Help wanted

[Tanika]

Ok, I'm back....I'm not dead...x.x

Well, I did a portfolio piece sort of like this in prismacolor pencils and markers, but I felt it looked too...not good. So I went back to the lineart and started working on it in photoshop, I'm not halfway through yet but I'm getting stuck. I've got the hair how I Like it, the clouds how I like them and the furthermost mountains how I want them. I don't think this piece will actually be used but I'm doing it to make myself happy. I need advice on the skin, it needs more values, should I add a lot more light, a lot more dark or a balance of both? Where would you suggest? As for her outfit, it's a royal silk deal, should I fade it out and make the colors less bold? Should I add more values to it? I don't like her eyes, the eyes themselves, the lids and shape aren't too bad, they just don't look...you know...right...I'm sorry but she looks stoned(I figured I'd throw something down before uploading to show the color they need to be) Also, is the background with the sun peeking through the mountains ok? And what shape should the mountains in the foreground be? I need them spikey but I'm just not sure (so I threw down some shapes, woo!) And her nose isn't looking too well defined, should I add more values around it? should I hint at nostrils?

here it is, help is needed, don't critique it just yet since it's not done! I just need advice not if it's good or bad. ^^'

http://tanikadevour.250free.com/helpme.jpg

[digitalgannon]

its like 5am, and i ran across your post while checking to see if i got feedback on my WIP yet (alas 104 viewed 0 coments...ugh) I see your valid points on this piece, I actually think you can work the hair more, find your lighting source, if your gonna stay w/ the sun shining through the mountains, then her hair would look alomst golden and blown out.
Also I love the grass, but it looks flat u only have two shades, which give it depth, but nothign else. The sun wouldent just glow on one spot it would disperse and hit different blades of grass.
Yes more values on the face, look a magazine w/ models in it, they usually have some great adds in them with grat pics of girls faces w/ varring lighting sources. Look at them while u paint her face to give u guidlines as to were to add your shadows and color variation.

The moutains in the foreground suffer from lack of detail, they look like brown cones at the moment, once again refrence actual mountain pics while u pain these in PS, that will help out greatly.

Also PLZ PLZ PLZ trash that lens flare, im sure u have heard this before and its so true, it looks tacky and doesnt help create any sort of realisim in your piece.

It looks like her jaw line is messed up too, the left side of her jaw is round and shoots up to her ear, the other side is squared off, why? Also anatomy looks funny in the colar bone and neck looks way to thin to support her neck, thicken it out
My last suggestion, download some other types of brushed in PS, done jsut use the hard and soft. Also dont rely on the burn tools to much, change the value range yourself through color, it will look much more natural that way, and less like a "picture you colored in Photoshop".

I hope this helped, you have a promising piece, just look at what i suggested, especiall y the last part

go here for free plugins on different brushes for PS:
http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/photoshop-downloads.html

[digitalgannon]

humm that brush link may not be to helpful, i will look for another one for you, and post it when I find a good one w/ lots of brushes

[Tanika]

On the hair< Thank you for the reference, I'll definately use it, changing the lightsource definately is not difficult with my program. Your example isn't crappy, it helps a lot :3 I love the grass as well, I'm thinking of switching over to my tablet and shading with it, it's a lot easier and I could hint at some fine details (as well as details on the roof of that thingy and the mountains) The moutnains in the foreground were just thrown in before I posted becuase I was trying to show what I wanted there. I'll trash the lense flare, I was just toying with it as suggested by another friend of mine.

I noticed the jawline, with that reference you gave me I could get the proportions and even it out. Also, I was thinking of brushes but I hate relying on them. The cloud brush that I used in the picture I made myself because I got very tired of making little clicks and whisps all over the place, it was easier to make my own brush.

Question, do the mountains in the background work? When in colorado I noticed that mountains in the distance were indeed large but fading into blue even with no clouds around.

