(95 layers, 30+ hours in PS Elements 3 using a Wacom Graphire Tablet)

I feel like this picture has a story behind it. Who - or what - has she locked away, and why?


I know that I've used an INSANE amount of layers for such a simple composition (I honestly had no idea until I counted them) but I tend to build things up slowly, piece by piece, especially when it comes to shadow and texture and hair.

(And of course I spent hours color-matching the hair, only to change the color scheme for the entire piece in the end.   :-p   Ah well. I went ahead and posted the original "colored" version as a scrap, just to show the difference.)


RESOURCES

Woman:


Key:


Chain:


Grunge Brush:


Flowing Hair Tutorial: on


Once her hair was (mostly) completed, my poor stock-girl sat around neglected and unfinished for nearly two months because I couldn't find a decent background to stick her on. So finally last weekend I gave up and pieced together one of my own, using the following wonderful sources:

demma on sxc.hu

cihb and slartibartfast on morgueFile

Grunge Brush:



I give permission to and to post this piece in their galleries.



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ETA: BIG THANKS to the following Deviants and Clubs for featuring this piece in their journals: