Santharian Development

Hi all,

Best wishes for 2011!

I've been working on this one for a while now, and finally got something worthwile down on virtual paper. It's supposed to be a full body portrait.
The clothing, hairdo and jewelry are sketchy at the moment. Nothing is really final, so I'm waiting for comments :)
Here are two versions I have:

Stunning lighting and anatomy, as usual! 

 In the first picture, I like the pensiveness and static, confined energy that is so effectively expressed in pose, facial expression, lighting .... even the shadowing of the sky and the slightly threatening setting of the rocks that overhang her.  What is the strange, shadowy urn upon which she seems to be resting her feet? 

The second picture seems at first glance similar, but the lighting and atmosphere give it a very different feel of freshness and expectancy.  The bright, realistic skin tones - superb!  The angle of light which suggests an early morning storm has just cleared away, and the pose of the two women, which almost suggests the same.... sharp words have just passed between them but they are on the verge of turning to make it up, perhaps?    Innovative clothing, right down to the wooden clogs and the attractive sandals. 

The only critique that I would dare venture at this stage of the two pieces is that their faces seem strangely....modern.... and upon analysis, I think that is primarily due to the short, fluffy hairstyles more than anything else.  Obviously long, heavily stylized and coiffed tresses would be out of place at the shore, and conflict with their fresh, light clothing.... yet somehow the short hair seems so fifties (which is not to say that it's not beautifully rendered, or unflattering....simply anachronistic).  Is it specified in the tribal entry that the Gondalwain women cut their hair to chin or ear length, perhaps?  Is there some cultural explanation or gloss which would help us with that?  Just a thought...

Beautiful handling of water, rocks, and especially light, as always.  Bravo, Faugar, and happy to see you so early on in the new year!

Wonderful pictures Faugar.  I think I have said this before but I wish I could watch you work I would learn so much.   I love that you are able to draw such supple skin.  My people always turn out so stiff looking, as if they are statues.  Well since I cannot watch you work I will have to settle for studying your images. 

Keep up the good work.  :thumbup:  Great to see you around.

We haven't seen Faugar for quite a while methinks, so I don't even remember anymore when the request was made... :lol: But the pictures are definitely something where we need our Gondolwain expert, Coren!

Some notes from here: The people once again are well executed, as is for example also the dress of the girl standing which I like very much. Also the contemplative pose in the first one is especially nice :D

But there are some things in the pictures - as Judy also pointed out - that remind me a bit of pinup calendars ofthe fifties. Could be that this has to do mainly with the haircut, but I swear the second sitting girl in picture number two could as well sit on James Dean's car! She has that pose, hair, trousers and even tank top, so that all makes it appear very modern indeed. Maybe it's also because they are just sitting/standing there as if waiting for a photographer to come by, meaning: there are no objects, buildings etc. around that explain why they are there. So that put together contributes to the "out of time" feeling. Of course it's basically Coren's call, on how the Gondolwain are meant to look like, just making observations  :grin:

BTW, Faugar: Do you have a larger version of the portrait you made for Shabakuk a while ago (Fu Luft)? Shabakuk says he only has a small version, though it might come in handy now to be used as Shabakuk's player portrait in Santhworld, now that we're supporting customized player portraits.

Speaking of which - the Santhworld extension Nepris II with a bunch of your pictures will be released in the coming weeks (teaser here (http://www.santharia.com/santhworld_modules/nepris/nepris_teaser.htm) if you haven't seen that one yet, sound required)! So make sure not to miss that so that you can see that we use your pics properly... Unfortunately some of the pics made by our artists in 2010 are top secret material in order not to spoil the story, so that's why they are not eligible for a Pic Award 2010. There are definitely some great ones in there!

Astounding pictures, Faugar!

When commenting, I want to distinguish two aspects: (i) the sketches as art-work and (ii) as a tribe illustration.

