Please ignore everything except the pose. All the rest are just context place-holders.

BTW, the figure is DAZ's Laura (as if you didn't know).

Does the pose look real (for a 13-18 y/o girl), testing the water? Is it balanced correctly etc?

I'm not at all happy with the "shoulders", and having tried the pose myself I find the pose is probably unbalanced. Looks cute, but doesn't work..

Any C'n'C/help very welcome:-)

Cheers,
Diolma

Balance is a bit off, right foot needs to come to her right a couple degrees.  Maybe a tiny bit more knee bend also.

Hi, pjz and thanks for replying..

Actually, the right foot is directly under the centre of mass (I took pains to get it there). Which is why I am troubled with the pose. It's almost right, but I want a little more. This pose is getting to me..

I suspect that part of it is due to the POV. (The pose looks great from several other angles and from a distance, but then it would. But not this close in).

Hmmm.. Maybe I should IK the right foot then move the hip slightly to the left...

Cheers,
Diolma

Hi di,

Shoulders look "hunched up" ... perhaps reduce the horiz angle (bend) slightly.
Also, check the "Hip-Shoulder" relationship using the "Guides" under the "Display [menu] using the Front (ortho) camera.

Try unclenching the fingers to a spead position.

Just  couple of quick observations.

Overall pose looks very good.

cheers,
dr geep
;=]

I let the shoulders go by because I figure she's cold, it's okay to be a little bit awkward when you're freezing.  ;)

they tend to wrap their arms around themselves if the air is cold. the shoulders need to be fixed, but unfortunately that's the way daz shoulders usually look.

The mannerism of the pose will sort this better than correct posture, so as it is suppossed to be a teen character, i would, like miss nancy said, have her arms wrapped around herself, for two reasons, one it would work better if she looked a bit cold, and secondly, it would look better also if she didn't feel so comfortable "naked". 

To sell the youthfullness of the figure to the viewer, she should look a bit awkward with her nakedness, maybe not so far as to be trying to completely hide herself from prying eyes, but enough so that it looks like she is aware that someone could/might see her, if you incorporate that into the pose, it will overwrite the incorrectness of the pose, by giving off a message to the viewer (us) via her body language of a timid approach to the waters edge, as oppossed to the viewer being left to just judge the correctness of the figures balance.

Anyway hope that made some sense, and helps you out.

if you want to stick with just that pose though, and just adjust it slightly, i would do the following adjustments to this pose (without incorporating what i wrote above) :

as she is on one foot (which is taking all her weight) you need to shift her weight by moving her hip to HER right a bit ( X trans), also rotate her pelvic region anti-clockwise and forward to her (z rotate + x rotate) to allow for the dipping foot, this will be counter balanced by rotating her abdomen clockwise and leaning backwards( z rotate + x rotate) 

Now the chest needs to be positioned so that it will either counter balance the leaning over of the head or positioned so that it allows the head to be directly above the foot taking the weight, that stops her falling forward or backwards, and if you imagine yourself walking a tightrope you will use your arms to balance and correct your balance all the time, in so doing you will raise one shoulder above the other, and also one complete arm will be at a higher level than the other, to stop from falling over to either side. so one shoulder needs dipping and one hand and arm (opposite arm) needs to be higher than the other, because you keep switching the height of both arms to balance, you have to decide which side to do it on for your image.as neither would be right or wrong, just at what moment your saw the balanced pose in action.

Just my opinion though.now you can either incorporate the mannerism or the correct pose or both or neither, but now my fingers hurt from all that typing.so just hope it makes some sense.

sorry for hogging your thread but a thought just arrived so i thought (hey that's two thoughts!) i would mention it.

your pose here is very similar to the begining pose to most balance beam routines by female Gymnasts, they tend to start like that (waiting for the music to start) and hold that pose (almost) for a while, so if you were to look up "balance beam" or "female gymnast" or similar, on google or something,  you may find a video of a  beam routine that might help you out, i would look out for the moment they lose balance, and the arm movements they employ to counter-act and prevent the fall, that'll show you what to do with your figures shoulders and arms.

end of thought. now i'm thinking of doughnuts and coffee.