Slow Down

**Albacore** · 16 May 2007, 08:28 AM

Thought the the forum had slowed down and since I had posted posted anything for ages and for a change I had time to do some freelance work I would post this one. Then all of a sudden when I was half way through the drawing everything in the forum got busy again with some great drawing. This is done the usual way using the threshold filter in PS and then importing it into Xara as a guide to where to draw the shapes for vector shading.

**masque** · 16 May 2007, 10:43 AM

Using the threshold filter is a great idea for identifying the important areas to use.
I think the hair at the back needs to be faded to the background to cover up the lack of deatil there though, unless your going to tackle that of course.
The rest of the figure works very well.
Derek

**gwpriester** · 16 May 2007, 01:44 PM

Very nice.

I would make her ear darker so it does not compete with her face for your eye.

Gary

**Ron Duke** · 16 May 2007, 10:18 PM

Albie,
Great work. Like the subject and love the rendering.
ron

**DAL** · 17 May 2007, 03:23 AM

Nice but I'm not so sure the sweater/shirt is working.

**Albacore** · 17 May 2007, 08:43 AM

Yes Gary I agree with that will tone it down -
Dal, it was a dress that she was wearing and it was at a wedding when picture was taken and it was taken with a large contrast light to the right of the subject so the resulting photo did not shown great detail.
Thanks Ron my shading is no where near the quality of your work, don't now have the patience.
Derek, The actual print that i am working from as you stated had no detail in the back hair and did not have any light behind but it is a posh day and I wanted to shown that her hair was special for the day. Just my choice!

What I am trying to do here is offer a quick portrait of a subject in vectors where they give a picture and I knock it out as quickly as I can. Most people will not pay more than $200 or £100 for the service so that is why I use that method of increasing the Threshold to reduce the tones of the picture so that I can see quickly where the main shading in the picture is.

**GeoBen** · 17 May 2007, 05:39 PM

to begin with, the essential image is terrific. love that pose, the surly look, the great neck. whoever this is has a future in rock and roll.

at the risk of damning with faint praise, i think you have a good start on a great picture here. The posterizing has left you some messy areas, the neck in particular, though the overlapping shadows on the neck are among its finest points.

There is the hint of clavicle which i think would improve the picture a lot if it could be picked out. I think you have to decide between feathering and not feathering... i would go with not, though it will be harder to adjust. the shirt (aside from the feathering) is just wonderful. It shows all her form without being fetishist.

i really like this.

geo.

note: i wrote this before reading any of the foregoing comments, so if i contradict others... well, my bad.

**-=Drifter=-** · 18 May 2007, 12:50 PM

Albacore: You have done an absolutely fabulous rendering of an absolutely gorgeous woman! Kudos!

**sallybode** · 18 May 2007, 03:27 PM

I like the painterly detail on the blouse and the neck. If you did darken the hair, the back mostly to indicate the strong light source and just a bit more contrast then on the front. Even with a strong light source, some ambient light creeps around to the back to form a slight halo effect with rogue hairs that just do not lie with the rest of the hair but make their way wih gossamer threads floating aimlessly in the air.