[mat987]

Hey there. I am in need of some serious crit of a portrait of my girlfriend I am working on. I'm still fairly new to the digi painting thing so I've reached another plateua...hopefully someone can give me some pointers on making this look a little better! I think I'm not too good yet at developing features in the face....*sigh* anyway, i'd deem this about 60% done. C&C appreciated



and b4 anyone asks, heres the ref:
http://volcano.photobucket.com/albums/v11/mat987/jennayref2.jpg

[faeklone]

WEll, I looked at the reference picture and your picture, and please take my advice, and I'm going to be a bit harsh. Start over. Plain and simple. The picture is such a good one for reference that I believe that you need to go back and start at step one again, and not fight with it in these later stages.

What you do mostly in those stages is to set up the relationships between parts of your picture. Take the time to actively measure, do I have this in the right place, is this how far this line should go, etc. This really should go in the initial sketch before you actively get into it. Your picture is really good, but I think you should work on those relationships alot more.

Secondly, when you get around to painting the picture, use colours to seperate things, not lines. Lines don't really work for what you're looking for. And last of all, have the reference constantly in front of you while you're doing it. That way you can tell what the smallest thing looks like, and put it on paper. If you don't have it right in front of you while drawing, you're just making things up from your imagination. In that case, why use reference at all. And last of all, just paint what you see, in shades that you see. Wan to know how to take the current picture farther, do what I just said. Use a dark brown and get the dark spots of her face, and then come back with a toned down white, and get the reflection of the light off of the skin. And don't be afraid to push the lights or the darks, regardless of the picture. They can only help you make the image stand out more.

but please keep us updated. I like the pose and the feel of the picture of your girlfriend. I think it will be a great digital painting, just find your way throught he medium and I'm sure you'll do fine.

[AndyT]

I too think the approach is wrong. I'd take a look at the
tutorials by Roberto Campus

Everything is too flat. It is not accurate enough as faeklone already said.
Not sure about the brown and white advice though!?

Maybe take a look at that thread (advice by Tinusch). That might help with the colors.
http://forums.sijun.com/viewtopic.php?t=33793
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[mat987]

faeklone - thanks for the crits...i think you're right on the money. I think I'll have another go (or two...or nine) at making my initial sketch count before I start to lay down colors.

AndyT- thanks for the linkage, imma check those out right now.


[edit] oy vey, after checking that link i realized my tablet wasnt set to opacity change based on pen pressure..ive been painting for like 2 weeks without that...it feels like a new toy now!