CGMythology's Sketchbook (nudity)

Another interesting image though there are several things I'd do a bit differently, personally:
I think the feeling of weight would be emphasized with an even larger globe and her fingers ("front hnd") laying more flat against it. That's mostly a preference for what I think might make the image more interesting and her more impressive.
I also think her left (front) foot could do with more careful shaping.
But mostly I think her "bikini bottom area" looks off. For one thing it looks like you've drawn chain links, only they don't link and some seem to go through her flesh while the partially obscured ones seem to be too much obscured by her thighs. One of them only links to the one behind but then overlaps the next chain instead of linking with it... The shape of her groin area seems concave instead of convex, as her further thigh overlaps it though it should be behind it (and behind at least the lower part of the belly even if the belly is to be very flat).... Basically I think there should be more of an S-curve there.

Charlotte: Great feedback!  I don't want her to appear to be struggling with the globe, I want her to be holding it fairly effortlessly as that's a great contrast to how Atlas is typically depicted.  I agree about the globe and bikini area, redrawn the figure a bit and redesigned the bikini so it works better.  Great feedback as always, much appreciated!

........................I updated the sketch based on the input received and did some quick color tests.  Most of them came out looking pretty similar so I'm not sure which one to go with at the moment.  Any opinion is welcome on what works best!  

 


  

I finished the image, it was a bit oversaturated I think but I toned it down in the final steps.  Overall I'm fairly satisfied with it.  Of course there's still time for some minor changes and such if something is really off, so please let me know any input you may have!  Below is the illustration followed by the steps for those interested.


   

 

I really like this one. The drama of the light hitting the planet and the red glow at the bottom looks really impressive. The face is very well rendered too.
The only things I'd consider tweaking are the toes on the back foot. The way they bend to touch the ground looks a little awkward. I think another reference might have helped with that. Also some of the land areas of the earth look a little too "outlined" which reduces the realism a bit.

But overall it's a wonderful image and the kind of thing that makes me want to keep looking at it.

Valence:  Thanks for the positive words, glad you enjoy the image!  Your feedback is excellent as always, made all the changes you mentioned.  Thanks again!
 ..................
 I did some final work on Lady Atlas, minor stuff but it made a bit of a difference I hope:  Next up I want to move on to a new illustration, featuring an archer and a wolf (the wolf will be made of magic).  I wanted to try something dynamic with the perspective, hopefully I pulled it off.  The figure's general pose was referenced from  here  as well.  Any input before I begin some color tests would be appreciated, really want to get the linework right so I don't pay for it later during the painting process, which usually takes much more time than fixing things up early!
  

I made some changes to the line art and did some color tests.  I think they all work fairly well, hard to decide so I'll take a break from the image and see it with fresh eyes later on.  I'd love to hear what you feel works best so please let me know!  Below are the color tests. 
 

All of these are a bit tricky to read as thumbnails at the moment. I think it's because the distant edge of the arch lines up a little too neatly with the figure's head and torso, and the front edge is almost parallel to the bow too. As a result the character disappears into the shadow areas.
I think moving that distant edge a little might help and maybe emphasizing parts of the character silhouette with some edge lighting to make her stand out more.

I agree with Valence, although if you use A or D and up the gradient of the skies, you could have a cold light from the wolf and a warm light from behind, lighting up the inside of the arch behind her but not lighting her very much, making her dark against a lighter background. That might help her stand out.

Edit: my suggestion would basically reverse the lighting scheme on the background - so a lighter archway and a darker front toward the viewer. 

Valence:  Great point, I managed to alleviate that by adding a bit of a glow behind her hair to help her pop, hopefully it works well enough!

Charlotte:  Those are great suggestions;  I opted for a fairly natural looking lighting here and I feel it worked out pretty well!

..............

I finalized the image and am pretty happy with it overall.  I'm open to making changes if something major is off so please feel free to let me know!  Below is the final followed by steps for those interested!

 

 






 

cgmythology wrote:

 I managed to alleviate that by adding a bit of a glow behind her hair to help her pop, hopefully it works well enough!

 

That works brilliantly.
It's sooo much better than the thumbnails, you really did a great job solving all the little problems.