[micke]

This was really challenging...We just got a couple of mirrors at work to use
for flipping our drawings in order to see our mistakes easier, I wanted to
try to do a live portrait instead of copying a photo, so i sat up the
desk lamp and just started to paint.Tried to be as careful as possible picking up
the right colours(not easy) and make the proprtions right Come to think about it,this
was my first time painting with low opacity on the brushes. My normal way is just
to paint with 100% opacity.you could say it was a big relief, he he.I had fun
doing it and i think i learned a few things aswell.
The painting was mainly inspired by Sedone's colour-use and rough strokes. I did experiment a little bit with the colours afterward.
I also posted a pic on how i started. You see most of the colours and shapes
in place, the rest is just clean-up, tweaking and making it look as right as
i could.
Any suggestions on how to start or is it something you can point out what i may have done wrong?

Any comments/tips would be much appreciated

-Micke



------------------
-Mikael Noguchi-

http://www.katode.org/noguchi/

[synj]

yeah that definately looks like you. There's something about the lower pic, with *your* right eye that looks a bit psycho haha it's really good. I love the rough shades.



-synj

[aquamire]

Very nice Micke. I agree with Synj that the right eye looks kinda odd.. tho, I think it could be the left one. One or the other. Maybe its just me.


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/Aq
[email protected]

[immi]

WOW! The colours on the face are just incredible. You have such beautiful skin micke....you should be a Noxzema girl! (North American thing)

Seriously though, the pic looks great.

[nori]

Very nice indeed. What resolution did you paint this at?

[Joachim]

hehe, don't work to hard micke, it's your holiday .

Just a small hi from Greece. I just couldn't resist to take a small visit to this forum while I'm here. See you on monday.

Btw, awesome portraits. You look a bit stretched, but that's just this very odd monitor.

Ciao !


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Joachim
web:
http://home.online.no/~j-barrum/

[Rinaldo]

Wow micke, that really is good.

I'm captivated, it's got that intense feel to it. Fantastic.

On the eyes; there are a few problems. I can't really tell what's wrong, but it might be that there isn't a strong indication of the upper eyelid. It's hard tp tell because everybodies face is different, but you know when you want ot give a sleepy feel to a charater, you pull down the eyelid and if you want a suprised or angry look you pull it up all "wide eyed". In your portrait, you have got what looks to be a relativly well placed eye but the eyelid is retracted. Giving a sort of psycho look as Synj said.

Anyway that could be it, but I could also be wrong.

It's good that you put up the in-progress pic as well. Always like to see those

[Kyri]

That's real nice work Micke, colours are great.

[Binke]

Goddamn you


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http://binke.gamesquad.net

[Freddio]

Great stuff Mikael, everything looks pretty fine to me, I can't seem to see any major flaws. Top stuff.



[This message has been edited by Freddio (edited July 29, 2000).]

[Sedone]

Woah, we look eerily similar...
I really like the finished portrait, and the rough one, too. For some reason I almost always prefer the rough artwork.

Anyway, wish I had some time off. Still plugging away at my demo reel. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the work lately. But enough whining Hope you're having fun!



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sedone's artfolio

[Matt]

The color comp looks a bit Mr.Bean-ish, lol.

[Affected]

I think the thing with the eyes is that they're way open - you can pretty much see the entire iris, and that tends to make people look a bit odd.

------------------
Affected

Democracy is a lie

http://affected.xs.mw

[Danny]

Wow Micke...

that's looking mighty fine! It's great to see the 'work in progress' picture alongside it. Interesting to hear you've started experimenting with lower opacities. Your other work really reflected 100% opacity. I think that's part of the formula that gives you your very unique style.
What do you use for blending your shades btw??

Danny


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[email protected]

Trust in Trance

[Fred Flick Stone]

Micke, I hope you don't go apeshit over me for doing a digital tracing on this image. I don't think I could have used all the right words with words alone, I needed a visual .


So the things I did here to maybe help this along is, I joined the highlight in the eye to the white of the eye. By doing this, it stops the eyeball from looking fragmented, with too many spots in the eye or whatever, and keeps all the lights united, i.e. the powerful white of the eye and that highlight.
One thing that just occured to me, it looks like you are bottom lit, and your highlight is on the top of the eye. This is a bit strange, as the highlight should actually be on the bottom. I also closed the closer or highlighted eye down just a bit, as it had that wild eyed look to it, like you want to kill someone or something, and it was next to the other eye that has a very complacent look to it.
Next, I toned down the ear, shirt and hair, as they are starting to take on their own interest, and that is too many subjects in one painting. By knocking back the ear, it helps pull depth into the volume of the head. Keeping the ear, cheek, and face the same intensity of value flattens out the depth and dimensionality of the form. THe next thing I did was knocked back a few of the white highlights in the face. Look at the highlights on your face, and look at the highlight in your eyes. NOt the image but in the mirror. Is the white highlight in the eye as intense as the flesh? More likely not. Your eye is wet and is acting like a mirror, reflecting back the same intensity, or close to the same intensity as the light source. Flesh is thicker, less shiny and has many more transluscent layers stacked upon one another, and does not reflect like the eye does, therefore, the fleshy highlights should actually have more color in them. Also, by concentrating highlights in one area, you are now concentrating on one center of attention, and not many.
I put a bit of green and blue in the light side of the cheeks, regardless of nationality, all males have a tone in the cheek areas. The way the facial colors are broken down, the forehead is always the most pale, or the yellowish region. Across the facial plane and around the face to the ears is redder. The nose and ears are smaller masses of flesh, more blood is visible in these regions, not to mention these extremities get the most sunlight and burn quicker. And finally the chin and lower cheek region is bluish, to greenish in tint, since this is an area that facial hair tends to grow, and slightly thicker. Even in asians, where there may not be any visible hair growth.

