This is the work in progress for this illo. I think that the values from the ground vegetation to Jane's hair, to the background differ too much so I have to come back to this and unify it as better as I can.

So this is the composition I am going for this Illo. This is the final drawing rendered on toned paper at a size of 16" x 20". The light source in the painting will be coming from the upper left not the lower right as this picture suggests. I had a strong reflection of a bright object that I didn't notice until I took the pic to Photoshop. Sorry about that.

I asked a co-worker friend of mine to help me by posing as Jane with a costume I got from Amazon and proceeded to take several pictures of her. Over 65 in total. These are the ones that I chose. I also posed as Tarzan after she left, but since I was in my underwear, I will not show ya, ha, ha.

I did over a dozen thumbs trying to find a decent composition for my next Tarzan Illo. I want to base it on Tarzan and Jane's first meeting in the jungle. In this story, Jane Foster, who is an Antropology researcher, hears rumors about an Ape Man in the jungles of Africa, so she sets herself to explore and study what she finds out there. My Jane is a strong and independent woman, so she is fully prepared to carry on with her mission. Even carries a handgun.

Finally, I added thicker layers of paint over the wash, building up the figures until the desired results were in place. I decided to add an "orangy" background in order to make Prince Valiant's tunic pop up a bit more.

I then transferred that drawing to tracing paper, and from there transferred it to the illustration board using carbon paper. Once that was done, I sealed the drawing with "Fluid Matte Medium", an acrilic sealant, then blocked in the colors with a transparent wash, allowing it to dry before committing to the final approach.

After taking several reference pictures, I chose the best ones and drew from them in order to achieve the right composition. I then added value as a way to visualize how color is going to be applied in the final version. I have yet to decide on a background design for this illo.

Once the value study is completed, I then put a large piece of tracing paper over it and copied the line work onto it...

 

... then I transferred that drawing on an illustration board, 16" x 20". Then I sealed the drawing with a coat of Fluid Matte Medium. This serves two purposes; one, it protect the original line work,and two, it serves as a medium for oil colors to be applied to.