gradient mesh

because i chose to do a women in my poster i have been experimenting with gradient mesh. 
 this has proven to be really difficult and has really frustrated me. i first started on her arm as i felt this would be easiest and i practised the most on her hands and arms and am really pleased with the final outcome, although i tried to do it on her face aswell as this hasn't worked as well as i would of liked. i started to use brush strokes on her face to shade in the darker parts also keeping the orginal gradient mesh there. i feel this has helped but i need to try using smaller brush strokes. 

                                      

i tried out some thinner brush strokes and i feel these work alot better, her face isnt as smooth as her arms are but i like the feel in different textures on her face. you can tell where her chin is and also see where the darker patches of her skin are. shadows under her hair work really well too. also the shdowing against her nose and abover her lips give the impression of a 3dness. i think if i would of had longer i wouldnt of used gradient mesh because its my first time using illustrator i didnt realise how hard it would be.  although i think it has been a really good learning curve for me and now i have experince on how to use gradient mesh and i can further my skills in it. 

in this screen shot you can see that i have added a bottom banner and added anouther twitter logo with a font that is very similar to twitters. also i had added a slight grain to the background. i really like the effect and feel it adds a nice texture. overall i am really proud/happy with how my poster has turned out 

things i would of done differently 

• i would of used brush strokes in stead of gradient mesh to achieve a 3d ness to my character
• i would of tried to use a bird effect in her bandanna (but i did like the polka dots)
• i wouldn't of changed the colours because i think these really reflect my time period 
• i would of worked more on her shirt because i feel this is the weakest part of my poster and is letting me down slightly, it doesn't have a movement to it and still feel it looks really flat, although i tried didn't brush strokes and effects i couldn't overcome the flatness of the shirt. i tried my hardest and am still proud of the outcome but would of  asked more opinions on how to change her shirt.