Zombie Queen

Since I am currently writing a zombie love story, I'll tackle this one. And because I am totally inadequate when it comes to photomanipulation and other visual arts effects, I'll address the overall look and feel, and the emotive aspects of the piece.

I normally don't like this hair style, but given your title, it does give the feeling of a crown. Zombies are not normally known for their grooming skills, ha ha. Her eyelashes are neatly done, and her eyebrows trimmed, again telling us that this is no ordinary zombie. The eye on the viewer's left (her right) is perfect, as is the replication of the reflected light that appears near the top of each eyeball. The gray pupil-iris combination on the other eye is both much larger, and slightly off center. It made me think of a contact lens slightly askew. The shading and coloring is much deeper than the normal milkiness you normally see in zombie art. Is this because she is royalty, or because your vision of these things is more developed than many other artists? Either way, I like it a lot. And the red that appears in either corner is not overdone, often a temptation for lesser artists.

Her slightly pouty lips are an invitation to kiss her, even though it means infection. Very sexy without being obviously so. Another plus. Since her skin appears to be flaking off (rather than the moist infection you often see), I would think that if you could make the blood smear from her lips down her chin somewhat more flaky, that would be a good thing. The blood residue around the nose is less effective, particularly around the lower portions of the nose itself. Given the treatment of her mouth, I don't know that it is even necessary to have the blood there. (Less is more?) And given the flaking of her dead skin, is the dusty effect in the air supposed to be more dead skin cells that have detached from her body? I can imagine this to be the case. She detects the viewer, and quickly turns her head to her left (towards us) and off comes some skin, which then encases her head like some sort of unholy halo.

The black velvet dress is a nice touch. It speaks of her special status. Rags just wouldn't do for our Queen. The background lends an air of spookiness without taking our attention from her.

The last thing is the skin itself. I get a sense of depth on her shoulder, as at one point there are 4 layers visible. On her face, though, the effect is less visible, particularly on her right, where her face is in the most light. This appears rather flat, and therefore less realistic. Also, the wounds on her neck and upper chest appear quite different than her skin elsewhere. Are these supposed to be more recent? They almost look as though they should be a little wet, with some glistening of light off the parts that might still be moist. I do like the effect of the somewhat similar red patch extending from her forehead into her hair line. Some folks forget that little detail.

Her overall appearance does have the feeling of being regal, and her attitude towards the view does have a certain amount of condescension or even disdain, as would be fitting for a Zombie Queen.

Well done.