CGSociety

The sphinx is a mythical beast that appears in various North African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures, including Egypt and Greece. In Egyptian culture the sphinx was revered as a protector and guardian. In Greek culture, the sphinx was depicted as a menace that would accost travelers passing by her rocky ledge, eating them if they could not answer a riddle.
In my painting, I depict the Grecian version of the myth, though her ethnicity tends more toward Middle Eastern in appearance. In the image the sphinx has eaten a traveler whom she had grown particularly found of, and now suffers great regret. It's a painting that depicts remorse and powerlessness in the face of uncontrollable impulse.
The drawing and under-painting were done in Photoshop 7, while the color and final painting were completed in Painter 7. The painting took roughly 22 hours to finish. Choice brushes in Painter were Tinted Blender (my baby, love this thing!) Oils and Airbrush. The final image is a bit different from the original concept. I decided to tilt her head up to draw the viewer's attention to her face which is the focal point of the painting. Progress posts can be seen at the following link:
Progress thread: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=271178
All comments are welcome.