As regards the artwork, Judith has said everything I wanted to say much more succinctly and eloquently than I ever could. On that front, I have nothing but praise. Both pictures are executed with such consummate skill - you call these sketches!? And the first one is such a powerful painting... When I saw it the first analytical thought that came to mind was "Wait - her hair colour might be a problem. I don't think the Krean have blondes." -- followed immediately by: "Well, as of this moment, it is hereby decreed that there are blonde Krean." It's one of those paintings: if there had been no way to alter the tribe to fit the picture, I would have happily made a new tribe just to accompany the picture and pushed one of the existing Nybelmar tribes off the continent to make room.


As a tribe illustration, I think the most important question is: "What makes this a painting of Goldolwain people rather than that of any other human tribe? Were the caption erased, how would we know from the painting and the painting alone that this was a Gondolwain lady and not one from any other human tribe?" I would therefore love to see more of the characteristics of the Gondolwain tribe appearing in these illustrations.

I know that there has been a divergence of opinion on this issue before - and I for one agree that just because something is meant to be a tribal illustration does not mean that it has to be cluttered, covered with ethnic artefacts and other tribal curiosities from head to toe, horizon to horizon. For instance, personally I am great fan of Faugar's uncluttered, almost minimalist style of illustration. Faugar, every time I see one of your illustrations, I am simply stunned by the way in which you manage to capture the essence of that person/tribe with just two or three characteristic touches. Somehow the understatement itself makes that character stand out. Take the dwarves in the Bard's portrait: how the presence and expressions of those three dwarves not only show the Bard's vocation, but also her charm in the wistful look of one dwarf, and her humour, her personality through the very 'tone' of the painting. Or that orc tribe portrait you did a while ago: the rugged, fading mountains of the background suggesting an immensity of space and independence, a life on the move, a tough life but a free one. And need I mention the ajnuvic and the scenery in the Shendar illustration..


And here too there are a few such characteristic touches. For instance, let's take the first sketch, the one with the brooding lady: the lightness, the finesse of the fabric; the wooden clogs (darn - why didn't I think of that when I wrote the entry? lol); the assertive haircut, echoed in the cut of her dress, the very practicality of her attire, the boldness of her single jewellery, and the way she holds/dangles the clogs from one hand..

In one sense, I guess that Faugar minimalism I so admire is a double-edged sword: the less you have, the important the choice of material becomes. So I wish some of the more characteristic, less-subtle features of the Gondolwain had made it into the illustrations: gondolsilk, gondol-lanterns, sun-catchers, the skerries, the waterfalls, something that would hint at their prowess as traders, explorers, sea-farers and translators etc. Take for instance the geography: a stunning depiction of a beach - I especially love the undulations in the water and how the light plays on the waves. But had it been the skerries or the numerous waterfalls that span their land or the lemon trees so characteristic of their region lining those lagoons or the Aegean-type sand and (macquis) vegetation, that would have shouted 'Gondonwain homeland' to anyone who read the geography section.


To make the point from another angle: When we look at the first picture, what does it tell us about the Gondolwain? The pensiveness, the confined energy suggests a story waiting to be told - why is this woman looking so forlorn, when Gondolwain are usually known for their cheer, self-assurance, robust-disposition? Because I am intimately acquainted with the entry, my eye immediately spots the details that tell me that this might be a Gondolwain lady - and it is those discrepancies, all the details going somewhat against the stereo-type that intrigue me, that make this such a powerful, captivating picture for me. Immediately i begin to wonder: what is her story? Has she lost a loved one in one of those unending naval battles with the Aca-Santerrans and the Tarshiinite? Was she in charge of a trading fleet which was sunk?

But it seems to me that in a tribe illustration the emphasis should be not so much on a captivating story but the stereo-type. Almost like a 'picture-summary' of the thousand words that make up the entry ;)

Of course it only takes me a few words to say 'the grandeur of waterfalls' but it take hours and hours to convert a beach into a coastline/mountain range with dozens of waterfalls and rivers seen from a distance. And I think that would be unfair to ask of you. So I guess what we need to do is to focus what we have now (which I love very much) and try to come up with ways to make that more characteristic of the Gondolwain. What a splendid challenge for our imagination and inventiveness!

I make the following comments in this spirit. They are meant as suggestions and light-hearted “what-if”s rather than the 10 Commandments.


SKETCH-1:

[1] What if we make her dress was enchanted gondolsilk? – the kind that stores sunlight during daylight hours and slowly releases them as it gets darker, building up to a crescendo? I include a quote for a quick reference– more details can be found in the entry. The colour then would be white rather than grey - not off white or creamy pastel colours, but a brilliant, pristine white – think bright sunlight shining on snow, that golden-white radiance. Imagine how much more dramatic that would be – and it would also reflect the theme of ‘pent up energy’ that runs through the painting, which Judith so perceptively pointed out. Imagine the radiance of her dress illuminating some of the rock face etc – what a contrast that would make to the bold purples and blues of the unlit bits!

Aha! I just had an epiphany!: Then the whole picture would be a metaphor for the Gondolwain: a metaphor of their character, inner light, resilience...  The storm clouds, the pent-up, confined spaces, the rock face – these symbolise the external circumstances the Gondolwain find themselves in: the Ancient Krean civilisation is gone; they live in a spirited, stubborn geography; there is war on all sides...  Their “light”, their victories, their joys weren’t something that was handed to them –they had to dig deep and craft it themselves.

PS: Do we want a blazing supernova (lol) – or a more understated radiance? Hard to say without seeing it on paper first – so we might have to tune it down or up later on. I don’t know how this works out in digital media- but is there a way to do it in layers and save it as you go? So that it would be easier to undertake such tuning?



A few other points:

-@Judith: I think the ‘shadowy urn’ is her own shadow?

- Re skin tone: Could it be darker perhaps? More bronze or tanned – a darker brown to bring the white dress into relief? It’s not essential. Whatever you think looks aesthetically better – once you change the dress, if you feel the current, lighter skin tone works better in the context of the whole picture, that’s absolutely fine too.

-Thank you for taking my suggestions on board: “aside from the anorexia  I’m thinking: slightly more muscled – so the arms should look less like sticks and more fit, with lean, long muscle. The kind that is not obstrusive/bulky, but becomes apparent in movement.” That lean, flexible strength is very apparent in the curve of her back and her legs – but right now the arms and left wrist (perhaps also her face) look a bit too thin/weak in comparison. Could you ever so slightly add more muscle tone there – without making her a She-ra? The emphasis being on ‘slightly’?


SKETCH-2: Comments to follow later.

It's getting late and I'm exhausted so I didn't get a chance to read through what I wrote. I hope it makes sense... I get the feeling that I started to ramble half-way through  :undecided:

Faugar, you are making me jealous! I'm a true fan of you!  :grin:

First of all - thank you all for encouraging comments and the praise, it does make a difference, trust me! Hugs all around! :hug:

Second: These 2 pictures are for my satisfaction primary, that is I put down what I had in my head for a whiel, and in a way that suited me. BUT, the intention is to make a portrait that depicts the tribe, not one the tribe entry need to be fitted to. I am glad these serve as a start to talk about the finished picture, the needn't be the final product :)

Third: thank you for understanding Coren, it's exactly wwhat I like best - uncluttered and focused work, and will keep to this style as much as I'm able. I also appreciate you (and others) being inspired by the pictures to see the possible stories behind them!

Fourth: all that sid, after reading your comments I'm thinking of a different approach, namely something like this:

setting is a dark evening / pre-dawn maybe. A Gondolwain female is descending a pathway of tiny waterfalls, making her way down a slope, using the light off her robe/dress/clothing as guide. Perhaps also some other prop can be added (I have to read about those lanterns...). his would make it an interesting light source and show the use of this special fabric as well.

