This latest batch is more amazing work!
I like the way you've made Andrew pop despite a pretty heavy "normal guy" vibe. I think a lot of it's in the way his smile and eyes angle the same direction; it makes him come off as clever but in a friendly, jokey way more than a scheming/conniving one. I'm also wowed that you made a baseball cap seen from the front look natural.
Ooh, River, the original wielder of the famous plastic hammer. You did an especially nice job on his hair, which hits that good point where it's clearly gelled up in a really early-2000s style while also being fairly neat. I like the color scheme too, how his eyes and hair echo each other—it's minimal but it works.
I don't know a single thing about James. He seems like a really deep V1 cut, and yet at the same time you've made him a very tantalizing mystery because your art of him is so good! I dig the more impressionist technique used for his hair, which gives him a messy air without it actually being all over the place. The spot where his left eye is peeking from between the hairs is in particular excellent. I also dig his uncertain, kind of hesitant expression.
Rais is also very early-2000s, far more aggressively than River could ever hope to be. You did a great job with what has to be one of the single most unusual appearance details I've ever seen in a profile (half a set of fake lashes, worn on the bottom left only), and somehow managed to turn this all into a really well-executed edgy guy. I dig that you made him look more goofy-teen, less hardened-gang-murderer.
Aww, Vivien. I really dig the sway you have going on here, the vibe of motion to his hair. There's a playful edge that I think fits him well. I also like the choices you made regarding his wardrobe (yay for V4 and the lack of abduction outfits). The necklace in specific looks really good.
You've done a great job with Rachael's quiet concern. She looks really unsure, not in an actively confused way but more just... as a state of being. I appreciate your take on her accessories, too; the pearl earrings are subtle but well-executed, and headbands are so underutilized. Also, again you've worked some magic with the palette, making everything so cohesive even through the shading.
Oh man, Huy is an instant fav just due to how much detail and fullness you put in here. The axe brings a real edge of menace and power, and you did a great job with the woodgrain and the metal of the head. And Huy himself looks suitably disheveled for someone who's been on the island for a while. You're getting really talented at finding the spots where the wrinkles accumulate, the little ways where the fabric hangs on him in interesting ways.
Toby's really nice. I may have mentioned before, but I really admire how you can conjure so much about an outfit just through the little pieces of it visible around a character's neck. You're great at pulling a few major details to do the heavy lifting. I also like the contrast between his wild hair and his almost... elegant glasses.
Ooh, hey, Drew's one of the original quiet lategame characters. I think his piece is especially impressive in light of Toby's right above him. At a glance, they're pretty similar: white boys with glasses and messy brownish blondish hair. You give Drew a much more confident, personable vibe, though, I think in no small part because of his hand in frame, which conveys a sense of relaxed ease.
You did so well with Susan! I'm really impressed by your ability to convey age and (at least physical
) maturity through little bits like the lines under her eyes. You also brought a really nice adult look to her fashion sense, hitting something professional but also relatively safe.
The Erika-as-Jackson-Pollock piece is so much fun. I love the wide-eyed glee here, the way it could be so very innocent... except, of course, for the context behind it.
You do a great job borrowing bits of Mimi's style but also making it your own interpretation. Jackson really amazingly blends elements of maturity (facial hair, scowl, the amazing partially-undone overalls that I love the most of this whole piece) with stuff making his actual age clear (the cap, the pout, and a general softness to his features).
The alignment of Lorenzo's necklace with the point of the DSOTM pyramid is an inspired detail; it really adds a good point of balance to the piece. I also like how you made him nice and sly while also having a vaguely innocent beat with the light blush in his cheeks. And you got good detail in his haircut and piercings!
Amelia looks so elegant and polished. At the same time, you did a really good job giving her sweater real bulk and heft, contrasting its slightly lumpy nature with her well-assembled hair. I love the interpretation of Van Gogh, too; I think of the three, she may actually be my favorite.
Summer's lunch date is grim but so, so well captured. I think the best part here may be how you pulled out her own hesitance and horror; it's an element of the scene that I don't think gets enough credit/mention when it comes up. I also dig the subtle touches, and how much variety you worked into the blood splatters, with heavy amounts on her hands and chest but fainter, barely-visible finger marks across her face as well.
Finally, I love the ambiguity and freeze-frame effect you bring to Michael's end. It plays so well with the uncertainty and ambivalence of the actual post, capturing in visual form a blend of emotions that is really difficult to even describe. I also enjoy the use of text here; it's unconventional in a way that fits Michael so very well.
You did an amazing job again! You're so, so good at these, and I really appreciate you spending the time to share your talents with the site. You rock!
