A Kind of Intimacy

I have a special relationship with summer - it is the part of the year that brings a relief from the cold and numerous layers of clothes. The feeling is almost personal and that is what I wanted to capture - the closeness with the weather, warmth on the cheeks, constant squinching of eyes, dried lips, skin dewed with sweat. When I think summer, I am immidiately blinded by the sun and confronted with uneasy proximity of the overworking pores of the copassengers in the bus.

In the modeling and sculpting phase I was loosely inspired by the amazing features of an Italian actress, Lyda Borelli (sculpture of Museo Pietro Canonica a Villa Borghese in Rome).

Then I focused on the texture and appearance of the skin and sweat drops, which are the focal point of my work. 

Lastly, I refined some details such as eyelashes and eyebrows, tried different camera angles and lighting options to bring out the skin texture and work out a pleasing composition of the image.

And here is my final version of the render. I hope you feel the summer!