Lo B as Chun-Li (Patreon)

This might be the most fun commission I've ever done.

Lo B hired me to recreate her having some fun in her Chun-Li cosplay, which she's going to make into stickers for her suppporters. She's an absolute force of nature & a wonderful person to work with, I highly recommend supporting her.

I did a lot of experimenting with this piece, not only to streamline my process and the final result, but also to arrive at something I was really happy with. For pinups and paintings I've begun to prioritize lighting schemes that really paint the figure & give a sense of weight - stronger shadows, reflected light and carefully placed rim lighting go a long way here. I'm hugely inspired and educated by glamour/boudoir photography and the more "high-end" adult photographers like Holly Randal (& her mom Suze).

Bringing out the best of a beautiful body is an art in and of itself. I find so much of the readily available NSFW reference is flat, with very washed-out lighting, and I really find that to be a bummer. Go back and look at older Playboy centerfolds, or look at Holly Randall or SinfulXXX, and you find a much more painterly approach to lighting that makes the figures feel weighty and turns the image into a composition. Even on an abstract level, these photos looks so compelling, and paint the model in the best possible light. (Plus, if you're drawing from photos rather than life, proper lighting makes up for the lack of binocular perception of the form, which makes for better figure drawing.)

For the hell of it I quickly did a "Player 2" palette swap because I find doing those incredibly fun and stimulating. For as long as I can remember I've enjoyed intentionally coloring something the "wrong" colors, collecting alternate versions of characters, and playing with "Player 2" by default. There's something about the "what if?" aspect there that just makes my brain go brr.

Hope you enjoy, thanks as always for your support!