hi Madalaine :] I'm glad you like Haji – it's so funny how I was afraid of posting him here, thinking I would get a mainly negative response (and not really wanting him to be stomped to pieces, as I care too much about this one). I'm happy now :D

Bakanekonei – I hope I spelled your user name right, haha. Yes, Painter's palette knives are wonderful. I've recently been introduced to the artistic oils, too, and I've fallen in love with them as well. I've done several quick sketches in Painter, recently, and I find the program more suited for sketching than Photoshop is:

http://www.furiae.com/images/hushedwhee.jpg

Hana-chan – Thank you :}

Theresa – haha, yeah, you've seen the feet in action!

Gardogg – Thank you :] And yes, I was going for feminine. Many of my male characters are androgynous, but Hajieelkhe is doubly so. He was a very graceful lady in his former life, and though having been reborn in a male body, he has retained a lot of the feminine grace.

BenDstraw – Thank you <3 !

Renderwhite – Thanks :D

Ilusiondigital – awk, thank you! :blush:

Rasdasa – Thank you :]

Ragdoll – Subsurface scatter, hm? Thank you :D

Faber – Thank you kindly. I think the whole 'first post' thing is just... well... a forum 'thing'. Almost all posts start up with a 'I got the first post!'.

Bscott – Hm, you're right. I never had reference for that part, and I might well have messed it up a little. Thank you :]

Carnera – Rendered, huh? Haha, well, not quite :D Thank you!

Harshdesign.com – thankee :]

FiYoG -- :bows: Thank you.

Wildcory1 – Thanks :) And yes, the skin is supposed to be green.

Trower – Oh, hush you <3

Stalsby – Thank you !

Gra7 – Aw, thanks :)

RealCapri – Thanks :] Skin is one of my favourite parts of a painting. I love just trying to figure the colours out.

Darktwin – Thank you very much :]

Teruchan – Hehe, I'm glad you like him. You can see a close-up of the hands at the beginning of this post.

Idiom – Weeelll... I do paint other things, I just rarely bother to spend too much time on something that I don't love. I spoke to one of my favourite artists on the phone, not too long ago. I loved listening to him speaking about the duty that he thought that all artists have, to be true to their inspiration and their hearts. That's all I try to do. I go with what I want to paint, when I have the time to paint for just 'me'. I continually do commissioned work that doesn't appeal to my artistic senses, so when I get the time to sit down and paint something for myself, I'll always paint something I adore. I think working as a freelancer would break me, otherwise.

Bin – thank you :]

Titan – I very much agree with you on this. Personally, unless I'm paid to do otherwise, I'll paint what I love :]

Romero – :blush: Thank you!

Spc – Thankee! :]

SunGlare – Thanks ! I'm still stunned people actually SEE the bird in the pattern. I had no idea it was so visible.


Phew, that's it for now. Wish me luck, I'm going to a gala tonight! D:

[AlyFell]

That face is top! LOL! :D

[Ego]

I'll just repeat what I said earlier: at first glance I didn't know what to think, but damn, those lips and that face just makes me want to make out with... that person :blush: Love it :)
Just so you know, I intend to tease you about this forever. And no amount of bribery will stop me. :P

[D-NA]

I got the first post!1!!!1!!lolelevntyone!11!

Nevermind.

*joins the I Love Pretty Men club* I guess some people will never understand :P

I remember seeing this one on your website a while ago. Although I know Hajieelkhe is the main focus of the picture, all I see is pretty, pretty fabric! I showed it to my best friend and we were stuck zooming it in and out for good half an hour, trying to catch all the details. The bird was pretty much the first thing I noticed o.O
That is one thing I like about your paintings - I can look at it a hundred times and always find something new - a little detail, a new brushstroke, colour of one's eyes - anything and everything. It's so awesome :D

Uh, back to poor Hajieelkhe - I love what you did with red highlights. His ear amuses me.
Good job on getting the greenish skintone, too :) Nice close-up of the hands, you do exactly what my digital camera does - blur things a little. Except that my camera REALLY isn't supposed to be doing that >_>

[Ego]

*Starts pondering what I'd give for a step by step on the making of Haji's cloth.

An arm and a leg?
All the chocoloates in Belgium?
A lock of Johnny Depp's hair?

take your pick :D

[Aritz]

Your best work. ALL is perfect. Love the colours and especially the hands.
Publish your book NOW :scream: :)

[mukks]

ammazing, wht else to tell.... uff :thumbsup:

[ivoryK]

amazing work.trufully good.

[MasonDoran]

Excellent work Linda...with a very beutiful color pallete and skin tone.

I was quite surprised that you said it was a male figure, because anatomy wise everything about it is female(ignoring the ambiguous chest) eg: the knees and the amount of fat on the legs are clearly female as well as the slim hands. To capture all of that sensitivity and feminine nature in the painting is superb...so i do not understand why androgyny is a motive when the painting is beautiful regardless.

I found that a womans taste in "feminine" men is actually quite common...more so then the masculine counterpart actually, but the preferance is reversed during ovulation. So us bearded men at least get our day once in the month :D

[Katea]

Linda - <immodest - mode on> I've actually been told that I'm observant ;))) <immodest - mode off> BTW The fact that the hands are so undetailed makes them even more interesting. I actually respect and admire you more for being able to achieve this level of natural realism without going into details. Me - well, right now I'm working on a picture that I can't seem to finish because I feel I have not detailed it enough. I feel frustrated because I can't seem to see the border line that says - stop, that's enough. Maybe it's because I've been doing digital works only for a half a year so I'm not yet "casual" enough to do this. When I draw on a paper I know the size of a pic the way people will see it. In digital painting I always get the feeling I have to make the picture smooth as far as I can, until I reach a zoom so big that I can see separate pixels. It drives me crazy ;))

[MasonDoran]

Katea

...to keep the painterly style...avoid zooming in altogether. Force yourself to stay at 100% and try to establish a rythm and maintain it ie: forbid yourself from spending to much time on details and using pixel sized brushes....keep the brush big and never to much time in one area.


heh...i just looked at your wip. I guess what you could learn from Linda (me as well) is that she is using color and value to achieve depth. Notice how the skin in shadow is green...and then she uses the opposite color pink for the lit area of the skin. Also, the light values of the painting are like 90% shadowed using burnt sienna and umber colors...while the lit area is only 10 percent using creamy yellows, reds, and pinks which compositionaly create the focal point of the painting.

The Color Pallete identical to classics such as Carvagio or Rembrandt...which again makes the painting feel rich and full of depth.

[Miyagu]

beautiful.
i think master bouguereau would be proud if he could see those hands.
(his "biblis" is a long-term wallpaper on my screen)

btw: really like the scary little portrait - great use of color.

blah.. blah.. just keep painting! :) :arteest:

[yolk]

Beautiful! Such an enchanting figure..


I like ....her expression!

:thumbsup:

[mondo-ray]

simply wow... your paintings are truely breathtaking... so very inspirational.
truely love yer work.

[rawwad]

I haven´t words! Your are best from best :applause:
Congratz! here are only 5stars, but I want give you more :D

[urgaffel]

Me... make you blush?

I guiltily admit that there was more than a little colour in my cheeks, upon realising that 'Hajieelkhe' was a man...

... erhemm (clears throat)...

I really should be locked up... for a very long time... a very-very long time... not... not that I've got anything against homosexuals... I mean... they certainly shouldn't be locked up... well not unless they enjoy being locked up... I mean I could tell you some stories... and I'm not even gay... well... erhhhmmm anyway... J/K.

Don't feel bad, I know exactly how you feel, there's something about that face... :blush:

[urgaffel]

Just so you know, I intend to tease you about this forever. And no amount of bribery will stop me. :P

I don't care, that face is goregous! :blush::D

*Starts pondering what I'd give for a step by step on the making of Haji's cloth.

An arm and a leg?
All the chocoloates in Belgium?
A lock of Johnny Depp's hair?

take your pick :D

Throw in a lock of Tim Burtons hair and I think you're on to something ;)

[jmBoekestein]

Heh, then I hope not to shock... lol.

Linda, once again technically a very lovely piece. Your eye for detail is astounding.
Especially I appreciate how delicately you've been able to make his skin glow. I've tried that in my recently finished painting. You have great insight or memory of how light behaves, I just love it. I have never actually seen a green skinned humanoid before so I wouldn't know if it would reflect orange light as orangy as it seems here. But it looks really good, great work.

But besides that I find the character's symbols most intruiging as in I recognise them. The dragon on his arm and the bird (broche?) and the netting under his cape. I can identify with this guy, I think the dragon symbolises higher insight and furtiveness of mind? The bird being a messenger of the gods if used symbolically? A search for higher goals or truths, which he seems to be pondering with great effort and in depth judging from his eyes, half hidden in shade. The netting is a great suggestion there, it seems to suggest underneath is hidden great turmoil and energy. Whether intended as such or not, I think it's a great touch, right in dead centre, also showing his desire to 'trap the world' and understand. Well, anyway, struck me right away. Since I find myself in the same search all the time, don't know if you intended these elements or not heh. :D

Nice 'rentree', Have fun at the gala, that's what they're for you know.

:thumbsup:

[CGmonkey]

I like how your artwork have progressed over the months, I just had a glance back at your CGAwards threads. Your latest images glow with great spontaneity and life.

You should come up to skellefteå so I can buy you a beer :beer:

Keep up the artistry!

[Lilith]

The last image was very scary. I love it. lol

Well I can't add any new comment but anyway... I love the colors, the mood and everything. Stunning work like always.

I can't wait to buy some prints of your work. :)

[Lilie]

You never cease to amaze us, do you? :p Hehe well, i am going to sound like a total broken record but eh, who cares. Beautiful, beautiful piece. Simple yet with lots of lovely detailing. I guess this is something i particulary like from your work, the way you can make it simple yet detailed and stunning anyway. The way you dont over do it.

I too think that the color scheme iswonderful but i admit i have a soft spot for tht fabric you painted, the colors, texture and pattern just do it for me. And the red tips of his hand an feet which makes everything stand out.. Ah well, once again, great work (and it seems you had fun with green skin, if we look at Hushed #2 :P )

Take care Linda. :)

[firstsingle]

My Stars. Amazing!

[yerffej]

Instant inspiration as usual Linda,and does anyone get as many responses from a posed picture as you do?I think it's a testament to your great techniques and grounded knowledge of color and form.I was wondering about you're freelancing.Is it mostly personal projects that are asked for,or is it public things like book covers and the like?By the way,I've never been a huge fan of androgynous characters,but you somehow make it quite acceptable for me.^____^

[Taharez]

That's just amazingly beautiful. As always, there's that magical atmosphere that I admire with your works, and executed with masterful technique. I usually try to find some point(s) to actually critique in an image, but this time the small things that I could barely bring myself to point out have all been mentioned, so I'll just have to break my own rule :) Splendid work, would be interesting to see some 'manly' men or monsters from you though ( or something totally different, like caricature ) ;)

[UNDERLINE]

PERFECT!!
PERFECT!!PERFECT!!
PERFECT!!

I love you, your art and style :bounce:

[Nikolay]

Magnificent work... I in delight! Simply there are no words)

[Katea]

Katea

...to keep the painterly style...avoid zooming in altogether. Force yourself to stay at 100% and try to establish a rythm and maintain it ie: forbid yourself from spending to much time on details and using pixel sized brushes....keep the brush big and never to much time in one area.


heh...i just looked at your wip. I guess what you could learn from Linda (me as well) is that she is using color and value to achieve depth. Notice how the skin in shadow is green...and then she uses the opposite color pink for the lit area of the skin. Also, the light values of the painting are like 90% shadowed using burnt sienna and umber colors...while the lit area is only 10 percent using creamy yellows, reds, and pinks which compositionaly create the focal point of the painting.

The Color Pallete identical to classics such as Carvagio or Rembrandt...which again makes the painting feel rich and full of depth.

Oh I am sooo trying to notice all that you've said :) Thanks for the advice :)
Actually Linda was so nice and took the time to see my WIP thread and comment on it :)))

[Juzz]

YES I got the reply 158!

Insanely good work! usually don't post without criticism, but what can I say?

"Great!"

[LadyAkuma]

I find this image to be sooo lovely. I really like his delicate, soft appearance. The colors on his flesh are amazing, especially on his feet, they are my favorite part besides the section of the small chest that is viewable. I love the lighting in the image as well and the various textures.

[LDiehl]

I second the praise of all who've beat me to it. I only wish he were large enough to place on my desktop :)

[formoso]

really good. pose lighting mood character brush technique surface volume and shading are all amazing.

[alfy]

Wow 11 pages of comments.. crazy! More award winning work here for sure. I always love your skin palette, and this is definitely no exception! Your skin seems so translucent, those subtle mid tones (saturated orange here?) are so hard to make work, but this is perfect. I love this character! Much respect!

[xric7]

I do love this piece.love the pose and lighting.very impressive!!:bounce: :bowdown:

[TixuOti]

Well very beautiful illustration , Five stars ! :p

[Lunatique]

The hits just keep on coming! Gorgeous work hun.

I'm wondering if you gave the piece more space on the right hand side so that he sits at the top/left corner, would it give the piece a bit more breathing room?

I don't think I've ever seen you venture into sci-fi. Is that something you would be interested in, or fantasy human figures are your only true love? I'm kinda guilty of that as well, as I used to do a lot more sci-fi stuff when I was younger, but my heart seems to be in fantasy in the last several years. However, I've got some sci-fi pieces I've been working on, and I wish I have time to finish them. These days I only have time for concept art, and no time for personal paintings.

[ashrumm]

Hello there Linda, this is another beautiful peice, you have created for all of our veiwing pleasure. I do have a quick question though what is his name, if you have named him? Thanks for the immense inspiration, take care Linda, and I cannot wait to see what you come out with next.

[cabotinecco]

wow wow!:wise:
Yesterday,in your Official website saw this picture!
Girl's clothing is extremely careful and has the sense of reality!So wanderful work!!!

"Always love u painting.U are a great artist!":thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Ego]

wow wow!:wise:
Yesterday,in your Official website saw this picture!
Girl's clothing is extremely careful and has the sense of reality!So wanderful work!!!

"Always love u painting.U are a great artist!":thumbsup: :thumbsup:
psst! Haji is a guy :D

[karthik]

hi linda!!

Always ur work is great! one think i want to know,usually what size u will take to paint.[ what pixel and resolution}

[i-karunakaran]

YOUR WORKS ARE ALWAYS GOOD LINDA... KEEP IT UP .. :applause: :thumbsup:

[dudethedreamer]

Beautiful. I love it

[Airflow]

It makes me sick to my stomach how amazingly talented you are...... and Inspirational.....

I just started a acrylic painting on primed board of my new gf, who looks alot like an elf, and it thanks to this picture that she will be getting the finished thing for her birthday next year.......




your a wacom weilding muse.......

[BruceAzevedo]

Hi.I wish I had anything else to say other than "Amazing work" or "Looks beautiful",but the only other thing that occurs me is::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:(with 5 stars to go)!!!

[chlywly]

Beautifull, love the pose.

[viiltaja]

It´s always a pleasure to see new stuff from you. I really like that brown/red color you´ve chosen.

[viiltaja]

Sorry for the double message : I don´t know how to remove this one :cry:

[gabahadatta]

lovely one :drool:

[inframicrobe]

WOW!! Great Painting~
Beautifull work, I really like ur works
:bowdown: :bowdown:

[souleage]

Thanks for you share you work, leaning...

[azvin]

You must stop painting... you are making everyone look bad. Have some mercy. As usual your work is awesome... always a fan from Chile... i even bought d'artiste at Siggraph only for your work. It's amazing. Cheers!:) :thumbsup:

[tom1218]

:eek: oh !my god! geart color,it Very has the vitality!

[ANTIFAN]

Awww... Beautiful work Linda, great to see a new piece from you mate! :)


x g

[SheblomCG]

Abosoluty Fantaboulos! it really good, so good my eyes are bleeding! Is there any chance of a Hi-res pic for a background? Prudy please!

[al-ali]

dear ...

always .. ur work give me the feeling that u r in every color tone .. every brush struck ... every little detail .... simply, ur work is more than an idea ...

sisters

[Zocsi]

AloHa Linda!
Really nice to see you and your works again! U've rendered a nice one again. You always make me embarrassed when create a male character with really emasculated feature. Or should I call him sissy? :P
The other hand. I think you should't worry about your lack of idea. They will come! Or just do some brainstorming whatever with your new computer! ;)
Keep it up! :thumbsup:

[Branko]

If you are stuck for ideas then look at things that you are afraid of.
This usually illicits a certain primal reaction that is almost all subconcious, and who knows what images might pop into mind from it.

rasdasa

[Darktwin]

I'll never tire of observing this wonderful painting, Linda I wish I could be your apprentice for year or something, lol. The colors are so rich, the composition, the folds in the drapery, simply breathtaking. When I look at this painting a world of emotions sweep over me, I can't really explain it, but its amazing. I'm extremely pleased to have the oppertunity to show my appreciation for your work or anybody elses work in this wonderful CG community. Thank you Linda, and thank you CGtalk. :)

[Numse]

Skitsnyggt

[small-serenity]

OMG! *faint* You are such a brilliant painter! Your paintings keeps on improving, looking more real every time you release a new painting. I can almost touch him, who seems to be composed of real flesh and bones.

I don't think I can find anything constructive to say about your painting. I love the details, I love the colours, I love everything about it.

Just keep on painting more pictures Linda! It makes me overjoyed everytime you release a new painting!! You are a goal I want to, but probably never be able to, reach.

