Step 16:
Better:
Yes, changing the hairline did improve things. And some small changes in the face work too. Her nose is cute and her mouth is too. She's actually starting to look hot now.
And she seems to know that...:D
Step 17:
Compare Girls:
If you compare these two images you can see that small changes can make a world of difference.
The first is from step 14. Really very little happened, at first glance, but it did make a lot of difference.
Step 18:
Private Parts:
Here I cleaned up some more. Started working on her shoes and on the brush she's holding in her right hand. I even added the vagina.
Actually totally unnecessary because I'll be adding a dress later on. But still. It doesn't take long and I see my creation become more realistic even by an insignificant detail like that.
Step 19:
Nipples:
Same thing with the nipples. They won't be visible later actually. But I think they should be there nevertheless.
Step 20:
Feet:
As you as a fellow artist may know, feet and hands are the most difficult parts on the body of all. The fingers and toes are quite ingeniously constructed and that makes them really hard to paint.
But fun. At least that's my opinion. The way each finger is held and each toe is placed in an open shoe is terribly difficult to paint realistically.
I'm still not completely happy with how I do it, but I don't like to use photographs as documentation for pin-ups like these.
They sprout completely from my imagination. And that doesn't make things easier.
However, when you're still learning to master these body parts (or any other body part for that matter) there's absolutely no shame in using photographs to get you on the way.
If you'll keep using them, you'll probably never be able to paint them from scratch but some artists don't mind that at all.
I do for myself. So I keep on trying to make them as realistic as I can without documentation.
Here I also added some strings of hair to her face to make it less styled.
For that I use the hard brushes in the first row of the default brush set.
Step 21:
Even more Details:
Made the brush she's holding to look like a brush, improved the arch of her foot a bit and added a hairband to keep that hair under control/
Added paint to the palette finally and even some on the brush. Couple of highlights from light coming from behind on her legs make it slightly more 3 dimensional.
To make the whole body look softer I use the airbrushes that are located behind the rounded soft brush I've been working with for the most part.
With those airbrushes that actually behave as if I were actually using an airbrush, I can soften up all the harsh color contrasts that were caused by the slightly harder rounded brush.
Step 22:
Put some clothes on:
Yes, although it does hide some interesting zones, I thought nudity was not functional for this particular finished picture. So, I added a 'not too much' top and shirt.
It was very functional to start out with a nude though. Because of the natural curves and smoothness of the body you can see more easily if everything is anatomically correct or not.
If the line of belly or hips does not add up, you will see that sooner with a nude.
I love to work that way.
I personally think there's nothing more beautiful than the naked female, but even if that weren't so, I would still start out with a nude.
I actually do it exactly like this when I paint men.
I may make a tutorial with a male subject in future. Depends on the reactions to this.
And by now I think its time to sign my work:
And to post the finished painting bigger and sharper.
I hope that you enjoyed this little insight in the way I work and, what's more, got inspired by it to start painting again (which ever way you prefer; conventional or digital) or found a tip that will make your own work easier.
If you had fun, please, leave a message in the Guestbook to inspire me to make more tutorials!
Thank you!
Best wishes
Frans Mensink