What do you think? I'll try to make a quick sketch to show what I mean, I can already see her pose in my head :)

P.S. @Art - I believe the Fu portrait has been solved - it's a mystery how the attached full res picture I sent 2 years ago was not received properly by him, but it seems it is now :)

Faugar, do you still use art rage, did you use it here?

picture 1 was done in photoshop, but picture 2 was done in Artrage first, then resized and refined in photoshop. I wish there was one perfect application, but both have some appealing features - photoshop has the brush selection and filters, artrage the excellent ease of use and reference image implmentation. There is a problem with artrage however - drawing on a canvas that is zoomed out is not a good idea - the brush strokes are made and smoothed on monitor pixel basis, so when you then zoom back in you see jagged edges :(

After 3 evenings of sketching, I'm still getting nowhere. I need some inspiration or a starting point for the picture. Reading the Gondolwain entry wasn't much help unfortunately, I'd need a setting a scenario. An activity or motive for the depicted person to be there would be helpful also, otherwise I'll come something not fitting and get critiqued for it, which is counterproductive. Coren - can you come up with something?

The girls are in wait of a Father who is at sea.  Rumours abound that the ship was lost in the storm, but the girls are resolute in their belief that their father is alive and at any moment be on the next ship that comes over the horizon.  So they wait, watching for that ship, with mixed emotions in the cool morning light.

Perhaps the one young woman is resolute in her faith that their father still lives; the other lass takes a more 'pragmatic' view, and in trying to discuss their different opinions, words have been exchanged.  "We come here day after day, Shosuanni...day after day spent on the shore while our own lives are left unfilled!". 
"You would desert our sire so soon?"
"Soon?  Arunna, it has been a hundred and three days...fifty days longer than his return was promised.  The creditors howl at our mother's threshold even as we wait..."

And so on.

Hi again Faugar!

As I said, I love the two pictures - especially the first one. All that would need to be done to make Sketch-1 more palpably characteristic of the Gondolwain would be to (i) change the colour of the dress from grey to a pristine, bright white and (ii) make it glow.

Since we already have such beautifully rendered paintings (I know you like to call them "sketches" - but seriously?), wouldn't it be easier to just finish one of them rather than start a new sketch from scratch? Or would the light/shadows cast by the glow have such a fundamental effect on the colours and lighting that it would be like re-doing the entire picture? If that's the problem, we can drop the glow and I can try to come up with some other characteristic feature that could be added.


But then you said:



I'm just a bit confused as to what you would like me to do? Do you want me to


What would be most helpful to you at this stage? Do you want me to write the setting/story caption for the "waterfalls in the dark" scenario you mentioned? Or to write a number of different settings/activities I would consider characteristic for this lady so that you can choose between them?


But again: I would be very saddened to see all this work go down the drain. Even if you would decide to have a different painting for the tribe illustration, I would love to commission them for a person entry. Would there be any way to finish at least one of these pictures some time down the line?

Sorry all, I wasn't clear due to mu frustration of not getting where I wanted to :) Thank you for quick helpful responses!

I'll change the first picture then, make the skin and haircolor darker, change the dress as described and see what we have. Will post the updated version as soon as I have it!

I love the idea of blonde Krean - feel free to keep it if you wish. Ultimately, whatever looks best in the painting :) It's a relatively easy thing to insert three words into an appearance section :P

Ok, here is the revised version (it's good to have a day off work to be able to work on pictures :) ):

I changed the skintone and haircolor to suit the typical rather then the exceptional Gondolwain. The haircut is also different, long hair, style is inspired by the waterfalls intertwining eachother, hope it shows ;)
The dress is now glowing also as it should, and is brighter and more white.

What do you think? Anything else I can change or add to make it more recognisably Gondolwain?

She is beautiful without being cliched.  The textures and lines of the skin/muscles are superbly done.  I love the weary thoughtfulness, as if she has been turning over the same worry or idea in her head for a long time now.  The pose is both sensual and vulnerable; one wants to put an arm about her, yet must pause.

