BAS Study 1-13-15 TheAncientOnes SidebySide

About the piece:
I love this photograph.  It's an absolutely incredible piece featuring Jolien-Rosanne jolien-rosanne.deviantart.com/ titled "The Ancient Ones" The Ancient Ones  It caught my eye because it is both beautiful and alien, so many props to her and those who helped with it.  In the end I really didn't do it, or her, any justice at all; but I will improve eventually.  

Anyway, I've determined to do a study a day (if not more) in either digital or sketch format to improve and hone my skills.  I'm really not used to working digitally as much as I'd like, and it's still sort of a learning process.  For me there's a weird, impersonal disconnect I get with the Cintiq - weird jitteriness in the line, awkward shape of brushes, etc. - and it's something I'm hoping to work through in the coming months.  Also, I've always been more of a sketch artist and less of an illustrator.  In animation, storyboards and pose-to-pose is much more broad and rough; and though I have a solid eye for details, I feel that I need to be better at execution.  Besides, I love illustration, and would love to be even a fraction as good as some of the artists here and many of the great artists I've looked up to.  That said this piece is my first.  There's a TON wrong with it - it's flat, her neck is too short and proportions are generally off.  I'm also not really feeling the volume of her form.  This was a fast sort of study, I could probably work it for another hour and get it closer, but I need to do some work.  At the end of the day it's certainly not up to my personal expectation, and I realize I have a long way to go yet!