CGTalk - Turning a sketch into a digital portrait

paperclip

06-04-2005, 12:03 AM

Jajajajaja...I like it! Great expression around the mouth and you have captured his likeness very well. Crit time though, sorry! I think you need to wrinkle the forehead and the eyes a little more and also the iris in the right eye (our right) looks odd as it is OVER the bottom eyelid a little bit.

Aside from that, I'm afraid I must applaud. :applause:

Loulu79

06-04-2005, 01:43 AM

I agree with paperclip. You have given more detail to his left eye than the other. He does have more wrinkles above his raised brow. So give more detail because this has alot of promise. You've nailed his window of the soul: his eyes. Great perception with that. I'd look at his photos to see where I could add more flavor to him. He looks like a real character. Are you going for a realistic look based on real skin tones as well? That would be an interesting challenge

Keep working on this. I like this one.:thumbsup:

Katea

06-04-2005, 09:56 PM

Hi,
I think I have to explain one thing to you guys. I got the feeling you understood that I had drawn this sketch basing on the reference pics (the ones I gave you links to) and nothing else. Well I hadn't. I had a picture that looked exactly like the sketch. Unfortunatelly I am not as talented as to draw a person basing on pictures that have nothing to do with the final sketch. I think there are not may people who can do that - if there are any at all...

Anyway right now I don't have this reference pic so it will actually be quite a challenge for me to draw him in colour. I will have to figure out many things on my own just basing on the sketch I have made - oh, how happy it makes me! ;)

About the wrinkles - yes he probably needs more wrinkles ;) But the eyes looked in the photo exactly like here in this drawing. One eye was over the bootom eyelid, I was aware of this fact - the guy loves to make faces and his whole face looks a little odd then ;)

First sketch to be posted soon. Stay in touch ;)

.

Katea

06-05-2005, 03:57 PM

I desaturated the original picture, adjusted the contrast and brightness and cleaned it a bit.

Then I layed some basic colours, and smudged them a bit.

Now I have to figure out the colour of the background. I'm not really sure about the colour of his shirt either :/

http://img300.echo.cx/img300/5032/mietekcol11iy.jpg

Katea

06-05-2005, 06:38 PM

http://img62.echo.cx/img62/1530/mietekclcopy5rg.jpg

hpslashluvr

06-05-2005, 06:42 PM

his expression scares me:sad: haha he sort of reminds me of ralph fiennes

great work so far.

Katea

06-05-2005, 09:31 PM

Thanks :)))

Loulu79

06-06-2005, 01:14 AM

Did you just put yourself down there...?!? You don't have any talent?!? Nonsense...! It's great just as it is girl! "...not as talented as to draw a person basing on pictures..." you say...? What are you talking about! You're talented enough even to interpret him very nicely.:)

I see how hpslashluvr can be scared...what an expression he has...reminds me of Jim Carrey. Anywho...leave the colour of his shirt...I like this colour. I'd say...give a bit more redness around the iris...you know...the redness encircling in the cornea. That'll make the eyes more realistic. But the left eye (facing us) is not completely circular. Just fix that a bit...I just noticed that.

I don't think you have problems with skin tones here. Great job. Keep working on it. And I wouldn't worry about the background that much. I like the idea of white light hitting upon him though...that'll make it even more interesting.:thumbsup:

Katea

06-06-2005, 10:11 AM

Did you just put yourself down there...?!? You don't have any talent?!? Nonsense...! It's great just as it is girl! "...not as talented as to draw a person basing on pictures..." you say...? What are you talking about! You're talented enough even to interpret him very nicely.

Thank you very much, you're beeing so nice :)))

I see how hpslashluvr can be scared...what an expression he has...reminds me of Jim Carrey. Anywho...leave the colour of his shirt...I like this colour. I'd say...give a bit more redness around the iris...you know...the redness encircling in the cornea. That'll make the eyes more realistic. But the left eye (facing us) is not completely circular. Just fix that a bit...I just noticed that.

I will have to try the res spots :)
Here are both of his eyes (still not quite finished!) What do you think?
I really like the eyebrows ;))))

http://img105.echo.cx/img105/3387/mietekcl22kl.jpg

Loulu79

06-06-2005, 04:56 PM

Hmmm....you see...the right iris has more roundness than the other one...Wait...I measured them...It's not the roundness...it's something else:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/Loulu79/Kateaseyes.jpg

I hope you don't mind me inputting your artistic work. I know this isn't plagerism...I just added the redness in his right eye (left for us viewers), showing you what I mean...Do you see a drawn out circle...that was what bothered me...the other eye has more detail than the other.