[Gromhelm]

... why... is she a he?! :confused: I fall in love with HER until I red that its a HE. No HE could ever have this amazing face...

that's terrible linda...

[ralphmanning]

Absolutely stunning - the hands, fingers, feet and toes are incredible. I love the subtle green aura (if that's the right word) on his arm, making his skin appear slightly luminous and radiant - such a nice touch. Amazing work, probably my favorite from you in fact - five stars.

[Nazirull]

Linda has always amazed me not with anything else but her sensitivity towards colors. She is is the Wizard of the Colors. Others can do figures better than her but its the colors and the mood that she pull out from the bag is totally bliss or gloom or wuteva she wishes it to be.

Great Linda....im green with envy. I'll never understand colors as well as you are coz you can give colors to any words or mood any of us can think of.:scream:

[Monkey FunkR]

A-friggin-mazing!! One of the best pieces I've seen here!!

5/5

[GonzaloGolpe]

Like the expression of the face, the glance. It´s like she´s waiting for something..I hope she can find it,hehe:)Good job and good luck!:D

Zalo

[GonzaloGolpe]

(Emmm.. is a "he"....lol):rolleyes:haha

[gaianix]

opS gREAT work ....... i think she is unlimited in her style work and THE oNe ...:thumbsup:

[lynch]

this is probably the first time i ever posted in one of your threads , i cant recall but anyway i gotta say this is nice, i love the the tones and i really enjoy the silky way the colors blend together i still DON'T like the fact that if not for you saying it , the character looks like a woman without breast, you can't deny it.

good still and congrats on the last challenge

[pedram2010]

Hi again Linda
it's incredible again I mean it's perfect
your designes are always beautiful and amazing
keep on exelent works
10000000000000000 stars
I just want you to explain your work
thank you

[gary-smith]

Wow, what an amazing piece of art! I have always loved your paintings Linda, especially this one. Oustanding work on the color tones and the skin. I could have sworn that it was a female at first because his skin is really too smooth for a male, and his neck also looks to be of a female's, but it doesn't really matter. Great fantasy art, 5 stars! :D

[beelow]

Yeah, why do you make these feminine looking male type characters, not to put you on the spot or anything?? you are an amazing artist! great stuff as always!

[lynch]

how may years were you painting? and how often do you i wish i could do this all the time

and yes the feet are very good

[slizgi]

amazing picture, wow just wow what i say more... You always have great colours.... :) I greet... bye:)

[TheFurtherSide]

This may be one of the best paintings I've ever seen! It's truly stunning! Beyond words...Once again you're writing CG history, Linda.

[Lunatique]

Yeah, why do you make these feminine looking male type characters, not to put you on the spot or anything?? you are an amazing artist! great stuff as always!

She's explained about a thousands times already, yet people still ask her. :D

There are lots of female artists out there who are fascinated by or attracted to adrogyne male. Remember the 80's when all the bands wore makeup and women's clothing? Women SCREAMED for that back then and ate it up like a free buffet. Although society's ideal male beauty has changed since then, there are still a lot of women who love adrogynous looking guys--because there's a sense of grace and elegance they convey that does not exist in normal macho male. None of this, however, has to involve homosexuality (although it could). Many of the women I know who are into the adrogynous thing think it's hot for two beautiful guys to make out. It's just a difference in taste, that's all. Like how some guys just love tomboys and can't get enough of them. You wouldn't go around asking these guys "Why do you like chicks that act like boys and behave like boys," would you?

[jmBoekestein]

Hear hear! Excellent painting, I had no trouble 'spotting this guy out'.

I find only the pose of the feet unusual and not seen often.

As a matter of fact, it's been proven that overall people like faces that are more towards androgynous better than typical gender featured faces.
I mean, women have featureless faces, and men are walking rollades... :shrug: what's next? :)


tomboys rock... gimme some chin baby!!! *runs off to summersualt*

[hhhho]

i love your job verymuch,great

[beelow]

Lunatique-well yeah, I would! I was just curious, not to say that the artwork is bad at all, just curious to why she does, I have never ran across that question being asked, but in all it's all love. thanx robert, c ya around!:)

[Louve]

Absolutely stunning... I like the pose and details, especially on the material. Great work!

And as for your pic shown here by Falcore, I'd looooove to see that one in more details. That guy... mrrrrrr... ~_^

there are still a lot of women who love adrogynous looking guys--because there's a sense of grace and elegance they convey that does not exist in normal macho male.
Exactly. =D

[AlyFell]

For myself, I'm a big admirer of the androgeny and gender ambiguity in Linda's work. For a start it's very personal and expresses a very individual vision, but it's also great to see characters portrayed in a non-conformist way. I mean look at the confusion that some male posters have had here in this thread when they see a character who is beautiful and then discover that that character is male! "Does not compute... attractive, but is man... eek!" Thinking about it, if people don't want to break some kind of mould with their art why are they doing it? There is a place for good 'art' to challenge stereotypes and make you think twice. And this is a beautiful example of that. Just my 'alfpennys worth! More more!! :)

[Enayla]

Hm, since several people bring up the same thing, I'll respond to that issue here, and then take care of the rest of the comments :]

So, Haji looks like a girl. I'm sorry if that bugs you, but it was my intention to paint him the exact way he looks. I am well aware of the graceful bend of the knees, the curves of the legs and the feminine shape of his eyes, lips and nose. I know these are effeminate features and I painted them that way not because I fail to understand how most of society view men, but because this is what I felt like painting.

I enjoy exploring the grey zones of the human gender. I like watching male faces that are so beautiful that they are nearly inseparable from female ones, or female faces that carry strong resemblances to male ones, but somehow retain their beauty. I feel for beauty in a genderless manner – sexless, if you will... where sensuality and grace aren't so much an innate part of the female gender, as many view it, as they are the rights of any person who wants to strive towards them.

