hmm this my look like a good idea

Dominance War II: Revliss
hi Lee, this is coming along nicely. however, your normal maps look a tad bit distorted or less defined. what method are you using to create the normals? btw, i think faking sss with color map is not a good idea since real sss changes with the direction of light. so i suggest not to go over board with it.
as for polycount, i think you can optimize many areas in the mesh. mostly look in areas that have almost a straight silhouette with more edges needed to define that area.
here are some areas i marked: http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4769/optkk0.jpg
right now i am modeling her weapon then back to her …
that if for the stones on the weapon

im also a fan of adding normal map details on top of already completed normal maps, it lets you really localize it and avoid, hitting or affecting other areas + you can multiply your efforts and repeat design elements. I like where this is going thus far but I would remove the scar looking bit on the front of her quads, it doesnt seem to be working for ya.
The new head design looks much better!
I think you will want to keep the lowpoly a bit sharper in its general design, looks a bit blobby right now.


















