CGAN Jan 2015 Challenge - White as Snow - WIPs

I only painted the "exposure" to try and get the proportions right; there's supposed to be one head measurement between the chin and the nipple line, but as everyone's mentioned I still didn't get it right.
I was intending to crop it out at the end but I think the dark crease between the breast and the arm may act as an important balance to the darks in the face. I'm also considering some extra glare/snowflakes down in that bottom corner too.

Domtopia wrote: Kod: Snooze you loose dude!! My "white" piece was just too good!! ...

Dom Yes you are the clear winner.

Valence: Actually the snowflake was the easiest part. If interested here is how I did it. I'm using Sketchbook Pro (a really nice, fun and inexpensive program). So on a new layer using the symmetry tool I make one arm of the flake starting at the tip and getting wider. Duplicate the layer and flip vertically. Move the two close leaving a small center and merge the two layers. Copy this layer and rotate it 60 degrees and move it to the center of the original vertical arms. Copy the 60 rotated layer and flip it horizontally and move it to the center. Merge down, do a little cleanup and SNOWFLAKE (hopefully ).

Kodabble: That's how I've been trying to do snowflakes too in PhotoShop, but mine certainly didn't look like yours! There's a certain skill to drawing the right shape at the start and you certainly have it.
It all makes me yearn nostalgically for Deluxe Paint on the Amiga which had the greatest symmetry tool ever! There's still nothing like it now. The only thing with "live" symmetry that I have is Infinite Painter and my fingers are a bit too fat and clumsy for the intricacy of a snowflake.

But your advice and demonstration is inspiring me to keep at it. I'll get there eventually!


EDIT: Just been having another go in Infinite Painter using a combination of the straight line tool and messy freehand scrawl with 12-fold mirror symmetry and I think I've got something now. They're still a bit grubby but I might be able to clean them up tomorrow in Photoshop.

I thought you had ArtRage Valence? The symmetry tool there could be set to 6 segments and you wouldn't have to work with layers at all... Just a thought

Charlotte wrote:

SchizophreniaWolf wrote: yep yep it's decided, Valence wins again, boobs, pretty face, hair white as snow, done, succes doesn't need more than that. I realy love it.

Don't be too sure. Your fairy has boobs too.

Ha yes, you are right. but my boobs are smaller than those of Valence ... but wait! mine as hairy nipples aha!!! Looks like I'm back in the game, thx Charlotte.

Thx to everyone that commented my entries.
Here's my update:
I'm looking for a nice stormy atmosphere, before I go into detail to much.

Charlotte wrote: I thought you had ArtRage Valence? The symmetry tool there could be set to 6 segments and you wouldn't have to work with layers at all... Just a thought

I have ArtRage version 3.5. The symmetry is only in the latest version which (like Krita) doesn't like my old thing.
I'm now getting the hang of these snowflakes though. They look awfully scribbly in Infinite Painter but Photoshop's Find Edges filter (edit: or is it Glowing Edges ) cleans them up nicely and even adds a little crystalline effect.

Schizo: Forget about boobs, having cracked icy shards for fairy wings is just brilliant! Brilliant!

Wow lovely start Thomgirl! Hope to see more progress from you

Kodabble thats a great little fairy and I really like your snowflake. As Valence said I would have be in trouble if i want to paint such a lovely snowflake. ^^ thanks for the little tutorial!

Schizo I like her icy wings - but her smile makes me shiver.... really

Next update from me: kiddis and light.
(If we ever have a black&white challenge I'll be in a big trouble )

Beautiful progress all. I've decided to consider my painting finished after this almost final update (signed, but postadjustments remain before posting it as final) Really tried to simplify parts of it, keeping much of the great feedback in mind while taking it for a final spin. Thanks for a great challenge, hope to find time to join more of these in the future.

Painting hair is very tedious. <bored face>

But my snowflakes are working and I've made them into custom brushes! <excited face>

Mindbender: Well Done! Don't forget to post it in the finals thread before the deadline.

Cherry: That's amazing the way you've painted warm and cold colours together! The dragon fire is inside the ice. Fire... Inside... Ice! And it works! I wouldn't think it was possible to do that but you have, you really have.
This thread is turning into masterclass in how to draw and paint ice.

Time for quick update. WIP 2.