Wicked Through and Through

"Unlimited, the damage is unlimited,
To everyone I've tried to help or tried to love...
One question haunts and hurts
Too much, too much to mention:
Was I really seeking good
Or just seeking attention?
Is that all good deeds are
When looked at with an ice-cold eye?
If that's all good deeds are
Maybe that's the reason why
No good deed goes unpunished."
~"No Good Deed (original version)" from Wicked the Musical

This is Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, obviously. Hooray for Photoshop and its amazing magic glowy effects!! I saw a performance of this song on YouTube by Eden Espinosa (she's da boss) where they had this neon purple spotlight on the smoke, and it looked legit so I ran with it.

This one took me a little longer for several reasons. The angle (which required some foreshortening), all the glowy....ness.....that's everywhere, and her expression. Her expression was difficult because I was trying to put so many emotions into her face that for some reason she kept ending up looking sort of apathetic. So then I'd focus on one emotion, and it just wouldn't have the right feel. She isn't just angry here, or just sad or just afraid. More like...everything she's ever fought for is crashing at her feet, and everyone she's ever loved is either dead or in danger or turned against her, and she's suddenly realizing that most of it is her fault. Yeah...not an easy expression to pull off. >< So I think I probably worked on it for about eight hours total on three different days.

Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated! (Visit my gallery [link] for more WICKED fanart!)