7 replies to this topic

[Shinook]

Hi ! I recently decided to start coloring some pictures I drew, some months ago. So, these are the drawing and the colored picture.
http://perso.wanadoo...liaportrait.jpg
http://perso.wanadoo...raitcolored.jpg



I'd like you to advice me.

Edited by Shinook, 14 June 2005 - 06:04 AM.

[Sir-Kill]

I liked the eyes in the pencil drawing better they looked smaller. there was a bit more eye lid making the irises better in proportion. the dark parts around her eyes could use a bit of softening (that might be jpg compression tho). the hair coloring at the ends could use some background color not just a big chunk of the redish hair color.
I might also suggest that you work with layers and erace the parts you do not want. if you do not know how this is done it is easy; edit->cut your image color everything that remains in (choose your color) then paste the image AS a NEW LAYER move it so it looks good and then use your eraser tool with low opacity.

all in all it looks good, keep it up.

Edited by Sir-Kill, 17 June 2005 - 07:11 PM.

[Amazor'dra]

Whenever you work with a self-drawn image, especially if you want to use it in Baldur's Gate, you have to make it as less like you drew it as possible.

For the "lines" in the hair, for example, you'd instead alternate between different dark and light shades of the main color you are using for the hair.

The lines of the face are much the same way. If a line on a certain part of the face is to show an indention, then you use a darker skin tone for that part only. For the basic outline of the face, especially the side an imaginary light hits the most, the skin should be a lighter shade. With the way you have the hair, a lighter skin tone to serve as the "line" is all the contrast you need between the hair and face. That, and the wonders of the blurring tool.


Hope that helps.

[SeaZephyr]

I think its a great job. I can barely draw stick men myself.

[Mistress Elysia]

Well done - good job!

First off - are you colouring with a mouse or a tablet? If it's with a mouse, I cannot express with words how much easier this digital colouring malarkey is with a tablet... it's amazing! Tablets aren't cheap, though (which is a shame) but if you are serious about it al, they are well worth the investment.

Now to the pic... your face proportions are fine - you've got everything 'in the right place', which is actually a very hard thing to do! When painting digitally, layers are the key. It look me ages to accept this (and learn how to do it!) but they really do help. To begin with, a background layer, a 'skin' layer, an 'eyes, nose and mouth' layer and a 'hair' layer will probably be sufficient. This means if you, for example, screw up her hair, then al you have to do is erase your mistakes from that layer, not the whole picture. It also makes building your colours, highlights and shadows up easier.

There does, however, seem to be a lack of highlighting and shading here - but since a lot of people are nervous of overdoing it at first (I know I was!) this is infinitely understandable. The best thing you can do is think about a face in 3D. What bits stand out? What bits would the light touch first? Answer is tops of cheeks, chin, and the tip of the nose. Reverse the principle for shadows... under the eyes, under cheekbones, under nose and under lips (top of the chin). Also, wherever her hair touches her skin, there will be shadows underneath it. (I can see by your sketch that you do this in pencil and that you have started to do this in the painting - just keep going and you'll be fine!).

Definition - if you're not already doing it, using a tablet will help here - it's hard to get a good, clean edge with a mouse. Tablets alos have pressure sensitive nibs, so you really can get a lovely effect with them.

Details - You've done a very nicejob with her lips. They are a lovely shape, and you've started to add highlighting in all the right places - well done! You could make this a very nicely sultry picture by moving her pupils under her eyelids a bit, so it looks like she is looking at you I can see thatyou have added some 'struts' into the eye structure, though - that is very good. A lot of people forget that when painting eyes - irises aren't all one colour! Noses, however, are a bitch to paint (I hated noses for the longest time...) - I could go through how to effecively paint them (it's easier to show rather than tell!) but I'd be here all morning... again it's all about shading and highlighting. Same for her hair - add a bit of highlights to the crown and shadows to the 'undersections' and it'd be perfect (I still find hair hard to paint, though, and I've been at it for some time now!)

Please don't think I'm having a pop - I'm most definitely not - I think you've done a stirling job here, and you really have the talent to make some beautiful portraits. You should have seen my dismal first attempts at digital painting - this is waay better than any of them! I actually have links to some awesome tutorials that have helped me infinitely - would you like me to post them up? (heh, she says... can she find them again? No-one knows... )

(And finally - do you realise how much she looks like my mod NPC, Fade? It's uncanny! )

[Vita Muerte]

Good job! I can draw inanimate objects and animals quite well, but sadly I never mastered the ability to draw humanoid features.
I believe your drawing is reminiscent of Sune's avatar when the gods walked the realms. Sune's avatar has been described as "a beautiful woman with silky scarlet hair and fiery red-brown eyes."

[Shinook]

Thank you Vita Muerte and Mistress Elysia !

Unfortunately, I haven't got a tablet, I use only my mouse... but when I'll get my own PC, I'll buy at the same time a tablet . And thank you for the advice .

[Mistress Elysia]

I don't know if this helps, but this weekend I saw a tablet for £19.99 (UK, of course!)... that's very, very cheap! However, a good Wacom Graphire will set you back at least £50, but they are the industry standard (I have a Graphire 3 (I think) which is a bit outdated now, but works perfectly well for me ) - if you really want to develop your digital painting, then it's the best investment you'll ever buy; I'd never go back to painting with a mouse now!