Leave the eyebrows alone...There're fine.:thumbsup:

Katea

06-06-2005, 05:02 PM

I have huge problem, I don't know what to do with the background yet.

Now, here is the first basic colour set I was thinking about

http://img9.echo.cx/img9/4930/pink2ch.jpg

Then I started changing things, not being sure what I want. I changed the size of the image, but now I think I should get back to the old one. In one of these pictures the guy actually looks like a military man. HELP, do you have any suggestions? Cause I'm a bit dizzy. Now I like the white best, but I get the feeling it will be too empty. :/

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/7529/white2qx.th.jpg (http://img155.echo.cx/my.php?image=white2qx.jpg)

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/8276/mietekgrey21zk.th.jpg (http://img155.echo.cx/my.php?image=mietekgrey21zk.jpg)

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/3459/mietekziel2copy8ya.th.jpg (http://img155.echo.cx/my.php?image=mietekziel2copy8ya.jpg)

Katea

06-06-2005, 05:04 PM

Loulou I don't mind :)

You are right about the detail :) I was going to add the redness later- little veins. And of course the eyes miss eyelashes ;)

Loulu79

06-06-2005, 05:07 PM

I don't like the second and third one. It doesn't flatter him to me. I still like the first one, with it's white background...How about a white glow around him. You know... a hazy white background that looks memorial.:)

Edit: Oh good...cause I thought I was gonna get into some sort of "plagerism" no-no department...just because I want to help you there...Yeah I forgot completely about the eyelashes...guys have very short eyelashes...but there are men I've known who are the exception.:scream:

Katea

06-06-2005, 05:13 PM

Oh, no nothing "memorial"!

You know what I've been thinking? I was kind of hoping to choose a darker background and add some glow or the other way around - light background and dark shade or sth. The shade/glow would look a bit like a jokers hat ;) But not in an obvious way...

Loulu79

06-06-2005, 05:33 PM

Hmmm...nothing memorial huh? Oh well...

I wonder what colour would be nice for a comedian? I like the idea of having a glow around him, with a comedian hat over his head...I wonder how that could turn out....

I'd say to make things less complicating...a black background that meshes nicely with the glow effect. I wonder what others would suggest.

I'm thinking about purple for some odd reason...hmmm...

hpslashluvr

06-06-2005, 05:37 PM

yeah...don't use any of those bgs...either they look like the cloth they put behind you on cheap portrait photos or like with the bright watermelon colors it just makes him look even scarier...:eek:

Katea

06-06-2005, 05:44 PM

You're rihgt, that's why I was so unhappy with the effects! It totally looks like an ordinary passport photo!..

Hmmm What if I made it white (the background) an added some dirt like here (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=243146). I don't know if you can see it, but the white parts of the background are a bit dirty. I could arrange the dirt to look a bit like the jokers hat.

El-Rodente

06-06-2005, 05:55 PM

yeah, dont use a black background, it draws the attention too much, if you want a dark one, go for dark purple, maybe fading into a light lilac around him.

the joker's hat made of dirt sounds kinda cool

Katea

06-06-2005, 06:25 PM

Well, purple you say? :)

I think it will be good :) It still needs a lot of work, but I love the watercolory look of the background :)

http://img298.echo.cx/img298/61/purple7js.jpg

*UPDATE: Now that I look at it again I don't like it so much. What's wrong with me??? I'm acting like a baby :/// Maybe it's the desire not to leave the background white that makes me so hesitant...

Loulu79

06-07-2005, 01:51 AM

Ooooh...but I like this purple. Maybe what you need is what you have suggested in the first place...dirt on the white background. I would add some textrues a wee bit ...

Probably let the purple background fade ... that way...it won't bother you that much ;)

Edit: How about the original colour from the very very first sketch you shared with us ... you know...the sketched one before you tweaked it. Maybe a mix of a similar colour to this one perhaps?:shrug:

TheFirstAngel

06-07-2005, 03:37 AM

very cool and expressive work. maybe boost the midtones and saturation a bit of the skin (red and orange tones) to achieve smother transitions to the shadow areas and then define some specular highlights. the texture of the background looks vey cool. i liked the sketch very very much and the painting promisses to end up as a great piece. keep it up Katea, :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

beelow

06-07-2005, 05:32 AM

Katea you do great work, one problem, it seems that the eyeball on the right side is low, unless he got a crooked eyev which may be the case. But, good work! Keep at it!:thumbsup:

ms@zx

06-07-2005, 07:16 AM

some good stuff going on here,the sketch looks more appealing to me,just my personal point of view:)keep this going,i'll e looping around

Katea

06-07-2005, 01:40 PM

Ooooh...but I like this purple. Maybe what you need is what you have suggested in the first place...dirt on the white background. I would add some textrues a wee bit ...

