Fail and learn

The reason I started Headshots Week is because some of my friends thought my shading style was boring. :| I like the old-school 2D shading with only a few tones and I usually use shadow work just like that. For example:

 

This is typical to the shading style I use. I could have worked harder on his hair, I guess. Anyway, so when my friends said I need to try my hand at soft shading, I started coloring headshots for practice and I was able to come up with some good results:

 

 

I tried varying the amount of soft shading I used with the extent of cell-shading. So in every picture here, we have two elements - one is the soft indiscernible shading done with a powdery sort of dry brush set at low opacity and the other is a smoother, defined ink that contours the shapes.

If you look closely at the purple drawing, you'll see that i used more definition and more softness. I don't like the result. 

In the green one, I used very little of both and I liked how it turned out but I wasn't sure I could use it often. For example, if I colour a comic with this method, there will be scenarios where the drawing needs more definition and this light look won't do. 

In the blue drawing, I used high softness and low definition. It kinda worked and I think it works best when working in dark tones. 

In the orange drawing, I used high definition and less softness. I think I like it because it makes the subject very clearly outlined but also manages to make it closer to reality (less cell-shaded, i guess).

But then these are my opinions. Maybe if my friends looked at it, they'd argue a different way. In any case, I got carried away with all the soft shading and I thought 'Hey, I should try to make a painting taking a photograph as reference and see how close I can get to it.' So I found this picture on the internet.

 
The reasons I chose this picture were : ONE, the limited color palette; TWO, the high contrast which makes her look almost plastic; THREE, some challenging parts like the sleeves and the hair.

Maybe I should have chosen an even less complex picture. Maybe something like this would have been better for a first attempt:

Maybe next time. :) Anyway, what I'm going to say is, I failed quite terribly. But once again I learned a lot. For one, I know I don't do enough paint-work. My deviantart account hardly has any drawings, mainly because I don't have paintings to post and I think its a waste to put sketches there (unless they're like WOW). Secondly, with this exercise I was able to test my ability to start with a definite idea and be able to stick to it till the end. I'd give myself a ... 40%? x_x Bleh, nepotism. Without blabbering on for any longer, here's the painting:

You don't even need to place them together. :P Its obvious. Sorry for the long post.
 

I am now calling this 'Headshots Week'

kinda like 'Lakme Fashion Week' or some such. :/ I dont know many.

I could make her pout less, but I won't. :P

Purple

The problem here is the lack of expression. On a brighter note, Mission Keep-final-painting-close-to-original-drawing is successful. :D

And look, better hair! ^_^

More

Still experimenting. Also, with this one, I had fun working on the hair. Learned a bit about lighting too, like erasing with low opacity can look like light/shadow work. :D Also learned that with this skin color, shades of blue blend really well (on the skin, I don't mean the shirt).

Still trying to simplify this whole process.

Still coloring

I have been busy, getting used to my new PS CS5. :D After the last two drawings, I am trying to find a coloring method that would work for my drawing style. I still prefer the good old cell-shaded sketches better though.

I have a lot many random headshots in my notes and I'm using them for practice. Here I've used the general textured brushes dry brushes for the cheeks and the darker tones on the neck. To make the process quicker and more sketchy I drew sketch lines but in lighter colors. Tried not to use too much black because I want the focus on the colors. In the end, I added a layer on top of everything, set it on 'Multiply' and with a normal brush on low opacity and semi-flow, I added shadows wherever I thought it was needed. I hope I can improve the method in my next try. ^_^

Family Portraits II

And the last one. :] A portrait of my little sister. This looks rather traditional unlike the one before. :D

Family Portraits

:D I'm back. I made a portrait of my big brother.

He doesn't like it much though. :P Of course, I used reference for his facial features but the lighting is all from my head. Dude doesn't get many well-lighted photographs taken. :/

Lighting practice

Bush Dai-Dai

So this week's challenge at alphabeastiary.blogspot.com is the Bush Dai-Dai. She's a succubus that seduces its victims and shape-shifts to a jaguar/bat/wolf to attack. She's usually found in the jungles of the Caribbean, her origin. She has been cited in African legends, etc.

In my opinion, playing the way succubi usually do, a Bush Dai-Dai would probably appear as a hapless maiden whose father/husband/brother has been attacked by a jaguar and who lost her way in the jungle. Thats what I'm trying to portray below. She is the kind of monster that has to carry its other skin with it after it takes it off. So there.

I'm not participating in this project because: I don't draw beasts as often, I don't think I'll be able to meet their awesome standards and because I'm focusing on learning comic writing.

But when I saw the entries to this week's challenge, I just HAD to draw my own version.

I didn't work too hard because: I have to study for an exam coming soon and I'm not submitting this anywhere.

EDIT: Tried to correct my mistake as Rashi pointed out. Let see. :D

After much deliberation

I did it. I finished this painting. I watched Bobby Chiu's free tutorial on 3D painting on PS a couple of nights ago. Although he did it in about an hour's time, it took me two days because I lost my way in the middle of it. Thanks to some very good critique by friends, I was able to navigate my way around the whole thing.

I think my fault was the inability to visualize before I started, about what I wanted it to look like. x_x Next time, I'll sit and meditate over what I want first. Even if that takes hours. No matter how much I'm itching to hold a pen and sketch.

End of rant. Here it is: