Shes doing what? Painting?!

Wow well, its been awhile since ive started a real acrylic project.
I got so hooked and intent on trying to learn digital i put off going back to my roots, but today, with a mix of inspiration here and there i finally got down to business.

I thought of the concept some time ago - sometime around the falling out girl and such. But i havent been the best at getting my concepts onto paper. However! Today was sketchfest, and after doing a few sketches, and talking about painting in the car on the way home from lunch i decided to bite the bullet and do it!!
First thing was...to take a reference picture. Once again i was the only female of appropriate age so i had to use my face. I didnt feel like searching for hours for just the right face, and I knew mine wasnt really correct for my vision but. I modified it quite a bit :P

Okay, so my face is all wrong. My nose is crooked so it appears much shorter when you shoot it from the left, and alot longer from the right, my lips are way too thin, and my face itself is very thin/boney.
So, when making a digital sketch i altered myself into something I thought would suit so much more:

Fatter face, much bigger lips, nicer eyebrows. Yay for art and making a simple day photo of yourself into something much better :P So the concept was a bird girl, with a nest of hair, and a yellow canary.
Next step! The canvas!

action shot!

i put it all onto transfer paper so i could easily put my sketch on the canvas, while moving the hand a bit to make it more at an angle

very very basic, but it gives you someting to work around

my work space! a bit of wine, alot of paint, and some basic colors put onto the picture. always an ugly time :P

the skin was pretty hard, still is might i add!

This is around abouts where it is now - looks a bit odd as the shoulders look too small, when really its because one is bent *see reference pics!*
but so far so good! the skin will without a doubt take me ages to sort out, but i know the hair will be lots of fun ^^
who knows if it goes well, id love to make a serious of bird girl pictures! :D

Oh and Ill be posting all of my sketchfest pictures tomorrow :) see you then!