 Aura'd without hesitation, and it's too bad I can't give more than one at a time!

You should be here more often, Faugar! :)

I don't know how to address that without seeming.. whatever. But I'm puzzling about her underwear, with that insight we have...

Will the beach stay this lemon - yellow? Just a question ;)

I find it an interesting place where you put your signature, thought first there are some Gondolwain runes... lol

Thank you!

I changed the pic a bit here and there and fixed the weird greenish beach tint (didn't even notice it before, thank for pointing it out :) ). Also added a small crab-like creature - If there is a description of any crab or something similar, let me know, so I can chang the picture accordingly!

Here is the new version:

Oh, no!  As much as I love the baroque little crab, on its own, putting it there changes the whole focus of the picture.   Now it can be interpreted much more obviously and cheaply as 'girl on beach sees crab, draws up feet in fear/annoyance, considering slinging her slipper at it'....   especially since her eyeline seems to point us right to it.   If you want the extra touches of colour and detail, why not a scattering of shells in the same reddish orange colours (to pick up the deeper hues on her skin and complement those rich blues and greens in the rocks) along the cove of the beach,  and perhaps a few lichens or anemones on the rocks themselves?

You are the artist, and it's your decision, but I truly love if the focus would stay on her face and the extra thought required to interpret her expression...    just my two sans worth, IMHO!  


Aura'ed anyhow, just because you deserve it.

hehe...I agree with Judith.  Like the crab, but now it looks like she's recoiling in fear and disgust, so you immediately stop wondering what is going through her mind.  Mona Lisa is famous because everyone wonders what that tiny little smile is all about.  Had Da Vinci painted a clown on the edge of the pic, would she have been as famous? :shocked:

There, you've just been compared to Leonardo.  Kudos (and Thyslan spice cakes on a mithril platter) to you!

Well, it was definitely not my intention to make her seem scared or appaled by the crab. I removed it from the picture :)
Also, had been thinking about and reworking the other picture, and here is a work in progress, I'm curious what you all think.

About the underwear issue Talia raised - I think Coren is the expert on Gondolwain women undergarments... ;)

Gonna miss her sister (or friend?), but I like the foiliage, especially when more detail is added to it.  The clothes are much improved, as they no longer look anachronistic. :thumbup:

My only complaint, and it is for the girl, not for the artist... she has man legs. :rolleyes:

First - the first picture, with the girl on the beach, I consider "finished", unless there is something Coren is willing to comment upon?
Second picture  ( 2 women in the lemon tree orchard) is also more or less finished, here are 2 versions of it. I have a preference, but I'm curious about your thoughts.

I think I prefer the 2nd one, I don't know why, but I think I like the 2nd one better. :)

Both versions have their advantages I'd say. The second one of course has richer colours, thus looks more detailed, more digitall if you so want, more realistic and in general is closer to other pics we use on site. The first one is almost like a painting of an old master you find in museums, where the style forms the content of the picture very much. So it might even be closer to the idea of these people? Anyway, both great versions, difficult to pick ;)

BTW: Belated aura +1 for your efforts here, Faugar! In general this background I think works very well for our two ladies! :thumbup:

I think I would like to have something in-between. The first one looks a bit flat, a bit unicrome, maybe even somehow colourless, the second, hmm, the women, especially the right one, a bit 'hard', can't find the right expression right now (not even in German).

Really difficult to decide. Let's wait, what Coren says :)

Hi guys! Sorry for the delay - my internet connection is rather temperamental at the moment. I'll try to see if I can log from a friend's house on Monday. Take care!

I love these paintings btw :) Just a small suggestion for the hair style of the second painting - but I need to log now. Back on Monday :)

here is a small update on the first version, and a detail (full size image) of the faces. I tweaked the colors a bit to make it more like the second version.

I love both versions.   The first, despite its 'soft focus', painterly style, still has so much definition, character, and well-modeled shapes... (the basket looks as though I could walk over and steal a lemon from it!) ... and the softness and less-saturated colours give it a subtlety and refinement that seem to suit the Gondolwain.    Yet there is a beauty in the crisp, bright, focused lines of the second painting, with its energy and vivacity that match the subject - a sunny day in a lemon orchard!  How can one choose?

   Let me suggest that we take the best of both worlds:  the first picture to illustrate the entry of the Gondolwain, the second to be cut apart into crops for:

a) the Kitraure entry ("Lemon tree, oh so pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat....") 
b) Tools and Utensils (I do love that basket!)
c) one or two People entries (those unique, interesting faces!)
d) with the women removed, a Santhworld location at a well near a grove

Aura'd once more for masterful work.

Hugs,
Judith

Faugar, I think it is perfect now!  :D

I love the closeup also very much. Your people have such an own life - there are real persons who speak to you (or not, in this case ;) )

I always wonder, how you can produce the feeling, that your pictures are 'sharp' (they don't have the effect on me to have to look for my glasses), but in fact they seem out of focus, especially the background, but all fits together nevertheless.

Thank you all! Glad you like it,

Judy - I can indeed remove the people and fill the space to make a picture of an orchard with the water well. So all 4 crops are possible :)

Talia - the apparent sharpness is due to the difference in blur - I deliberately make the background and the foreground leaves less sharp then the characters, and the most "focus" is put in their faces. So due to the variation of the sharpness I try to create a depth of filed effect. So if an element in apicture is clearly less shap (more blurred) then others, the difference is making you perceive the sharper object as sharp. Also, as the eye of the viewer is naturally drawn to the face and the eyes, making sure these are sharp is all that matters really :)

And... on the resized small versions I always also use a bit of unsharp mask filter ;)

Faugar, I love these paintings! I watch with admiration!

Orchard picture

My internet connection seems shaky again - so posting comments quickly in bullet form before I get cut off. Apologies in advance for the brusqueness.

1) Hairstyle suggestion for the pouting girl with the crossed arms: this (http://hairstyleschats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/f2d6dce8667795a6_french_braid_hairstyles.jpg) or this (http://www.free-makeup-tips.com/images/french_braid_hairstyles1.jpg) perhaps?

2) Perhaps it's just me, but her eyes don't seem to converge? Should her left eye gaze slightly more left (her left, our right) and down?

3) I loved the design/patterns on her dress. These were more evident in the first sketches. Perhaps these could be emphasised if the colour of the stripes echoed one of the colours from the background? (yellow stripes? green stripes?)

4) Judith's 4 crops - what an excellent suggestion!

5) Could the lemons in the basket be more yellow? The roundness combined with the brownish tone makes them look a bit like onions atm.

6) Would it be possible to use this version for the tribe entry but also include the first muted/"oil-painting" version for a separate entry on Goldonwain paintings? Such a dilemma! I love both versions! (that is the newest version and the "first" one). Judith put it so eloquently:



Lady at the beach

I don't really have anything to add - marvellous painting!

A rather cool idea occurred to me, but I am not sure if it is feasible. Would it be possible to include both this version and the blonde version in the entry? This information is not on the site yet, but all Gondolwain are identical triplets (see quote below). Some tribes joke that the importance the Gondolwain place on individuality stems from a need to distinguish themselves from their triplets! Indeed siblings tend to choose diametrically opposite vocations, wear their hear differently etc.

This would be a perfect opportunity to capture that on canvas! We could say that the two are sisters, mourning the loss of their third sister (triplet? twin?). We could even comment that despite all the differences (the hair, the colour of the dress), a natural connection between the two is evident. Without concious coordination, they have chosen similar jewellery; they both came to the exact same spot to contemplate and in such a moment of vulnerability their bodies inadvertently reverted to the same pose. Etc etc - what do you think?


And here is the quote I mentioned:

Hey,

Great to hear again from you Coren, and with such precise comments :)
I tried to address them all. I'll do the crops after everything is completely approved. So, how about this version?
I do not quite comprehend what you wish me to do (if anything) about the twins idea. It's up to you and Artimidor I guess to decide which and how many versions you want to use on the site.

So, let me know what you think!

Hi Faugar!

Thank you so much!

1) I love the new hair! And the eyes problem is solved now. The dress looks so much more alive alive now.

2) Hmm... the lemons still look brown to me. But that might have something to do with my laptop. My Sony X-black LCD screen died on me last month and I had to replace it. The screen colours seem to be off ever since the replacement. Maybe someone else could chip in regarding the lemons?

3) Given the effect the extra colour had on the pouting girl's dress, I am wondering if we should perhaps try something similar for the white dress? Maybe colouring the white sash/belt green (or any colour of you prefer)? I am not sure if that would add to the appeal of the dress or separate the elegant, vertical flow of into two chunky halves. I don't know. What do our fashion experts think?

4) Re twins: I was just wondering if you would allow me to use both the blonde and the new brunette versions as-is and say that they are twins? To my eyes both paintings look finished and splendid as they are - but I wanted to check (a) how you felt about that and (b) if you still had a saved copy of the blonde version. If not, no worries.

5) Btw, did you get my PM, Faugar?

Weighing in with a brand-new monitor (22 inch!  I can't believe our university was so generous!) from work here - the lemons are yellow.  A soft, mellow hue, yes, but definitely yellow.  Any brighter and it would throw off the soft, desaturated palette.

I love the standing lass's dress...it positively glows in that rich sunlight....and its lines are runway-worthy!   Faugar: the Caelerethian Balmain!

ok, I added some lines on the other dress as requested, I hope I didn't go overboard with this? I can easily remove some or all of it (it's on a separate layer) if you think I should. Here is the update:

Ow Faugar! You've put me into such a dilemma! I do like the new lines, especially the design on the hem - but I have to say I preferred the elegance and monochromatic grace of the white version. I'm sorry I put you through all this extra work because I didn't express myself particularly well. What I meant was: Let's leave the dress as-is (ie white), but colour the sash/belt green (or any other colour of your choice) - so that the two white halves would be separated by a bold, green "belt". So I had in mind a very small change just to see which one people preferred and which could be altered back without too much effort.

If that would be too much of a hassle, let's leave the white dress as-is. I'm very happy with the picture (in fact I am smiling 'from ear to ear' as we say) - so all these suggestions are just minor, inessential details.


PS: What do you think about the twins idea?

I'm looking for something to integrate at this week's update... So... Is there any approved pic available in this thread? Like the girl at the rock? What's the approval status on this one, Coren? Or can the final adjustments be made at the last pics until Sunday, Faugar?

In general I'd also need descriptions that go with the pictures and suggestions on where to put the pics, so if you've got something in this regard, Coren, let me know!  :cool:

Hi Arti!

1) I'm in the process of revising the Gondolwain entry and finishing the missing sections. I will also have proper descriptions then. It won't make it to this update - so perhaps for now we could go with a one-liner such as "two Gondolith women in a lemon orchard"?

2) The girl at the beach painting is ready as far as I'm concerned. But I don't know if Faugar wants to make any final adjustments.

3) The lemon orchard painting is also 99% complete I'd say :D

Ok, question to Coren: Any text to go with the girl at the rock?

And question to Faugar: Can you finish the 1% Coren's talking about at the lemon orchard pic until Sunday? And then upload a large version of the whole picture, so take I can use parts of it?

Ok, I assume the pictures are both finished. Here are the original sized versions then. Both the "vanilla" dress version and a colored belt one for you guys to choose from :)

Here is the second one (had to post separately because of the size)

...and the last one:

Excellent - another aura +1 for your Faugar!

Hope Coren gives his ok, and has some sort of text for the rock picture, then it should all be in this week.