I also knocked back the eye in the dark side, the nostril and the core shadow that you creatd in the face. They were just too dark, and the surrounding values you put in the image contrasted the dark spots just enough to make them look too dark.

I hope this helps a little. You are getting so good at what you do, you have to really start paying attention to the little things, they are what is really going to make all your images read with professional charm, and artistic bravura. Keep them comin, and try to take a vacation from the canvas for a bit too so you don't hit a creative burnout...happy vacationing...

[This message has been edited by Fred Flick Stone (edited July 30, 2000).]

[above]

ahhh whih one's the real micke?!?! i can't tell

[micke]

Thanks for the comments all!
I was away yesterday, so did'nt have any chance to reply.


The resolution i did it in was pretty low.
599*911.

Danny:Glad you liked it
I put down as many basic colours as possible befor starting to blend. I only used the picker and painted over with low opacity on the brush for blending.

Sedone:He he! Post a selfportrait and let me let me see!I thought you were Italian.(Sedone sounds a bit Italian to me)
I kind of liked the rougher step better too. Looks more alive in a way.

About the eye thing. on the right side it was
pretty hard to see what was happening. it was
blurry and that is one of the things i'm having a hard time to do. I'm have a tendency of making things too sharp(thanks for letting me know Fred)also i think another reason making the other eye look crazy was that it was completely lighted up making the eye totally brown and not dark on the top. The light came from the side, and one thing that may have caused the bottom light might have been the
monitor or the light bouncing up fom the tablle causing the highlight. It was really helpful actually showing what you meant. I prefer that way and no absolutely no offence taken
I also had a hard time doing the dark sides, they became too muddy and dirty.
I've never actually thought of certain parts that takes up too much attention than the rest, glad you let me know. I guess sometimes you can change what you see as long as it looks believable in able to make it work.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to help.
I'm gonna look at it some more after work.
Got to go back to work!
-Micke

------------------
-Mikael Noguchi-

http://www.katode.org/noguchi/


[This message has been edited by micke (edited July 31, 2000).]

[spooge demon]

Just a few things to add, hope you don't mind...

On the lit side ear, I think the values are overstated. Set it up again and I would bet you that the shadow in your ear is not as dark or cool as say, your hair. The ear is thin, translucent and filled with blood, so you can play this up by going a little lighter and very warm with your dark accents.

The same is true for the nostril, to get the feeling of light coming through the side of the nose and bouncing around inside.

Same with and accent value on the lit side, also in the corner of the mouth. If you go to dark and cold in these spots it punches holes in the figure and makes them look dead.

Same idea in the mouth. One other idea on the mouth, the accent line is even in thickness, but it would be covered by the middle bulge of the upper lip. Sorry can't remember the 2 dollar word for it right now... This would add dimension to the mouth. I know you are so great with linework and love to play up the graphic (flat) in things, so I know you are between worlds here a little.

You might want to soften the edge of the hair/bg and hair/forehead in the shaded side a bit. Again, the power of shape or "painting". Hehe...

I am not sure I like the second version better than your start. The second one has a lot of noodling, but not any more accurate observation. I think the time that you spent on the second would have been better if you could take your first one and just make a little better choices, and made just a few corrections. On a 20 minute pose, spend 5 minutes just looking and thinking. It takes discipline, but the understanding you will gain will hopefully allow you to simplify and find the truth of what you are painting. I think finding ways of simplifying and designing is where you have come from with drawing, and you should continue it in your painting.

I guess this is a long way of saying I really dug your Bruce Lee Pic!!

[micke]

Not at all and thank you for commenting
I want to see what i can do more with this one, and use it as a kind of lesson.You're absolutely right too, i'm much more of a line-man. Have'nt been painting much, so i really apreciate the comments from you and Fred. There has been alot of eye-openers for me.
Ugh! Discussion would have gone so much better in Norwegian. Maybe i should take some English lessons too

-Micke


------------------
-Mikael Noguchi-

http://www.katode.org/noguchi/