[Jorge]

Hi, I was trying to color a sketch a did but I am having some troubles. The sketch was very loose, so I redrew it as I was painting. My main problem is the hair, I cannot make it look right and I do not have a clue how to color it. Still, it has many flaws in other things too. I tried to use the light+core shadow+reflected lighting which I "learned" in Fred's Cubes, but I could not make it out either, so I stood with basic light vs dark. Any help on the hair or any other thing (like perspective, gesture, lighting, painting...) will be most appreciated.

I include the face without the hair, just in case you can play with it better. The hair is supposed to be in motion, after the girl (yes, it is meant to be a girl) turns rapidly his head to the camera). Er... I think that is all. This is 33%. If you want full rez or line art (very very loose) ask please.




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Jorge

[Jorge]

Oh, come on guys. Do you find it so crap that it does not deserve a second of your attention or is it that only messages with familiar nicknames on the subject or "from" field get any attention.

Please, help me.

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Jorge

[Sc00p]

I was going to give you a nice comment until you posted that

[waylon]

[oops]

[This message has been edited by waylon (edited September 20, 2000).]

[waylon]

Hmm. The hair might look more realistic if it wasn't green. I think the reasons it might not look right are, first, her head is a bit bulbous, so it looks like she has a giant wig on. Second, she has no ear. Ears really help define where your hair goes, especially when you're turning your head quickly. She also looks like she has the sides of her head shaved. I don't know if that's what you intended, but combined with the other problems, it makes it look even more like a wig. And, of course, refining the hair a bit will make it look better, but you'll want to get the form right first.

Oh yeah, one other thing. It looks like she has her hair in a ponytail, with a few wisps loose. I'm assuming that was your intent. But the wisps don't look quite natural, because they're coming straight down from her hair line (for the most part), and they're a bit thick. Try angling them upawards at the base, along with the rest of her hair, THEN hanging back down. It'll probably look better.

[TeAnne]

Well I love the face. You did good with that. See Ceenda 's girl with the hair. It's fantastic. Good luck.

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THE HIT LIST

quote:

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Poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand.
Plato (c. 427-347 B.C.), Greek philosopher.

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[mykscholze]

The eyes are a little too big and flat, forshorten them a little more.

[Grendel Khan]

Ei, hi ha alg� m�s de Barcelona! Hola!

I'm no expert, but I think that you've got too much dark shadows on the face. In the areas surrounding the eyes this is more noticeable, while the cheek recieves a lot of light the eye is really dark, so it kinda looks like somebody beated her. You could try to light the values of the shadows a bit, dunno, just my 2 cents.


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Roger
Bleed the Freak

[Jorge]

Thanks for the comments, ppl. ScOOp, excuse me if I seemed rude, I think we all are rather impatient to hear whatever piece of advice when we post our own things, at least I am. Besides, this was my first PS painting, and while if I ignore the process it is taking me I somewhat like the way it is coming out, it has been (still is) a very frustrating image.

I say if I ignore the process because it is taking me an insane and unworthy ammount of time to get a so so picture. The painting went thought several phases. I first tried to get realistic volumes (while not anatomy) like those of Danny's, but gave up after 2 seconds. I then tried the hard lighting but with flat color areas like Micke's Tank Girl, but after a pair of stupid hours I realized I did not have a clue on how to get that look. I tried too to use Fred's lighting (the core shadows+sort of backlight thingy) from my cubes exercices, but got nowhere with it either, so I went for a simple (and crappy) lighting. Those are my most notable failures in this painting, so I finally went for a dirty and loose style and saved details for my second PS painting.

But before the painting there was the drawing, which, frankly, I am not the best at. You can see from the (very loose sketchy) sketch I quickly gave up trying to get a nice face. Yes waylon, thanks, you are right: the head is too bulby. That is because I had big problems with perspective. The POV is from the top, but the girl is looking upwards, so i did not really know what perspective was I supposed to use and how much of its cranium should be visible. I also think I used different POV's for different things. For example, from a POV somewhat above I think the eyebrows and curvy eyelashes should hide mode the eye spheres while I feel the nose and mouth are from a correct top POV. I think about this things, but I cannot make those things that I find wrong look right. Mykscholze, the eyes never looked quite right. While the eye size was intended (I was not after a realistic face, I like big eyes), I do see now that the furthes eye is not following the face curvature and should probably hide part of its furthest corner.

TeAnne, yes ceenda's hair is great but HOW THE HECK DOES HE DO THAT? I do not know how to make all those too many little highlights and shadows of a hair texture. I tried using a small brush, but it turned out a girl with wires as hair.

Waylon, her sides shaved? No, that was not my intention, neither the fact of her having a ponny tail. I simply wanted her to wear plain hair kept behind her ears, with, yes, a few wisps loose, mainly due to the fast movement when turning her head. Why do you think she shaved her hair and wears a pony tail? The fact that there is no ear is simply because it is supposed to go in front of the hair, but since I could not get passed the hair I did not try the ear yet. About the greeny choice, it is simply because I found the picture was becoming too browny. I do not think the color is a problem, but the fact that I do not know the technique to paint a hair-looking hair. I'll try what you said for the moving wisps, although in relation to them being thick, I guess they'll stay that way until I know how to paint decent hair (Danny, if you are hearing, remember somewhen in the future we will enjoy being able to read you hair tutuorial).

Grendel Khan, about the dark areas surrounding the eyes, those are supposed to be make up. I confess I do not know a lot about make up (I am a guy), and because I could not get a natural lighting I did not want to risk going for a colored one. Ok, ok, I did beat her repeatedly now and then because she kept on resisting som much to my wishes I agree, though, the lighting and shadows are not very consistent, I already said I had serious problems with that.

I do not know if I left space for any comment... What i would really appreciate, although I understand it might be asking too much, is to see how you would deal with the things that you and I commented with your own examples. You can play with the paintings as much as you want. Although I understand too that this is not a very creative-engaging picture, so I promise I will not whine again if I do not receive feedback

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Jorge

[This message has been edited by Jorge (edited September 20, 2000).]

[Jorge]

I am not whining, just making sure you do not miss the thread.

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Jorge

[This message has been edited by Jorge (edited September 22, 2000).]

[edible snowman]

her chin looks a little pointy and skewed, thats what i think anyway...

[Bizarde]

hey! Jorge u have to use the smodge tool after u define the hair stripes with diferent tones of color and u can polish it with airbrush,actualy i did this for u but for some reasons i cant post the pic.
try this tehniq,could help u...=)
soon as is posiblel i'll post that pic.
good luck!

~bizarde.

[Bizarde]

hi man , i'm back with that example what i promised you , but ofcourse Ceenda is the one who can do it better...8)


hpe this is helpful for the start.


~bizarde.

[Jorge]

Yes! Indeed it helps! I'll try hair that way, but my booting HDD died and will not have another one for 2 days or so. Then I'll continue the chick and show you again, so you tell me what you think. Thanks!

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Jorge