Sweet Harmony

Photo Reference used with permission.

Photographer: Manuel Libres Librodo Jr.
Model: Krystal Vee
Location: Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

I am a HUGE fan of Manny Librodo's photography. As some of you may already know, he is an award-winning internationally well-known photographer. I recently asked for his permission to use one of his photos as a painting reference. He graciously allowed me to do so.

There were many elements of the photo that captivated me. I love the rich orange sunset colors, the composition of the dragon wall, the intricate gold jewelries and of course the beautiful innocent face of the model, Krystal Vee. Everything intertwined into a sweet harmony.

I am delighted with the result. This took about 40 hours to complete. Mind you, I did squeeze Black Scarlett in that time.

Photoshop CS4
Wacom Intuos

Close-ups: [link]

Work-in-progress animation: [link]