I have met men who are far more feminine than Hajieelkhe, here, and females who are far less. I have seen beautiful Tilda Swinton in the role of a man of devastating beauty, and lovely Jay Davidson as a sensually convincing woman – both actors capable of walking the thin line between genders, and one moment being gorgeous as one sex, and the next... as the other.

It seems a little strange to me every time someone questions how I choose to depict men, since there are paintings of men and women all around that show physique that is certainly less probable than a guy with effeminate features. I see girls with waists so narrow that for it to be possible, they must have plucked out at least four ribs, and chests so swollen that their backs should be snapping with the sheer weight of it. I see men so pumped up and muscular that they can't possibly have spent any time outside the gym, with legs so thick they must have some serious issues walking without looking like stranded sea turtles.

Above all, I see women of almost ridiculous beauty, but men that are grotesque and unattractive – all of this accepted without the blink of an eye.

Perhaps it's that my way of exaggerating certain features just isn't quite as accepted at this point, but it's still odd to me. I'm forced to explain myself whenever I post a painting of a beautiful, androgynous boy – and on occasion (more often than not) I'll receive one or two emails with some very hateful words regarding my sick and twisted views (huh?!). It doesn't much matter, though. At the end of the day, I'm going to paint what I love to paint, and I'll do it in any way I find enjoyable. I'm sick to my stomach of the huge, buff men that we see in most paintings, the kind that look slick as if they've been oiled up, with jaws so wide they could go chomp-chomp through an oak door – so I'll show the other end of the extremes, I'll continue painting men beautiful because I think they should dare to be.

Huzzah for guys that dare to use makeup, dare to dye their hair and dare to be proud over their non-masculinity. Among the hate-mails and the 'I'm not sure if you realise this, but your men look like girls' mails, I'll get the occasional joyful letter from some fellow who's recognised himself in something I've painted, and wants to express happiness over seeing acceptance of another kind of ideal. If how I feel hadn't been enough to make me stick to my guns, just one of those letters would surely have spurred me on.

There. That's an insanely long explanation – from now on, I'll refer any complaints to this thread.

And now to type up the rest of the responses... phew, it'll take a while. I last wrote something on page 9... there are now 14 pages.

[Enayla]

(continued)

Aly – Thanks, haha. Glad you like her! :D

Queenie – hehe, poor guy :D

D-NA – Glad to see someone else likes the pretty boys :D

And yes, I know the fabric takes a lot of the attention, here. I suppose I just got caught up in it, as I sometimes do with these things. Designing fabrics is actually one of my most beloved hobbies – I know it's not necessary for a painting to look okay, but it's FUN. I love coming up with the different textures, the flowers, the birds, the tiny details – the pearls that sometimes show as tiny glimmers and glints among the folds. I'm happy to hear you enjoy it :D

Queenie – Eee, can't give you a step by step – I didn't save the stages. Maaaaybeee for my next painting with fabrics in it, eh?

Aritz – Whee, thank you :D

Mukks – Thank you :] Happy you liked it!

IvoryK – Thankee :D !

2byts – Well, thank you kindly :) As far as 'he' being a 'he', I refer to my previous post. I just enjoy doing it this way, I suppose.

Katea – I've actually been playing around with levels of detailing and sketchiness, lately. Painter has made me a little more bold, a little less obsessed with smoothness and flawlessness down to every single brush-stroke. Zooming in can be both a friend and an enemy, I think.

2byts – I know you were speaking to Katea, I just had to say that I'm happy to see someone appreciating the work I put into the colour choices. Thank you.

Benita – Aw, thank you. Biblis is one of my absolute favourites, as well. He was truly a master of shapes and colours.

Yolk – Thank you very much :]

Mondo-ray – :bows: Thankee!

Rawwad – Awk, thank you!

Urg – Heheh :D

Jan-Mark – I always find it fascinating to read your interpretations of paintings. As for the Hajieelkhe piece, you are mostly on the right track as far as the interpretation of some details go, but not always for the right reasons :grins: Which is strange, you nail some of the thoughts behind but through different paths than my silly mind took – which is quite fascinating.

CgMonkey – Hi fellow Swede :D How goes? I'm pleased as a kitty that you think I'm progressing. It's all hard work, and sometimes I lose sight of where I was coming from, and where I'm heading.

Lilith – Thank you very much :D Hehe, glad Hushed scared you a wee bit.

Lilie – Thank you, Amélie :] Like I've mentioned before, I put a ridiculous amount of work into the fabrics in this piece. Sometimes I wonder if I might have worked too much on it, given how much attention it's getting... but then I remember how much I enjoyed it, and at the end of the day.. that's what matters. Thankee again :D

Firstsingle – Thank you :)

Yerffej – Thank you :] I do mostly personal projects, but also some concept work for various things. Right now, I'm just working on my book.

Taharez – Thank you :D I did a sort of caricature not too long ago, me and Azrael in the woods. I do the occasion 'other' thing, but most of it I don't like at all and it never sees the light of day. Unless I've been commissioned to do something like that, I just can't be bothered to give it enough attention and heart, and the work ends up looking dull and lifeless.

Underline – Whee, thank you!

Nikolay -- :curtseys: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Juzz – Haha, reply 158, huh? Thank you :D

LadyAkuma – Thankee. The feet are actually my own favourite bit, too. They're what I devoted the most attention to, though the cloth might have taken more time to complete. I wanted his feet to look quite delicate, graceful, elegant – all these things that I would never think feet could possibly look. It was a fun challenge :D

LDiehl – Aw, thanks. I might make him available as wallpaper on my webpage later. Love your WIP thread, by the way. I look through it every week or so, watching for new updates.

Formoso – Thank you :D

Xric7 – Thank you kindly :]

TixuOti – Thanks :D

Luna – Hm... you have a point there, regarding the composition. I'm just uncertain if I want to touch it at this point, as it's been published in Exotique already, and I'm loathe to have different versions floating about. Maybe if I get back to it in a few months' time :D I think giving the picture more space to the right would definitely improve it.

