Conceptual Sketch

A rough sketch of my next project. The theme I had in mind was "Tempest of Ice", which is one of the previous themes from the Enchanted Visions Project for which I have not painted yet. I had Yuki Onna ('Snow Woman') of Japanese folklore strongly in mind for this piece, but I'm leaning towards painting this as non-EV piece after all. I thought I was going to paint a more femme fetale Snow Woman, but the more I pondered on the subject matter, the sadder she seemed and I became more interested in painting her as a lonesome beauty.

The face. The eyes are totally different from any of the women I've painted for my fantasy themes. I don't know where she came from, but she appeared in one of my many quick scribbles and I'm enchanted by her eyes... I'm also compelled to add the camellia flower into this portrait of her. Camellias are often found blooming late into the fall and seen with fresh-fallen snow against their glossy green foliage and bright red petals.