Royalty of Sobri eLan

Favorite part: the eyes. I think I'll start drawing eyes like that more often. O_o;
Least favorite part: the lace. Some parts of it just look........*awful*. @___@

One of the rare RARE pictures I think I'm somewhat happy with, so I hope you guys like it. This actually didn't take as long as I thought it would, *technically* speaking....about 8.5 hours total. However, the initial 1.5 hours was a botched first coloring of it that I had to completely erase and start over on. @_@; So this actually got 2 coloring jobs....it's not obvious, but I had to experiment with a lot of new coloring techniques to make her have the right look--coloring her in my usual style didn't seem to work. -___-; I sort of liked the colors before I monochromed it, so I included the link up there too...but it didn't have the antique look I wanted, so I decided to just stick with this. (Thanks, , for the desaturated suggestion!) Lots of playing around with saturation levels on different layers. Little roses at bottom are photomanipulated, with odd pearl-y things tacked on...pose inspired by some random Audrey Hepburn photo I saw somewhere. Prints coming soon for this one.

This is getting long.... @_@; Anyways, here's the text that goes along with the picture--an excerpt from the story this girl is in.

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" .... A moment later Amadeus walked by, his attention riveted to the lovely young lady by his side. I peered over the crowd to see her for the first time. I'd seen her likeness before, of course. We all had. Her portraits colonized the halls of the Intelligence Academy and reminded me every day how futile my attraction to Amadeus was. How could anyone refuse her? Medaia-Ateer Areion, heir to the throne of Sobri e'Lan. She carried the queen's ancient beauty with her own porcelain, doll-like face and pale gold curls, her perfect neck tilted ever-so-slightly toward her escort, her perfect hands resting contentedly around his arm. Her elegant stride and intelligent manners forced me to shrink back into the masses to hide my embarrassment. How silly I was to think, even for a moment, that Amadeus loved me when he could choose such a princess instead. Poor common country girl. I was such a fool." -- Kiele Padesca, upon seeing the Sobri e'Lan princess for the first tme.

(Note: This narrating Kiele is the human version of my anthro rp that pops up now and then. They have nothing to do with each other outside of that, really.... )