Welll I'm kind of getting used to the idea of the white background :) And also I have a new idea: He is going to be holding a puppet with a hat shaped just like the shade behind Michal's head. There is this bit/sketch that he and his friend were doing, where he was playing a puppet sitting on his friends laps. At first I was thinking of giving the puppet his friends' looks but I won't. Some people could missunderstand the idea and/or it would just be too much. From now on Michal is going to be A Puppet Master :)

beelow - his eyes ARE crooked, they really are when he makes faces :D

maybe boost the midtones and saturation a bit of the skin (red and orange tones) to achieve smother transitions to the shadow areas and then define some specular highlights.

You are right. I've been drawing the face seeing the white background, so the colours just don't go with the purple (or any other) colour. I did change his colours just for a try. It looks better, but now I have new plan, ha ha! ;)))

Thanks guys :)

JamesMarshall

06-07-2005, 05:13 PM

Great work... Though I'm scared of him.

He looks like he's checking me out and is about to rape me. :(

Katea

06-07-2005, 07:50 PM

James, it's a reallu cute and funny guy :)

beelow

06-07-2005, 10:23 PM

Oh ok, that's cool we need a little variation in eyeballs sometimes...lol.

JM- man that is nasty, although you get the feelin' that he is a rapist...lol.

Can't wait to see some more progress from you...Holla!:D

Katea

06-07-2005, 11:36 PM

The Puppet! Puppet! He now holds a puppet, oh my :) :bounce:

Here you go beelow ;)

http://img75.echo.cx/img75/6659/puppet4sm.jpg

Puppet has some crooked eyes too! :) Ha! Every puppetier is somebody's puppet and has a puppet of his own. Sth like "a bigger fish eats a smaller fish" ;)

Kate

JamesMarshall

06-08-2005, 12:14 AM

Oh god... He's going to rape me and... what?

What is he going to do with that puppet?!

Noooooooooo!!!

Katea

06-08-2005, 11:38 AM

Oh, he's probably going to spank you with it, if you don't stop calling him a rapist ;))))))

What do you guys think of this? Is pink better? :)

http://img253.echo.cx/img253/9515/puppet19jb.jpg

keight

06-08-2005, 01:58 PM

Yes, I think it is.

JamesMarshall

06-08-2005, 05:04 PM

It's definately a great effort.

It's nice to see digital emulate natural paints so well.

Tim-Gibson

06-09-2005, 04:24 AM

Oh god... He's going to rape me and... what?

What is he going to do with that puppet?!

Noooooooooo!!!

And why does that puppet look so happy?

hpslashluvr

06-09-2005, 05:35 AM

i LOVE the puppet! what a great addition!

Dutchman

06-09-2005, 08:31 AM

WOW! The expression is amazingly rich captured, and your painting style is stunning! :twisted: :thumbsup: That puppet looks good & sweet :)

Greetz & Good luck with it! :buttrock:,
Gijs

crazy3dman

06-09-2005, 09:03 AM

If you are still looking for ideas for the background, I would try using a scan of the paper you used for the original sketch and then just putting a little tone on it like you did with the white pencil on the sketch.

Very nice drawing by the way.

Loulu79

06-09-2005, 05:47 PM

[QUOTE=crazy3dman]If you are still looking for ideas for the background, I would try using a scan of the paper you used for the original sketch and then just putting a little tone on it like you did with the white pencil on the sketch.

Yeah...try it and see!:bounce:

And btw: The puppet...heehee ... makes me laugh. Now it makes sense why he's having that face...

JamesMarshall

06-09-2005, 07:00 PM

I have a small crit... maybe even an insignificant crit.

There's a wrinkle line or two underneath the bottom eyelid on the left eye going left.

It looks unnatural, and I really haven't seen that happen in real life (im sure you could find some reference to prove me wrong).

That's all... It's still rockin... And still scaring the sh*t out of me. :P

Katea

06-09-2005, 07:51 PM

Thanks guys :)

Loulu79, crazy3dman: I've tried this, didn't look good :/

James - I know, I fixed the right eye and have to do the same with the left one. I just have to coma out with the final look of the image, and then I'm going to correct the little mistakes :)

The new update

http://img209.echo.cx/img209/4693/puppet39bb.jpg

Look at the puppets hand!!! :)) :bounce:

Katea

06-09-2005, 10:15 PM

You know guys just to compare. I think the dirt and teh texture is just too much. So I think I might go for sth like this. The shade is deformed a bit cause I just sketched it witch a mouse.

http://img129.echo.cx/img129/9097/puppet47dg.jpg

JamesMarshall

06-10-2005, 07:08 AM

I think that shadow, while a great idea, does take away from the quality of the work, especially since the shadow is so dark and crisp while in soft light.

