Kim & Jenna: Morning Kisses [Color] (Patreon)

Another scene I couldn't resist rendering with morning light! I've been experimenting with some new approaches to painting and came up with a handful of options for the final balance of light and shadow. I'm having a hard time deciding which I actually like best so you get them all!

Usually I start shading by painting shadows, but this time started with the light:

Version B - with shadows:

Ver. C - contrast fills:

Ver. D - Fine tuning the shadows:

Ver. E - Full shading (darkest one):

Ver. F - Blended together previous versions trying to get the most balanced look overall:

I want to say the best version is the one with the most layers of lighting and shading, with the balance set to make the greatest number of details visible. But still, when I look back at that very first version with just the hard highlights, I can't help wondering if that captures the overall mood of the scene best.

Full-res .png files attached!