Deviantart doesn't like this file, I've been trying to submit it for months.

This was a painting I did last summer. In a way I really like it, because it's neater and more difficult than anything I've produced before. Plus it was lovely to paint - using my new paints and paper and working under a skylight listening to lots of folk music.
On the other hand, I overworked the skin and the lighting didn't really pull together in the end. meh - the next one will be better! I also know the pose looks a little forced but I actually liked that and kept it deliberately. To my mind it's an illustration not a realistic rendering and I wanted to keep some ambiguity about what's going on.

Stock reference from the lovelly *pinkpaint-stock <3

Painted for "still" from the 100 themes challenge
Ideas whilst I was making this were a mixture of things, but mostly to do with that greek myth where two lovers are in a meadow and the girl gets bitten by a snake and dies. The guy is so upset he goes to hades and spends his whole time playing lots of sad music, until I think he kills himself. Fun times. Also, influence of Ophelia. And of East O' the Sun, West O' the Moon when the castle disappears and she wakes up alond in a dark forest surrounded by flowers. So it's entirely up to you whether she is dead or sleeping or poisened or whatever.



Time: Beaucoup de hours. Probably around 12 hours.
Materials: Cotman watercolours and a couple of windsor and newton ones. Inadquate paintbrushes. I can't remember the name of the paper sorry but it's really nice, NOT grain stuff. Well, not super expensive but not cheap and I love working on it.
Music: Folk mostly! So add Seth Lakeman into the influences