Magical Process Work

I took this wondrous life drawing piece I did:

Then this really neat fellow said "Hey, make some thumbnails." So I did. I ended up with this majestic mermaid. Behold.

Now that you have finished weeping in its glory, why don't you take a look at the process work?

I started working on the thumbnail my fellow classmates liked best. I'm here to please folks. I'm heeeere to please.

I must fix the Body- For example. THOSE ARMS. DESTROY THEM.

Annnd you know what, let's just make her skin look normal (anndn fix her waist, she looks funny)-

Oh, and change the colors to the desired palette.
Well. That's nicer. (This is a violent fast forward, my apologies) Anyway. The tentacles weren't that great, so I reworked those as well.

I made them flow upwards like the hair- two of them tangling- and placing one in the new hand. For perspectives sake, I drew two tendrils rising from the bottom to appear up-close, blurred and darkened them.
DOES IT LOOK CONVINCING?

As far as details go, personally, I like adding blush.

It's....subtle.

For the hair, I had two layers- one for the closer chunk, and one for the hair in the back.
I cranked the smudge tool to a 80-90 hardness and 85-95 strength. Then smudged out small definitive hairs and strays.

I'm a huge Dodge fan. Go ahead and judge all you want. I crank it up to about, ohhh 40-65 (on the Highlight setting) and add in my 'monster lighting'. Starting brightest at her belly, under her breasts, subtle lighting on her chin and upper lip- and then to several of her tantacles and parts of her hair.

Then, the caring final touch, Alli style...SPARKLY THINGS.

So. Yep.

It's not really DONE, but, this issssssssss about it. For now.