Sci-fi is a difficulty for me, since I find it fascinating on a visual level but I hate painting technical things. I like looking at them, but metals, cords, little blipping things and guns are really just not my... thing. I did a painting of a girl with a gun, at some point, and some painting for a heavy metal band with a building in a background – these were sort of sci-fi... but, yeah... personally, I just can't get into it. Whenever I try to imagine some neat futuristic concept my mind draws a complete blank. The face I make would best be described as -- :U Heheh. Looking forward to seeing something new from you.

Ashrumm – Thankee. The character goes by the name of Hajieelkhe (also the title of the painting). It's not his birth-given name, but something that people soon called him as he gained a bit of a reputation.

C cco – Aw, thank you! I like your work, too :]

Queenie – hehe, let them live in their illusions :D I hate to shatter the dreams of pretty girls.

Karthik – Thank you :] I think the Hajieelkhe piece is almost 5600 pixels tall – which is smaller than I usually paint in these days, but as it is a portrait, it doesn't really need more space.

i.karunakaran – thank you :D

dudethedreamer – Thanks :]

Airflow – Eep! Sorry to make you ill ;} I'm happy you like the piece, and I'm joyful to hear I've helped with a bit of inspiration!

ShinobiXXX – Thank you kindly <3

Chlywly – Thankee! :)

Viiltaja – Thanks :) I'm always overjoyed to hear that my colour schemes are appreciated, I always put a lot of effort into them :D

Gabahadatta – Thank you!

Inframicrobe – Thankee :]

Souleage – :bows: Thanks!

Azvin – Haha, sorry, won't ever stop painting! It's my biggest obsession in life, next to my cat, my bath tub, and Tim Burton.

Tom1218 – Thank you! :]

Antifan – Hi Gary :D I'm always happy to hear you like something of mine, makes me all warm and giddy. Thank you!

Sheblom – Aw, thanks! It's 3AM right now and I'm a bit too lazy, but I'll see what I can whip up for you, later.

S_sbaa -- :blush: Thank you.

Zocsi – Haha, feel free to call him sissy :D Hahaaaha, that's the funniest thing I've read all night! Thank you :]

Rasdasa – Mm, yes. Frightening things often give me inspiration.

Darktwin – Haha, I fear I would make a horrible tutor. :blush: Happy that you like my work.

Numse – Man tackar :D <3

Small-serenity – Awk, thank you very much. :bows:

Gromhelm – Hahahahahahahahaahahahahahah :evil laugh: Oh, uh, I mean... sorry :D

Xeophex – Thanks :] I wasn't sure, at first, if the green glow was working or not. I wanted it so subtle that it was hardly noticeable, but still made his skin seem nearly pearly. Happy to hear you like it :D

Maranello55 – Wizard of the Colours? :D man, that's an awesome title if there ever was one, ha ha :D Thank you!

Monkey FunkR – Thank you :]

Gonzalo Golpe – Hehe, can't blame you for the gender-mess-up, it's fully understandable. Happy you like him, even if he's a he, not a she :D

(Yay, getting to the last page now!)

Gaianix – Thank you kindly <3

Lynch – Thank you :] I have to refer to my former post, as far as his gender goes. I really don't mind if people mistake him for a she. In fact, I quite like it.

Pedram2010 – Aw, I'll take a swim in the sea of stars you left in my thread. Thank you!

Necksmasher – Thank you :D And yeah, it doesn't really matter, does it?

Beelow – Heheh, see my post before this one. I'm so happy, now I can refer everyone to it, instead of having to repeat myself into infinity. Thank you for the compliments :D

Lynch – Hi again ;] I've painted all my life. Digitally for eight years, professionally for five.

Slizgi – Thank you :]

TheFurtherSide – Aw, thank you :blush:

Luna – It must've been a thousand times by now, right? Thank you for sticking up for me – you always respond so eloquently :D

Jan-Mark – Thankee :D (Again!)

Hhhho – Thank you :]

Louve – Thanks :] Heheh, glad you enjoy the piece :] What is this picture that I've missed out on? :peers around the thread:

Aly – Aw, thank you. I have to say that I secretly enjoy the 'eeeek' responses. One of my best friends, a very awesome guy, sometimes comments (jokingly, mind you) that he doesn't think that it's fair that I paint such beautiful men – it always makes him feel a little guilty when he has that first "wow, that is sensual" reaction when he sets eyes on the picture. Another friend I had said that if he ever met a guy that actually looked like Haji, here, he'd consider going gay. Hah, lovely fellas! :D

Now, I'm going to try to sleep again. Wish me luck!

[beelow]

Daiummmnnnnn, that is a lot of response let me go ahead give my shout outs to, everyone on tha block, keep it pimpin', LOL!

I am not saying that I have a problem with it, just out of curiosity I asked the question
you know what I mean, Posh?? Oh course art is the freedom of expression which linda is doing. I am kinda glad that linda goes against the grain, which gets people like me to go wtf. that is awsome, *gawk* I hope I did not rub anyone the wrong way, heh, I love the fact that linda has been a part of this community, mad props from tha hood, do yo' thang baby girl! Stay up! holla!:beer:

[MidnightDawn]

I will never cease to be impressed by what you create Linda. I would like to think of myself as a big fan of your work. I remember a time, not so very long ago, when I knew of very few current artists. I went on a quest one day because I knew there was more out there. I went through countless pages and pages of works (I Googled "fantasy artist") completely unsatisfied. Then I was about halfway through with a page of artsts and ready to just give up when your I clicked on your name and your works just floored me. I had never seen anything like them. Then I went to your website and was astounded. I had never seen digital art before, it was like seeing a dream land in front of my face as clear as any photograph. You opened up a whole new world for me because your site brought me to gfx and other such places. What appealed to me though too was your stories that you wrote along with your paintings; for I by nature am a writer, painting and drawing just aren't my thing. I was completely drawn into your world and still am and probably always will be. I have been exposed to and apprecitae art now, I can even look at pieces and critique them now that my eyes have been trained to do so. I have you to thank for all that. I only wish there was something I could do for you because you had such a profound impact on me.