Katea

06-10-2005, 07:12 AM

Oh, but which one do you mean: both or just one of them?

Zephyri

06-10-2005, 12:11 PM

Wonderful work on transforming the traditional sketch to digital. I love the guy's expression, very appropriate given his job, and I love the puppet too... though I get the impression from that that he's more of a slap-stick comic, as opposed to, say, a stand up or deadpan comic. I see you've been having difficulty with the background, and I utterly empathise with you, I hate choosing colours. I suppose it depends what kind of look you want the portrait to have. The last update really flattens off the mass of his face, he almost blends into it, like a painting of a painting, if you see what i mean. Most of the really good portrait artists who work in traditional media I've looked at tend to favour darker backgrounds in more neutral colours, especially when their subject has pale clothing, as it makes the sitter jump out.

But as far as the technical quality goes, I really love the way the face is coming together, I'd like to see a bit more detail on the hair, and a bit more of the darker colours you've used round the eyes in the rest of the face's shadows. Good work this far!

budji

06-10-2005, 03:54 PM

This is getting very good so far. first, I wouldn't give textured background, because I think this is meant to be a realistic composition (maybe im wrong), and I think the right ear looks like a bit out of porportion maybe too big and it could have a bit more detail maybe sharpen more the edges and give some more shadow.

great piece, the doll is perfect.

beelow

06-11-2005, 09:55 AM

I don't think the ear is too big I think it is the angle of the head. Katea you probably want to paint in the side of the neck or paint in the hair my thoughts on it. Some real progress going on here, keep it coming...Holla!:thumbsup:

Katea

06-12-2005, 08:42 PM

Now the last attempt to change the background ;)
A darker one. I am getting tired. I made a mistake not thinking the problem of background through at the very beginning, and that's why I have this problem now... Next time I won't make that mistake (hopefully) ;))

http://img251.echo.cx/img251/1237/puppet57kq.jpg

keight

06-13-2005, 05:49 AM

Okay, Katea, this background is related to all of the colors in the painting, and its value is a good midrange that brings a sense of depth and life to your subject. I really like the way you finished this. He does have interesting ears, doesn't he?

Katea

06-13-2005, 04:29 PM

Keight - his ears are the best! :D BTW they're uneven! Seriously! :)))

Ha! I think I'm getting closer to finishing this piece :)
I added some extra hue to his shirt, also there are buttons and stitches as well. BTW I love the hair - they seem to be so fluffy ;)

http://img154.echo.cx/img154/8974/puppet67yd.jpg

Loulu79

06-13-2005, 06:28 PM

That background makes him a little too red in the face. I say tone it down a bit...It's a bit harsh in the eyes.

Wow:eek: ...this piece has come a long way...

great work Katea!:thumbsup:

Katea

06-13-2005, 07:07 PM

you're right. now I see it too.

How's that? I darkened the background and corrected the colours.

http://img15.echo.cx/img15/1993/puppet73se.jpg

JamesMarshall

06-13-2005, 07:37 PM

Looks perfect...

Though I don't know what he's planning to do with that puppet. ;)

Katea

06-13-2005, 08:25 PM

Ha! That's the sectret my friend! ;DDD
What's The Puppetier going to do with his Puppet ;)))

I'm glad you like it :)

keight

06-13-2005, 09:23 PM

Now you've got it! It looks great!

Hawktoey

06-14-2005, 02:26 AM

I have been following this thread and am truely amazed at the work, the help, and the final (hopefully) image! You do incredible work and I am sure that Michal Wójcik would be very pleased with this!

Loulu79

06-14-2005, 02:49 AM

Yeah...now the background looks better. It doesn't "sting" my eyes. ;) Anyway, coming along good good.:thumbsup:

Waitaminute! I see the shadow of the joker's hat in the background. Your intention?

Katea

06-14-2005, 08:42 PM

Yes Loulu79 - That's my intention :)))

I would like to thank all of you guys for beeing so helpfull and nice to me :) Also you've been very patient watching me struggling with the background and the whole concept. I have to say I never thought I'd be able to show my WIP to anyone and be able to take advice, but it turns out I am! :) All thanks to you guys who took time to point out my mistakes and encourage me to do better. Thanks again :))) :applause: