Portrait of Ethelinde Gudruna

[oz haver]

I should show something 'round here...

This is a character portrait done for the Pixelbrush (http://www.pixelbrush.net/forum/) Event. I didn't get to finish on time, but finished nonetheless. I used to paint and draw conceptual artwork like this when I was a teenager all the time...(and played way too much Castlevania!) It's not serious work, but I don't need 'formal dinner' all the time! =D

Some info:
Real Name: Ethelinde Gudruna
Current Identity: Atanasia Zaharia
Bloodline: Lamia
Disciplines: Mortis(Paths: The Grave's Decay, The Corpse in the Monster, Cadaverous Animation), Deimos (Now the Path of the Four Humours), Fortitude, Potence

A description excerpt from a part of her actual story:

"The color of her eyes was not the icy blue of her mother's, rather the rare blue of lavender flowers. Her voice wrapped your skin in sweet vibrations like that of the celestial maidens of the old tales. She seemed delicate on the surface, but held more strength than the average girl; she was agile and swift like the gusts of the fall wind. Her hair was like that of her mother: traced her torso tight in strands of white gold that shone like droplets of mildew upon the leaves of grass in the morrow."


Photoshop CS used, worked on it from time to time during 4 days.

So... after this quick break I can continue on my other pieces...

[P.J.Irwin]

Looks good, How did you do the translucent pattern on the collar of her dress? Stencil, selections, eyeballing it, a little bit of all the above?

---Me poor auld skeetchbook-- (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91362)

[novenus]

Lovely stylization. I like the translucent skulls and odd creatures in the background. The gravestones seem a bit half-assed, though. I'd love to see your other works! :}

[RiskeMaRue]

possibly reduced transparency on a new layer , anyway to the piece :) it looks really cool but i think the hair on the girl could be a bit thicker/fuller its a little strandy at the moment and her head looks a little high.

[Stark]

I demand close up. That collar is looking mighty spiffy and so is the fur and the dress. Please?!?! This is pretty awesome, the look and the pose are both pretty expressive but sorta stiff...

Anyways, KUDOS

[oz haver]

P.J.Irwin & RiskeMaRue- I love patterns (I'm obsessive with them at times); yes: it's layer work. Use your clean pattern (make the design, repeat it in a square and alter it after you are done so it fits). It has to be *clean*, so use your tools to make it as perfect as possible, (you could use vectors if you know how) I based these ones in Japanese origami paper pattern. Low the opacity, merge down and then do the pearls on top one by one- just a dot with a hard brush + a very contrasting highlight dot. I made two for the patterns on the torso part, and overlayed them to get one. I usually take more time to do pearls but this wasn't a serious piece (and not a big size either!) and then the trim of lace. This time i didn't spend much on it though. No big deal, treat it as if you are using real oils with real layers.

novenus- overall the painting is a week too short on the time I usually spend on any serious piece, so I focused more on getting the face right and doing a stimulating dress design. I was speaking with some friends over in msn and I was joking "How can I make my corny vampire portrait even more cheesy? I think I will paint flowers!" and I ended up painting skulls that look like a flower arrangement! I had intended of making just a colorful painterly plain background at first but I always end up complicating it. Go to http://oz-haver.cgsociety.org or .fgxartist.com or .deviantart.com and there are older works I won't be putting up here because they are old! ;) I would call this a sketch...but some ppl make masterpieces in 4 days, I'm just slow.

Stark: no problem, will do so.

also some close ups of another piece I did:

buttons, lace & knitted trim (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/ozhaver/f956373e.jpg)
pearls & lace (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/ozhaver/31be5de0.jpg)
boots & patterns (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/ozhaver/cfd83483.jpg)

go to the links above if you are interested in seeing the whole piece.

Thank you guys!

[Rabid]

I wish the skulls were more finished just for the fact that they look as soft as the feathers right now with the brush strokes..The knees of her under the dress siginify a different size than her top portion and the victim as no real form to him, almost like a cloth, but the scapula and vertebrae would be defined to the extreme in that pose! The detail is nice, but the anatomy is not reading right and is somewhat distracting..Keep up the posts, love to see some more work!

[karenburt]

she looks stunning! love the softness of the feather!
www.karenburt.com

[oz haver]

Rabid Peanut- yeap, the proportions are all twisted. This sprung from a very fastly done pencil sketch in a rush to 'do something' to participate. I did do the monstrous hand and the overly long neck on purpose but I admit I didn't do so well on the lower torse because I didn't really "sit her" Usually I take my time to plan poses more carefully. But I got a good face, and a creepy hand and a nice (i think original) gown and I'm happy with it. It has the mood and the feel and the symbols I wanted to use and convey. The skulls are not there, the background doesn't exist...it's just that: negative space full of shapes- not even the gravestones and crosses are really there; no reason to define the skulls because they are not a vital part of the piece (i could very well eliminate them and wouldn't really hurt). I had a hard time with the knees and the light all over that area... such are the pains of working without references. I tried to focus on the color harmony and forsook most of the rest. But I also get a bit confused when a critique is grounded on the 'perfect proportions'- i do like them though, since I always learn. But perhaps i didn't want the corpse to look more accurate (and actually didn't spend much time on it) and I wanted to focus on her face and the small details in her dress instead of trying to make the whole piece 'accurate' like it's usually done. Ergo= i still wish i had done better with the knees. ;)

I usually post WIP's while I do them but the responses are very few here and I have to take decisions quickly. Once I get tired of my pieces I don't work on them anymore.

It started as my usual big head, big eyes type of personage:
WIP1 (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/ozha/Ethelinde1.jpg)
But I decided to twist her and make her more of the elongated type without still keeping it stylish (which i hadn't done in a while; I do dislike to make 'realistic' pieces...usually take my time to twist proportions, even if sometimes doesn't turn out that well- for the same reason i evade using photographic reference...):
WIP2 (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/ozha/Ethelinde3-6.jpg)
WIP3 (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/ozha/Ethelinde7-12.jpg)

So soon, I'll need some pointers when I get to the personages of my current piece, I'll send you a PM since you do have a good eye and I'd appreciate the critique on an unfinished piece- since I still have the spirit to keep fixing it. Thank you!!

karenburt : Thanks! feathers are...hard to get right... ^_^