August, 2004 -- The Commission -- Rae is a dancer, and a child of the desert. Ergo, she’s usually scantily clad. She is a muamrite human and is tall and lean, with sun-bronzed skin. Supple, strong muscles drive her willowy limbs with ease, and she moves with a dancer's grace. The tawny color of henna accents her face exotically; her lips are moderately tinted while a darker shade lines her scintillating peridot eyes. A mass of dark hair that glitters with brilliant copper highlights frames her face, save for the whitish lock of hair just above her left ear. Her hair is lustrous although quite feral, and the unkempt tresses flow about her henna-tattooed shoulders and back.

1. Ok, here's one possibility for a pose. I had in mind her walking forward, just about to begin a dance. Her hands could either be palms together or crossed in an X. I thought it might be the best pose to show off her figure and her chest. And the eyes could be staring straight at the viewer, as if the dance were for them. :) The background could have some kind of twirling veil to add more motion to the piece. What do you think?

2. Ok, just starting to sketch in her outfit. I'll put her little bird sitting on a harp nearby.

3. Starting to work on her face. Let me know if I'm going in the right direction.

4. (right) Here's a better look at her clothing.

5. Ok, here is the sketch I'm going to go ahead with. Still haven't decided on the exact pose of her hands yet, but that will come as I start to add colour.

6. Starting to block in some of the basic colours.

7. Adding some range to the shadows and highlights.

8. Starting to render in more detail, beginning with the midriff. I'm working on getting the hair the right colour as well as playing with the shapes in the background a bit more.

9. Continuing to tighten up the details. Shortened the nose a bit on request. :)

10. Some detail on the belt area.

11. Worked on rendering the hair and face area.

© Eric Pommer 2005