"Lily Albrook"
[ Photoshop Elements Over Ink ]

Mani's Remarks: "I will preface this by saying that I much prefer working with CS2 to Elements. Nonetheless, I think I am getting a bit more comfortable with it.

Lily's probably the alpha-female of a lot of my characters, but certainly not by her personality. While she's probably the most gentle soul around here, she's definitely the most significant lass in any of my works. There are some characters that you get attached to, and Lily here truly falls into that category. The running joke about this piece is that this takes place moments after she and Mani met for the first time- a friend is pointing out that some strange guy in black is checking her out, hence the over-the-shoulder expression of "Huh?" =)

I took the technique I started with the Abigail pic last month a step further, as I decided to try and eliminate the line-work all together. On one hand I like it because it gives the piece a more unique, almost glowing quality. On the other, though, I thought that it made the edges look a little more jagged. I'll be experimenting more and hopefully finding that happy medium."

Random Sidenote: "You have NO FREAKING IDEA how many versions of this pic I went through before I got to this point! And this one isn't even near any of my original concepts!

Originally, I was tossing around two different directions to take this picture. My original plan was to go more along the lines of a traditional spring piece, with Lily walking through a field with a sundress, or something in that vein. The second idea was something along the lines of a semi-angelic version of her, which would have showcased her quite nude (but strategically covered), and brandishing a pair of wings. I still love the concept for the second one, so I might attempt that one again down the line. This one kind of came out of the blue one day, and it just kind of stuck. I guess it pays to not get stuck on a particular concept. Nonetheless, this was probably the model with the most sketch work  behind it!

Copyright © 2007 Damani Zayas. All rights reserved. All Images are the property of Damani Zayas unless stated otherwise and may not be used without the written consent of Damani Zayas. All copyrighted characters are drawn as fan art and are properties of their respective companies, all rights reserved.