Note - I noticed after submission that the stage left hand is backwards, i.e the thumb is pointing at the character rather than away from her. An attempt at a re-draw was also made a few days later

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An immortal creature made by the Gods to fight a problem they once created, Saffina has lived for countless centuries as an embodiment of Water. Along with her fellow Fiends, Saffina rebelled against those that created her and as with the other Fiends, has found something to become addicted with in an attempt to curb her urge to kill and maim the mortals around her.

However Saffina's vanity and love for valuable objects has lead to her assuming her monsterous form more often than most of the other Fiends. In the form of a siren she'd create powerful tidal waves from the sea to wash away the villages that displease her, or flood those further way with a large influx of rain. Only those who acquire the rare, shiny, precious items like jewelry and gem stones, she loves so much are spared of this fate, or at least until they displease her.

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Technically speaking I missed my deadline, as it is now the first of April as I post this (even if it's just the first hour). Alas I do feel the final version feels a bit rushed, mostly as it seems I either just couldn't get going with the digital version or moments when I had wanted to work on it were hampered by other factors (namely hangovers and my computer being a royal pain) meaning I lost time on it.

I do feel the shading has suffered the most because of my rush to meet my deadline, especially on the waist wrap. I knew that Nocturnaliss had shared some tutorials in one of her replies to me, but I was so short on time I wasn't able to look at them before I worked on this piece so if I'm honest I'm not really looking for any critique on the shading. The same could go for the hands and feet. While I do feel the stage right hand looks good, and the feet are alright, I can't say I am happy with the stage left hand. As with the traditional version I had no idea what to do with it, outside of having her show off various rings and jewelry and I do feel the digital version looks like it's been flattened by a steam roller.

However, I must say I feel quite happy with the general proportions of the piece, and if I'm honest, that is mostly what I want critique on. It's been pointed out to me on a few occasions that the heads are usually too large and the limbs out of proportion with the rest of the body, particularly the legs being too short. I've been working with a Loomis book for a couple of weeks now, trying to make better balanced proportions my priority for the time being and I think it is better here, especially when compared to previous pieces. Speaking of the leg, I also followed a suggestion Nocturnaliss made about leaving a line in the cloth to represent the bent leg. If I'm honest I'm not sure if it really worked as intended, as it seems more like an unneeded line that was accidentally left in.

With regards to criticism and critique, I ask that people focus more on the pose, anatomy and proportions and less on the detailing. I agree the hands and feet need more work; it's something I'll address in the future. I realise the shape of the arms and legs are not quite there yet; again, I'm aiming to come back to that. Instead I want to know if the head is still too large, a reoccuring problem I've been facing. I'd prefer to know if I did a better job on the overall length and proportions of the legs, rather than if they have a realistic shape. How is it the pose? Is it "stiff" and if so, what makes it that way?

I also made some tweaks to her design, namely re-working how the top looked, adding some wave detailing to the sleeves and more black elements to her clothes. I drew her ally, the Wind Fiend Monicha back in October and I wanted Saffina's design to have some similarities to her counterparts but with her own differences. The same went for the pose; as the Fiends are unable to use their elemental powers outside of their monster form, I wanted Saffina to come across as a vain lover of gems, jewelry and precious stones. I envision her as being somewhat similar to the stuck up alpha girl stereotype, often seen in teen and school based series, always wanting people to shower her with praise and the valuable items she desires so much. While I do feel the legs and stage right arm represent this, I do feel the stage left one doesn't. I also feel her design should have had more of the accessories she loves, similar to kagato007's design. This is definitely something I will address in both future commissions as well as when I return to her in the future.

I did aim to reduce the gap between her waist and the wrap in the final version, something Nocturnaliss pointed out to me, but it wasn't until the piece was finished that I realised there's still a larger gap there than I intended.

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Previous Version


Credit

• Original design by toonartist
• Note that this is a photograph he took, then shared with me via Facebook. For reasons I won't go into, he has yet to scan and upload the piece but I will switch that version out with an uploaded one once it's on the site.
• Modifications by kagato007 
  Mature Content

  
• Pose Based off the middle one from