【 Uhm, Semi Realistic】White hair is hard. T T Critique?

[Procuriosity]

This is just practice, so I mainly focused on the face and hair.
Tips on coloring or anatomy would be really helpful. Well any kind of feedback would be good.

So, does it look weird? (Is the hair too clumpy at the ends or is that just because it's zoomed out?)



LARGER IMAGE: [x]
BROWN BACKGROUND: [x]

[Nini-Chan Desu]

One thing that stands out to me is the hair, specifically the two pieces on the side (kinda hard to specify the location atm OTL ). Those two pieces of hair look like they've just been...layered on. It might help to make the ends curve down instead of up, or if they are supposed to curve up have some small pieces of hair connect with the hair next to it?

I'm sorry this is hard to understand OTL

[Procuriosity]

Nini-Chan Desu

One thing that stands out to me is the hair, specifically the two pieces on the side (kinda hard to specify the location atm OTL ). Those two pieces of hair look like they've just been...layered on. It might help to make the ends curve down instead of up, or if they are supposed to curve up have some small pieces of hair connect with the hair next to it?

I'm sorry this is hard to understand OTL

Lol no it's okay, I think I got it..? xD
Are you talking about the two pieces I outlined in blue? And do you mean connect them with smaller strands like the ones in orange or something like that?

Am I close? >__>

[Nini-Chan Desu]

Procuriosity

Nini-Chan Desu

One thing that stands out to me is the hair, specifically the two pieces on the side (kinda hard to specify the location atm OTL ). Those two pieces of hair look like they've just been...layered on. It might help to make the ends curve down instead of up, or if they are supposed to curve up have some small pieces of hair connect with the hair next to it?

I'm sorry this is hard to understand OTL

Lol no it's okay, I think I got it..? xD
Are you talking about the two pieces I outlined in blue? And do you mean connect them with smaller strands like the ones in orange or something like that?

Am I close? >__>

Yep!

[Itchy the Hatter]

Why not reference a photo?

[Procuriosity]

Itchy the Hatter

Why not reference a photo?

I was studying a section on faces/heads in a book and wanted to apply it to drawing without using any references. It's easier for me to remember what I learned that way. Is it too obvious that I didn't use a reference? emotion_8c

I tried to use a reference for the hair the first time, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted. I scrapped that one and winged it the second time.

[SuperSailorBooty]

So beautiful!

[Itchy the Hatter]

Procuriosity

I was studying a section on faces/heads in a book and wanted to apply it to drawing without using any references.

What book? Most books are built to work in combination with life studies, and since material is sometimes hard to come by in real life, photo studies too.

Quote:

It's easier for me to remember what I learned that way. Is it too obvious that I didn't use a reference? emotion_8c

Yes, your values are all way too light and the shadows don't really correlate with any particular light source. Also there's lots of planes missing on the face.

Quote:

I tried to use a reference for the hair the first time, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted. I scrapped that one and winged it the second time.

How did it not turn out right?

[Yeongri]

It's a good start, but there's not much shading going on, especially on the face, and it looks quite flat. It's important to pick a light source and try to work with that, even if you're not referencing anything.

And shading is beyond light sources and where shadows fall--it also shows depth. For example, this might not be a good example for light sources and shadows (that's something I really need to work on; it's easier to see than to apply!), the simplified shading still shows depth in the eyes and the cheeks.

In addition to studying the anatomy of the face, it might actually help to look up makeup tutorials on contouring. In the beginning stages of those, you can literally see the shadows and highlights on a face mapped out on a real human face, which could help lots.

Also, I suspect that your shading is done within the same hue, and you're just changing saturation and/or brightness. Either that, or you're not changing the hue enough, which adds to the flatness. Try using a more reddish colour to show the depth of the cheekbones, maybe blueish shadows for the hair.

In any case, you're off to a good start, but try getting out of your comfort zone, throw in more shadows, more colours, and then you'll get a feel of what works and what doesn't. Learning the theory is extremely important, but you gotta know how to apply it, right? smile

[WannabeDisneyArtist]

I feel your pain when trying to work with white hair. Try adding some undertones of Blues or purples.

[The End`]

WannabeDisneyArtist

I feel your pain when trying to work with white hair. Try adding some undertones of Blues or purples.

agreed! pardon my crack drawing- I don't know how to explain this concept- but maybe using a contrasting color and shades of that color may help- it has something to do with perception of the normal human eye and our brains will register that the color is supposed to be white based on how it looks

Sorry my quick color is super ghetto x3 sweatdrop anyone reading who knows what I'm talking about feel free to jump in and correct me immediately:

[SuperSailorBooty]

Such a pretty character

[Chocobo Fluff]

White hair is very annoying to color, I always start with a pale blue base or a pale cream- sometimes even a dark grey- either way the color, to help me my base colors are always way darker up until I begin to shade & lighten the hair, or skin, whatever it is until I make it the desired color.

Her eyes are abit strange & so is the shading of her face- Her eyes seem to close together even with the way her head is turned & the shading on the nose is very awkward- why is there shading on her nose? The light is coming from an upward angle- there would hardly be any shading on her nose, it would be more around her nostrils & septim but you'd barely see that.

[Procuriosity]

Itchy the Hatter

What book? Most books are built to work in combination with life studies, and since material is sometimes hard to come by in real life, photo studies too.

I recently got The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression by Gary Faigin. There was a small section on the placement and shape of facial features, so I started there.

Quote:

Yes, your values are all way too light and the shadows don't really correlate with any particular light source. Also there's lots of planes missing on the face.

I see that now! The light source will be easier to get right next time once I figure out how shadows fall on the face.

Quote:

How did it not turn out right?

I didn't like the bangs or all the hair sticking up. I also didn't like the back of the head. It wasn't what I was going for. I just used it as a starting point instead. I don't think I used the picture as a reference for the light source either.

[Procuriosity]

All of you guys were so helpful and gave me so many tips. I wish I could go back to this picture and change it, so I can update this thread. But I can't use my tablet at all right now. The hard drive of the computer I use it on died. Until I have a replacement, I won't be drawing. ; ; Still, thank you everyone~! You have no idea how much this helps me.

Jiggly Wiggly Puffs

So beautiful!

Thank you~ ; u ; I love white/blue pairings for characters.

Yeongri

That's genius! I don't know why I didn't think of looking at makeup contouring. As for the shading, I did attempt to use complementary colors (blue and orange), but... Well I'm still on the search for tutorials on how to use them. For this picture I added blue tints to the hair, skin, and eyes. But for all of the shading I added orange. I'm guessing that's not how you do it. Wahh, I'm trying. Q Q

WannabeDisneyArtist

I tried using blue undertones before. 0: I wish I kept a picture of it before changing it. I'll try it again when I have I have to do a full body picture with a background. I don't want the hair too look too blue on a plain white background. ; ;

The End`

I've seen a tutorial like that before. 0: This one: [x]

Chocobo Fluff

I didn't even notice how off the shading was until it got pointed out, haha. The nose looks weird... Augh, what am I doing? xD I usually try to finish pictures as quickly as possible due to lack of time. I always miss stuff like that.