As an actual comment on the piece though, this is one of your best works to date. You get better and better with each work, it's been wonderful watching you progress. I really can't find any complaints at all because all of the nit-picky technical problems have been pointed out already.

[GonzaloGolpe]

"...must have some serious issues walking without looking like stranded sea turtles." A Big LOOOLL!! It´s true!In Spain the girls say that things that goes in brackets are unimportant:D :D ) I agree with you Linda and I´d like to say one thought. It´s curious. There are countries that people attach an exagerated importance to sexuality and you turn on TV and 80 % news are death,violence, etc. And, if we talking about ambiguous sexuality....:rolleyes:

I say freedom!Freedom to represent, freedom to think, freedom to make love and choice to make with:) Hey, I´m not criticizing anybody here ok? I say this words taking advantage this thread :-)

I think the feminine figure is the most beautiful thing in the world. Of course, there are women that if they give you a punch, you can fly and travel six laps to the world,hehe but, in particular, talking about your job, the result is very lyrical. The feminine figure is poetry herself:love: because of her rhythm, movement,etc.

Oh, and what does "Hajieelkhe" mean?hehe, my knowledge of Swedish is very poor:sad: :-)

Good luck!!

Zalo

[animalunae]

I'd like to reply to this one for a change... Lin, don't mind the hypocrisy of the mindless. I know those few reactions usually sting harder then praises would soothe, but if someone does not posses the open mind which is required to be able to even grasp the concept of art, they obviously aren't looking for emotions, but rather for a depiction of a trivial stereotype, like comic books...

I personally think Haji is the most beautiful guy you, or anyone else for that matter, have painted upto this point. His few feminin features give him the grace most guys lack. I've seen other artists try what you have accomplished and they hardly pull it off, you have some wicked talent for bringing a personality into ones face and giving them some feminin touches gives the character just that edge, that adds the needed portion of romance, stopytelling and fantasm.
Don't mind about those short-sighted arguments, count my opinion for two instead; I can only wish I had Hajieelke's looks.

I love this painting, don't ever change!

[Mu]

'I'm not sure if you realise this, but your men look like girls'

well, this is at least a tremendous laugh, isn't it?

One thing I always wonder about when I see them pretty Bergkvist boys is that for a true androgynous look you should not even be able to tell wether it's a boy looking like a girl or vice versa. (I do realize that this is what he looks like in her vision and that's not what I am talking about.)

I mean does anyone know wether there's a painted character which so absolutely blurs the borders between gender, that you could not even tell which is which?

Another thing is: is there any artist out there who is doing it the other way round: androgynous women (and for advanced craziness level:...who kept their beauty)?

just curious...

[CharlesVarenne]

Thats fantastic...I am fan...clap clap clap :bounce: :applause: :bounce:

[beelow]

derbyqsalano- I hope that comment was not directed towards, me. Like I said its something out of the norm to see someone to do something like that, and if I did not understand what the painting was about, then I just did not understand what it was about. It does not necessarily mean that I am mindless, its just that I do different stuff, and I just question something I would say that I am ignorant about. The subject matter I did not understand. It is sorta like when a child asks why do things or he/she/it, lets hope to God that children are its, questions why they should do what you tell them. You understand where I am going with this? If not pm me. As linda put it its just something that she does and she is in to, or I think Robert Chang explained it. But, like I said, I am real real sorry if I rub people the wrong way. I did not intend to make it a debatable thing. I study linda's as well as others here, Sparth, John Wallin, Robert Chang, Stahlberg, and many other talented artists here. I won't ask questions next time, I will be mindless now:rolleyes: , peace out!

Edit- sorry linda, 4 the confusion. I did not mean to start something that was asked be4, I truly apologize! and sorry for posting so much in your thread. People keep saying stuff and am forced to defend myself. I get defensive sometimes. I love your work, quality of your work is fantastic. I'll be around holla!

[SquishMe]

Hi Linda
I am sorry to extend the list of praise but your work always leaves me flabberghasted. And when I saw the closeups and saw how loose and sketchy the picture is... well, there are no words. Pure undiluted talent! :applause:

Just a couple of questions (sorry if you've already answered them)
How long did it take?
What resolution is it?

Thank you very much

[Xanthous]

famous!
Linda your pictures is very great :applause: :)

[Xanthous]

I'm beginner as i have question. How long time paint this picture? :)

and I'm sorry my english is horrible :D

[chocolate198]

WOWWWW !! Great work!!...as usual ><"

[cypherx]

I think perhaps this is your best yet, or in my opinion anyhow. I for one am a huge fan of putting pinks and reds into fingers, toes, ears, noses, etc so this piece just stands out to me. I love the tat and I prefer the pretty boys myself.

The only thing that seems a bit off to me is the left ankle. The right ankle is rather thin in comparison, but with that little flap of skin, well how to explain it. It's almost like his foot got cut off and then another one grew back in place of it. Even with the right foot curving down there shouldn't be that much of a difference in ankle size.

Other than that, it's top notch, and I have to agree with those who've said it in the past, it's a real shame you haven't taken up oil painting.

[ruffstuff]

Linda,

very inspiring quality in your painting,the mood tells a whole story!

can you tell me a bit of your background and your art influences?

vikram

[Lilie]

Ah, Linda, good thing your hand is now fully healed, or all this typing and responding would've hurt a lot eh? :p

But you're right, what matters in the end is the fun you have when painting X or Y thing. No matter how crazy you get into it as long as you like it. :D

P.S.: Never stop painting pretty boys, i am in the ''oooh~ gorgeous pretty boy!'' club too.:rolleyes: And also love your explanation of beauty. Someday, all those clichés has to fade and go away, and like they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, all tastes are in nature (silly french expression i tried to translate). Looking forward to your next painting with fabric; love when you put symbolism in little details and such that we notice only when we look again at the painting and udnerstand soem other things too. (oh and i agree, Jan-Mark does have a twisted mind sometime when he starts to analyse things... j/k JM! :D )

Eek, now i'm going totally out of subject.. Ah well. Rambling queen strikes again!

