Fire Angel - Vector

***No Pixels were harmed in the creation of this image. It is 100% resolution independent using various vector based tools available in Illustrator CS5***

I wanted to attempt a photo-manipulation style piece using nothing but vector objects. When I started, the concept didn't seem that outlandish: Man was I wrong. It's not that Illustrator can't achieve the desired look, it just that once a file gets to a certain size, my computer starts to really crawl.

View the Wireframe Here:
[link]

Reference Used:

Girl - Awesome DA Photo By: [link]

Wings - [link]

Tools Used
Adobe Illustrator CS5
Shape Tool
Gradient Mesh Tool
Brush Tool
Blend Tool
Opacity Mask
Warp Tool
Various Blending Modes
Mesh Tormentor