http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/ yveline's gallery of images en-us 120 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/747730

Half Her Heart's Duet © 2009 Cynthia Sheppard

Digital painting - Photoshop, Wacom Cintiq.

There's so much I could say about this piece. I feel like it has a rich story, but I want to see more of what's beyond that fence. I tend to think of my non-client-driven work as vignettes based on a certain mood more than illustrative representations of an event, but I think this one is both.

My husband is responsible for some of the symbolism - he saw what I was working on at the start when it was just a lass and an amorphous instrument, and would send me excited emails as it developed detailing the life and times of our red-haired protagonist - "...she's an only child, no older brother to take over the farm when her dad dies, or to keep the family name. She's been trying to adapt for so long, and in this moment she's wandered off to have a moment to herself, in her nice dress instead of her daily farm clothes."

Technically I think this one is worth a look. I took much longer to consider certain elements than I normally do, and switched up references a couple times. For example, I had a photo reference of a friend I was using for the dress and body posture, but the hands looked stiff, and a lot like mittens, so I had to change that and referenced my hands instead. I'm really trying to get better about making conscious decisions instead of taking something that doesn't work and beating it to death. It's especially easy to let a reference photo make bad decisions for you if you're not mindful.

I'm also getting better at combining referenced areas with imagined stuff, which is so important for consistency. The head/neck were both from imagination, but the hair was behaving the same way as the hands, stiff stiff stiff, so I reworked it until it looked right, (which in total was about 12 times.)

I will stop talking now, but feel free to ask if you have questions! Enjoy]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:10:34 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/805071

Art Director: Nicholas Logue
For (and copyright) Sinister Adventures
www.sinisteradventures.com

Medium: Photoshop

This one was a lot of fun. The character designer and art director Nick Logue's ultra-descriptive character studies are some of my favorites to work from - in fact, he does half my work for me by creating such vivid imagery with his writing. Right down to the face hooks. We did a few snippets together last year, and I hope to have the pleasure of painting many more.

Overall, this was intended to be a quick character portrait, but it ended up being a bit more.

Technically, I think the snow was the most difficult part to achieve convincingly (or semi-convincingly), and I think muting the human slave's skin tone to match the snow was a good choice in terms of composition. The armor design was also a challenge, since normally I'm not much for costume design, so I had to really think it out. Let's see, she's a vamp, so she doesn't care about the cold... she's a knife-thrower so she wouldn't want her joints encumbered... etc.

The sneak preview went up on the SA site today so I'm happy to get to share this. Enjoy.]]> Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:38:46 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/759748

This is a re-paint of a piece I did in 2007, called People of the Lake: http://www.sheppard-arts.com/_img/portfolio/illustrations/people_of_the_lake.jpg

The original was sort of haphazardly drawn- I didn't really have a solid grasp of anatomy, and I hadn't discovered brushes other than the soft round yet... but two years is a long time in terms of artistic skill development.

That said, in this 'remix' I wanted to put the two mer-people in a different situation— in the earlier version I'd received lots of comments asking what on earth they were doing. The original was supposed to have a bit of a danger element, or some tension between the two characters, but I always felt it missed the mark when it came to context. So I concentrated a lot harder on the facial expression, movement, and body language, as well as the scenery.

I channeled memories of the intro to Tim Burton's "Big Fish" where the camera takes you under the river with all the fish lures hanging down. My original idea, creating the shadow of a fishing boat's underside, just wasn't clear and was distracting from the power of the highlights.

I'm still working on facial expression, muscles (particularly mens' torsos), and movement. Also working on improving my use of perspective a bit.

I hope you enjoy, and any critique on this is appreciated.]]> Mon, 04 May 2009 13:26:06 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/748630

Part 3 of a series called "Trial By Water" about water-related nightmares...]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:38:30 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/725500

There's this place that's magical; it doesn't matter what your particular experience may have been there, but to the folks who felt it at one point or another it was undeniable. When I heard it might be (or was) getting bulldozed for construction, I had a vivid and very emotional nightmare about it. It was like watching someone's heart beating slower and slower, the pulse of the ground and the trees and the blue flowers slowly dying off. Hollowed.

I went back there last year because I had to know if it was true, and while I'm still told that a portion of the woods was cut down, the place that was closest to my heart and strongest in my memory was alive and well. Still, the thought of that being gone -permanently gone- is devastating.

The moral is to beware of taking for granted that what you love will always be there.]]> Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:12:59 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/725501

A follow-up (or prequel) to a piece I did in 2006, called "One For The Future."
]]> Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:16:07 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/725503

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Ever wonder what your children might look like? What they might do?

If art was witchcraft, this would be a spell for my imaginary (eventual) child's happiness. I didn't even have to tell my boyfriend what I'd done - he recognized the girl's face immediately.

...Which is part of the reason this piece was such a challenge. Everything (except the general shape of the major tree) is straight from brain-to-canvas.

I felt in the beginning like the treeline at left was overworked, and spent so much time fiddling with details that I spat coffee with frustration and almost put this piece down once or twice, but in the end I'm satisfied with the way it came together as a whole.

I've had the pleasure of meeting a lot of very talented fantasy illustrators this past week. I think they inspired the book-cover format, but moreover that's the direction I'm trying to take my work. More illustrative, less of a "fine art" feel. This should come through more in my upcoming work... now to get back to it...

Completed 5/6/07, PS7 w/Wacom.

Slainte,
Cynthia]]> Mon, 07 May 2007 17:30:54 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/475954

Wonderland Deconstructed, March 2007, digital painting

"...this is how it is when only alice knows your world is paper houses, how you're scalded by what steams & how kind she looks while everything you knew is washed away." -tyratae

A friend-of-a-friend whom I've never met wrote that poem before this piece was finished, and it rings true to the piece. The interesting thing that she and I have in common is the model I used for Alice. It's a small family in a smaller world, and some people, like this woman who felt the piece as strongly as I do, are much better at using words.

Nothing in this piece is an accident. The model has always keenly related to Alice - chaotic, idealistic-without-foundation, always testing her own boundaries. More than anything, I created this so I could come to terms with and appreciate those qualities in her- to claw beneath layers of discomfort and love her for who she is and who she aspires to be. So I can relate this image to her in my waking mind. I hope she sees something of herself in it too. She said it captured her perfectly.

Technically I approached this in a giant mental canvas before ever laying down the first penstroke. The original inspiration to 'tackle' an Alice in Wonderland theme came weeks earlier from a friend in fashion school who'd asked me to photograph an Alice line she was creating.

I wanted to create a 'calm before the storm' atmosphere, with an ominous sky that still let remnants of blinding sun show through. The houses of cards needed to be carelessly situated but structurally sound enough to still be standing. I used a lot more contrast (huzzah for the levels palette, right?) in this than most of my earlier work.

I hope everyone enjoys it and feels it. This feels like a breakthrough for me.]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:35:03 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/471642

Some believe there's potential that two or more people can share the same dream at the same time. I've tried many many times and it seems impossible, but I'm not one to give up.

This self portrait was someone else's daydream (minus a few details), that has also been a daydream of mine separately (minus different details), and I'm preparing my surroundings for whatever the two of us might fill it with collaboratively in the future.

This is hope for the future.]]> Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:35:00 +0000 http://yveline.cgsociety.org/gallery/471629

When I chose to leave my band, it felt like removing a series of masks. So much of you is left behind when you walk out onto a stage; You become the image you represent and are forced to abandon your true inner feelings. This work is about becoming whole and true to myself again - an inspirer and a watcher instead of a performer - With a loving hand from my bassist who was there to catch me when I fell too hard.]]> Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:21:39 +0000