Lighting experiment - Female portrait

[Kragh]

This could turn into something good, but it has its problems

First of all, the eyes aren't very...eye shaped. You have made these "symbols" of eyes, instead of actually looking at some reference photos. Before working more on those, you should make sure you have the right basic shape. The upper and lower lid are very different in shape on a real eye, where on here you can allmost vertically and horisontally mirror them, and stille have the same shape.

As for the lighting, it is too liveless for my taste. It's like she is lid from everywhere, and the only shadows stems from ambient occlusion. Also, you want to check out skin color, and how it behave in different lights. It looks like you start out with a light brown'ish, and then you work your way towards darker brow'nish (using mostly black, which desaturate the skin). I do see little changes in hue, but not enough at all. You need to explore colors like:
Green, turkis, blue, red, yellow and Bordeaux (you need to explore most colors, it seems). Not in their cleanest forms, but tints of them.

The nose shows good promise in the basic shape. The tip is a little skewed though... The lips are also nice, but very flat in their shading.

Anyways, keep it up, you might turn this into something good. Just explore those skin tones. Sometimes it is a good idea to pick colors in a real photo, and check them out in their cleanest form. It is very hard for the human brain to define a color within a bunch of other colors, and it will give you a lot of real knowledges of which colors is actually present in the rich and warm human skin.

[Kragh]

Oh, btw, this shows very much my point. This is a painting showing a very rich human skin surface, and I know it's too colorfull for your need. But never the less, it shows what can actually be done. It was made by a danish oil painter from another forum. It all depends on the lighting, ofcourse, but you simply need to... dare using the colors.

It's copyright: Werner Heyckendorff
http://tegnebordet.dk/tegninger/10188/1096717692.jpg

[CybrGfx]

Don't be worrying about using 47 colors for the face until you FIRST learn the anatomy, and the values. Color is the next to last concern before texture...

The features are too big for the skull, and the hair is wonky.
The browbone needs to be lower, shortening the nose area a bit. The browbone is about 1/3 down from the hairline.
The face should be 5 eye widths across, with 1 eyewidth distance between them.

The tip of the nose down to the chin appear to be pretty good, placement wise, but the overall shape of your face is off, and your light source is not consistent. Part of this is the bad anatomy...

It's really all a connected dance. Your image needs to be cohesive and consistent in value, proportion, and placement.

You have a decent start, firm up the anatomy. THAT is the basis for this image, that is what people will look at much more than the colors. Once you tweak the features into line, then we'll talk values...THEN we can discuss color.

Do you have a version of this without the hair?

~C

[PhoenixFlame]

Kragh: Thanks a lot for your advice. I have taken a look at some reference photos of eyes and can see what you mean! Yeah lighting is something I'm going to have to look at more, same with the skin tones (I knew it wasn't right... it's too pale). But as CyberGfx states I should correct my anatomy first!

By the way I love that oil painting example, and am looking forward to experiementing with different colours.

CyberGfx: I shall get working on my anatomy problems. It's great to have all these problems pointed out, is always difficult to see in your own work. I've attached a version I have without the hair.

[PhoenixFlame]

Well here's an updated version. I've basically spent time looking at references and redrawn the eyes (lowered them and the brow line), reshaped the nose a little, tried to make the face better shaped (increasing the overall size of it in comparison to the facial features). I've got rid of the hair because it was very wonky. I've left something simple just to give the impression of hair. Let me know what you think (-:

[CybrGfx]

Thank you, Claire!
I am somewhat ashamed at the rough quality of this paintover, but I have a looming deadline, and could only rough in a lot of what I am explaining.

I gave her a neck, and ears, and shrunk the features and moved them down. I reshaped the skull (why you should always wait to add hair), and worked a bit on modelling the face with values, rather than color. While she is a bit washed out and flat, once a proper light source is added (I used what you had, but toned a lot of it down), and hair, some of the values will change slightly, but the coloring should be much less of an issue. The modelling is to show you how a little can give the illusion of a lot...

As for the rainbow of colors in skin tones, it has been explored by many artists. Digitally, Jeremy Sutton (http://www.paintercreativity.com/gallery/jsgallery/index.html) promoted the idea for years with his Corel Painter Workshops. But as many artists attest, if the values are correct, the coloring is much easier...

Hope this helps you some!
Keep practicing, it's the ONLY way you will get better, regardless what any of us tell you.

Saw your new post after I replied here. Your rework will do, if you add a bit more to the top of the skull. The hair will cover a lot of sins (although it won't help your skills any... ;) )

~C

[PhoenixFlame]

Hey there CyberGfx

Thanks for reworking my portrait and showing me what you meant. I think there's still an issue with the right eye in my re work.. altho i'll have to take a look in the morning (have had a long day). But I shall use your version to help me further with the proportions. So thanks a lot (-:

So do you think it is best to have subtle changes in the skin colour to hint at shadows and lighting? Although I suppose it depends on whether it is artificial lighting or natural etc.

[CybrGfx]

The color of skin is normally of a somewhat orangeish tint, due to the melanin in our skin. This can then have some tints of a ruddier or cooler hue, depending upon where the veins and arteries are located in relation to the skin, as well as heritage, and lighting.

