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STANCE- Sonjas stance on the cover is straight legged and spread out. This visually creates clean, hard angles. The out stretched legs extend beyond her core implying that she is dominate/dominating the area she is on
contrast this with the stance on the PF, which is all curvy and closed in. This is not the pose of a warrior after battle, this is the kind of seductive pose you see models use in lingerie ads. it creates a long supple unbroken curvy line from head to foot. Curves give off feminine energy. Angles/broken lines imply masculine energy. This is an absolutely
basic principle of visual arts. Therefore when I see SS push that on a piece like this I can only conclude that either the designer doesn't understand the basic language of visual arts, or that he knows the potential purchasers of this are sexually frustrated rubes who will respond more strongly to an overtly sexy - and more submissive- pose, and may be put off (and therefore not purchase) by a more dominant representation where the character is basically challenging the viewer.
Call me foolish, but if a warrior with a bloody sword is standing there holding a severed head, it strikes me as an intentionally provocative gesture.
but even if the stance were changed we move up to the head and shoulders where more problems show up
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EXPRESSION- probably the main focal point for any representation of a human figure, is the face. It usually the first things we as humans are drawn to. Sometimes you can screw up everything else, but still sell the drama and intent of the scene if you provide a portrait that conveys the proper emotion vividly.
The cover artist did. No mistaking what the character here is feeling or her intent in hoisting that severed head above her.
What's the emotion playing on the SS portrait? All I see is another blank, zombie expression with a thousand yard stare (which is par for the course with SS). It doesn't relate to her action at all and expresses nothing.
Again the intention here is to provide sexy and pretty over something more challenging and possibly off putting (an angry female face) that won't get horny frustrated statue collectors to lay their money down. It's the absolute definition of "safe" in every sense.
there's also another problem in this area that is mechanical rather than expressive
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ANATOMICAL ACTION- look at the face on the cover and how it butts up against the shoulder. The chin is basically resting on the clavicle- as it should be if you are lifting something of some weight above you in a spontaneous, dramatic fashion.
Compare this to the PF which looks like an action figure in this area. You know the big weakness of posing action figures? the arms move independently of the rest of the body. If you raise the arms above the head on an action figure the shoulder and neck remains stiff and unnaturally rigid. On a real human there is a degree of squash and stretch going on. the head and neck seem to compress a bit closer into the top of the trunk. Try it yourself- sit up straight backed and without moving your neck and head at all, lift your arm straight up. You can do it- but to imitate the attitude shown in the PF, it's just a bit unnatural and represents an attitude that is being consciously struck (i.e posed)- not one that arises out of natural, unselfconscious exertion (as it does on the cover). The cover illustrates Sonja acting "in the moment". The PF represents Sonja in a studio being handed a severed head and being told to pose with it.
which beings us to another problem with the severed head
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ATTITUDE OF THE ARM AND HAND- the cover shows Sonja holding the head in her fist (that is horizontally inclined) and has her arm bowed away from her body. Not only is this a natural way to grab something and hold it up, but by moving it away from her body, even slightly, implies distaste for the object. Again, compare to the PF (not shown) she is awkwardly holding it up with a vertical fist (which they try to rationalize by having her hold it by a swinging braid, but it still looks awkward) and she is holding it straight up overhead, closer to her body.
The only reason this is like this is so that you- dear statue collector- can oh and ah over a big switch out piece. This switchout works for the axe, but makes little to no sense for a severed head (which, when it stops swinging, will be right in her face and dripping all over her).
I don't care that the severed head looks cool in and of itself (I agree, it does) not being able to properly relate it to the act of holding it for the sole reason that it needs to be like this for a switchout, just screams AMATEURISH to me. If this was intended to be the primary display, then everything should have worked to support this, not the other way around. Different props make different demands upon the body. If you are illustrating someone trying to hold a 35 lb weight in his left hand, he simply won't be posed overall in the same way as if he were holding a wadded up paper ball the same size in the same hand. The exertion in the one case is going to spread beyond the hand and affect the rest of the body sometimes in subtle ways.