[Interceptor]

I think out of all the characters I've seen of your's, this is the one I'd most love to see in actual motion. Such great emotion in the pic, I can imagine the way he would walk and talk.
You're a constant inspiration, miss :)

-Inty.

[abourabe]

it just fantastic work Linda ... very nice lighting .. and great piece !
great job :thumbsup:

[nytro]

Linda, what about this tiny artefacts? Did you overpainted the photos?
http://arseny.gutov.ru/2d/artefacts1.jpg
http://arseny.gutov.ru/2d/artefacts2.jpg

[Mu]

Hi nytro,

forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand what you are trying to say. Or if someone else who can explain this to a noob like me?

Just want to be able to follow the conversation

[jbo]

Linda, what about this tiny artefacts? Did you overpainted the photos?
http://arseny.gutov.ru/2d/artefacts1.jpg
http://arseny.gutov.ru/2d/artefacts2.jpg

It's called COMPRESSION.

[nkdksk]

Linda you are the best, I love you

[GonzaloGolpe]

...don´t understand too:shrug:

[SaraD]

Alltså - vad kan man säga :) That´s swedish for - What can you say ;) This is absolutely wonderful. You´re a true inspiration for us "newbies". Brilliant mode and brilliant colors. Do you give classes? Like in Skåne :drool:

[mosconariz]

It's called COMPRESSION.

yeap, JPEG compression... nytro, you can study some algorythms and understand it, or maybe just face Linda's work and accept her great talent... she have spoked a lot about her techniques and it's obvious to me that she's the best 2D ilustrator in this forum. In every image she uploads there's always someone like you trying to put something in evidence... nitro, just watch and let paint

[nytro]

yeap, JPEG compression... nytro, you can study some algorythms and understand it, or maybe just face Linda's work and accept her great talent... she have spoked a lot about her techniques and it's obvious to me that she's the best 2D ilustrator in this forum. In every image she uploads there's always someone like you trying to put something in evidence... nitro, just watch and let paint

I asked the question becouse I know alot about compression algorythsm and I m sure that the green squares - is the jpeg, and the black tiny artefacts - is not.

[VinceB]

nytro, please don't bother yourself with trying to prove anything.

Linda has posted long articles/tutorials on her painting technique, bu I guess that it's understandable that you're jealous and suspicious. And out of curiosity, where do you get photos of Elf ears? and why would she use a photo for a small part of the cloth?

You sir, are a complete jack ass.

[Nazirull]

Lets get back to arts...shall we?

[rodrigobraga]

Sure. I dont know if this has been asked, but, Linda, how many hours do you usually take in a picture like that ? the way you perseive color is perfect.

[shemosus]

Extraordinary...Hunting....beautifull..What else:arteest: (http://forums.cgsociety.org/misc.php?do=getsmilies&wysiwyg=1&forumid=0#)..yes,Awesome.

your mind is beautifull:) .

[Stong]

Besides everything being amazing. Your feet look so real. I have seen some of your past work and the feet and thin skin areas look amazing. Especially the one titled "spoiled". You are VERY talented.

[noShame]

5 well deserved stars. Great painting, like the green tone (reminds me of the movie "the matrix" where everything had a nice greenish tone) with the read breakup. Its amazing how you manage to paint hands and feet in such "unnatural" positions. My favourite part is the tattoo, looks so photorealistic. Not quite sure of the lips though, maybe it's the pose I don't know, but the lips don't feel so masqueline.

You have been blessed with a wonderful gift, glad to see that you share it with us.
Snyggt jobbat Linda!

[neacser]

wow.....that painting is sooooo good, nice work:buttrock::eek:

[cypherx]

Nytro,
I just want to make sure I understand what you're saying. Are the green tiny squares the .jpg as in the image you believe she airbrushed over? Or the black tiny artifacts are what you believe to be the original image?

I have to say (even after my own previous post on there being an actual photo clipping in the bg of her other recent painting), the tiny black dots would appear in any image when enlarged and lightened. I could take any one of my own drawings or any other airbrush artist, and enlarge them (after initially sizing them down/compressing them) and each of them would have loads of black dots in the darker areas when lightened significantly.

[Hawke]

Thats beautiful. I especially like the tattoo on his arm - stunning detail. I know someone who'd love to have that on their arm ^^

[LadyMedusa]

Beautiful as always :D

I really like the cloth in this one.. and the toes ^^

5 stars from me :)

[Keem]

Hi Linda,
i have always been a fan of ur work. love ur textures, Female figures, Lighting, composition, Color palletes. Virtually everything.
my only comment is about the physical grender indentity. when i first saw your work i tought it was a girl and my eyes were satisfied and mentally convinced but as i was reading your comment i was surprised to know it was a "he"! the face, hands, feet and body structure scream of feminine features. i also noticed that most of your other paintings of men tend to look more feminine.
But over all Great Job

[AlonChou]

what a wonderful pic I love it

[Defonten]

Just LOVE the way you paint female figures (especially feet!)! There's so much passion, tenderness and warmth in Your compositions! Superior!

[t1z10]

Excellent painting and atmosphere.

[G-FLUX]

Whoa! That’s a dude! It looks amazing either way, though I would have preferred my ignorance on that matter, because you know, I don't get down with the homosexual thing. Lol



I visited your site for the first time the other day and you are friggin Awesome, I can't wait until your Book of Dark fairy tales is available.



Your work reminds me a little of John William Waterhouse, except with more brilliance and intensity. I read your article and you’re quite intense and I believe it shows in your paintings. I like how you elaborated on the arrogance in the eyes of the figure in Nelicquele. Its nuances like that which I believe really make a painting come alive. By the way what do words like Nelicquele and Hajieelkhe mean? Are they fabricated words or are they another language?



Superb work.