Since it's digital, duplicate the image and try different tones on one, and more traditional skin colors on the other, focusing on value, more than color. See which you like better. Half the fun of making art is the experimenting and letting the winds blow you where they may...

~C

[PhoenixFlame]

Here's an update. I havn't textured the skin yet because I want to makesure I have the lighting right this time. There is a light on the woman's right, I've tried to put the highlights in to show this.

I've also been playing with skin tones. I've settled on this one (however if it is still a bit wrong let me know). I hope the anatomy is right now too. Please let me know what you think.

[CybrGfx]

Wow! Some really good work on the update!

The head and face look much more "normal," and I like her hair...

The basic skin tones are good, although the philtum (between the upper lip and nose) is wrong. Those ridges should be highlighted, they rise above the skin, with a bit of shadow between them. They pull the upper lip into a "cupid's bow" shape...

Be AWARE of your light source, and the direction it is shining. Make sure your shadows remain consistent throughout. The neck and dress and hair should match the skin highlights.

Really nice eyes. Good light speculars.
This is shaping up well. Keep working on it!
I'd also suggest stopping on the girl until you get a background roughed out. The color scheme will affect your skin tones.

~C

[PhoenixFlame]

Thanks CyberGfx! I really appreciate your honesty on everything. Yes I can see that the philtum is wrong. Somewhere I back to fronted it (with shadows) when making changes to whole image.

Ok I've put the girl on hold while I map out a background (I'd never even thought of the background before! This was more just a piece to get to grips with lighting. So I've had tried a few different backgrounds... but i was thinking of something like this. Do you think it's a little too complicated in terms of lighting? Perhaps I should have her in a room instead... let me know your opinion.

Thanks for pointing out that I need to indicate lighting on everything else as well!

BTW I noticed a bit ago you were 'Lord of the Posts' made me laugh

[CybrGfx]

Claire, I'm a firm proponent against "cluttering up" a canvas unless that was your intention from the very start. Adding things for any other reason than to fill large empty spaces is a no-no. And even in those occasions, you try to add as little as possible to get the job done.

The reasons for this are threefold:

The more stuff you add, the more stuff you have to worry about proper proportion, value, color, etc...
The more stuff you add, the less dominant your main focal point may become.
The more stuff you add, the more time and effort you have to put into this piece, which was not your original intention. There are too many other pieces yet to create!
While this is a nice scene, with good directional flow and interest, it's too problematic. Why is she so far from the house without a jacket? Is the house on top of a mountain? there is nothing at all behind it...

Keep It Simply Simple! (K.I.S.S.)

A room might work, but the outdoors is better. Just get rid of all the foo foo stuff, and put a simple snowbank shape where you have the edgeline of the house and the fence on the left, and then maybe a tree branch tip or two on the RH side. Two basic elements, subtle enough to not distract, but useful to help with flow...Just something to make you think.

You can also call this one done, and put a fork in it. You've gotten some good ideas, some good corrections.
Go forth and create anew!

~C

[PhoenixFlame]

Thanks again CyberGfx. I've taken your advice with the background and made it a lot simpler (I did feel that I had over complicated it before). I've changed it like you advised... although I did do another version (still with the house on the rh side) but I can see how this would be too complicated and time consuming still. I'm wondering whether I should take the house edge out all together? Or would that leave me with nothing...You think I should start something new now? I would just I'm really keen to get all the details and textures for this person done. I'm just using her as a chance to practice portraits (-:

[PhoenixFlame]

Old version...

[CybrGfx]

Thanks again CyberGfx. I've taken your advice with the background and made it a lot simpler (I did feel that I had over complicated it before). I've changed it like you advised... although I did do another version (still with the house on the rh side) but I can see how this would be too complicated and time consuming still. I'm wondering whether I should take the house edge out all together? Or would that leave me with nothing...You think I should start something new now? I would just I'm really keen to get all the details and textures for this person done. I'm just using her as a chance to practice portraits (-: Take out all the rest, and you've answered your own question.

That too, is a skill you have to learn and polish. Knowing when to call a piece, "DONE," and move on...
You will not have this option with works you do for hire, or works you do against a deadline. You will be obligated, finacially or contractually to beat the errors out and make the image complete.
This is a practice/learning piece.
You've learned quite a bit, to where YOUR OWN INSTINCTS are starting to kick in.
It is NOT a sin to call a piece "done," and move on. So long as you don't make a habit of it...If you can list 3 things your learned from it, it is a successful practice piece.

I say paint her again, from scratch.
You've learned about skull shape, and feature placement, and having a background in place (even a simple one will work. The version without a house, while somewhat sparse, still gave her a nicer background than the emptiness of Artist Neglect... ;)

So, keep practicing portraits. Start another one. Do a self-portrait. THAT's GOOD observational skill honing... Andrew Jones did 1000 of himself...posted them all online. Took YEARS. But, it sure did improve his skills!

Enjoy. Learn. Don't make learning a Slave Labor, let it be a Labor of Love.
~C

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