Shimmer Fey

This is my first completed attempt at a full scale digital painting (some partial pieces remain in the limbo of my hard drive), and I learned a lot while working on it. I started with some basic photo references in order to sketch the basic form of the fiary herself. Once I was happy with the composition, I moved on to laying down colour.

The background was a bit more tricky, since I didn't have a clear sense of setting, until one day I found a wicked stock photo of this thick forest and I just knew that was the setting. I made a few major colour adjustments and then used the photo as a reference. I think the effect is quite dramatic, and I love the enchanted feel.

Once the piece was complete I talked to my wife about a name, and she really like the name Shimmer. I just added the word "Fey" to the end, as a not-so-subtle reference to her fairy heritage. At the moment, there is no real story behind the image, but that could change. I may just have to write Shimmer's story one of these days.