Thanks for the help, after my english report I'll work on this piece and post it again to get more help from you. :3

[firematador]

id say put more shadow in her face and clothes,,,cuz the light is coming from behind her....and remember if the sun is barely rising or falling.......the surrounding usually arent bright,,,,they have lots of shadows....and most have a yelowish-red value in the.....notice in the afternoon,,,right b/f the sun sets.

[SEVANS]

Use colour for the shadows, NOT just black. Black isn't a common colour in nature (things are dark but virtually never a pure black).

the greyer areas of her face are flattening the image. Make a palette layer and use several light to dark skin tones.

[Tanika]

Originally posted by SEVANS
Use colour for the shadows, NOT just black. Black isn't a common colour in nature (things are dark but virtually never a pure black).

the greyer areas of her face are flattening the image. Make a palette layer and use several light to dark skin tones.

Thank you, but I've known this for a very long time, the black on her outfit (I'm assuming that is what you're referring to) Is a deep purple, as I had posted before I had asked about the values on her outfit, should I go lighter or darker. The only thing the burn tool (black) is good for is the eyes to be honest.
Also, I've seen black appearing in nature in shadows before, though I cannot be sure it was jet black or just an extremely dark value of the color. The problem with using such dark values on her clothing as I am is that on some computer monitors it will appear black though on mine it is a dark purple. ^^

^^ Just wish it wasn't taking so long! oh well.
id say put more shadow in her face and clothes,,,cuz the light is coming from behind her....and remember if the sun is barely rising or falling.......the surrounding usually arent bright,,,,they have lots of shadows....and most have a yelowish-red value in the.....notice in the afternoon,,,right b/f the sun sets.

Thank you as well, as I posted in my original post, again, I asked what values should be added to her face and clothes. Also, as previously suggested I'm changing the lighting, though the sun isn't just coming up, it's a good halfway over the furthest mountain. As I also said before I'm changing the values on her clothes, face and I'm altering the background. I just spent three hours on her eyes, so please try to be patient. I added every little detail I could to the eyes and I am now proceeding to her skin, then comes her jewelry and so-on. I've already fixed the hair. I'm surprised no one noticed the hair is kind of lop-sided. None the less, I fixed it and changed the values.

[Sularia]

Her jawline looks rather narrow like it doesn't come down quite enough. Also, you have several lines deliniating her nose and around the collarbone area. If you are going for a more natural skin tone, try to use more shading instead of the lines to show where things are.

Her headpiece is interesting and I like the design of it, but it doesn't look like she's wearing it, but more like it's floating on her forehead. Curve it ever so slightly down from the center to make it look more like it's following the curve of her forehead. Looks like you need a bit more shading around it too to make it look more natural, too.

Sularia

[Tanika]

Brief update. After two nights of work I fixed the background a little but then directed my concentration to her eyes and nose. Working on the lips now then I'll work down her neck and chest. Suggestions on her neck value wise would be appreciated. Ref pics for the muscles would help as well. ^^ Is the cloth ok? I didn't shade with black, even so should I lighten it to make it clear it's all purple all the way? This was about nine hours of work, as I said before I threw a lot of things togeather. ^^'

http://tanikadevour.250free.com/helpme2.jpg



If it keeps going as it is will it be allright for my highschool art porfolio

[digitalgannon]

well i couldnt get ahold of you so email me and ill send u my touch up, its not much just a 1 min touch up on her face, i think u already ready know what I suggested, but here it is again:I changed a few things ever so slightly on her face. I brought out her nose more, darkedn lashes some, drakened upper lip, fixed up arouind the mouth, and drew in were her jaw should be (ie: fix the left side of her face, square it off). I still think this one is leaps and bounds bettter than the old one, just keep pluggin away.

[Tanika]

Thank you! I'm in school now, just started, I don't have photoshop here or a disk with the image on it so I'll work on it at home. my email is if you wanted to email it to me that would be fine so long as it's not a gigantic file. I definately want to darken the uper lip and touch up the bottom one, I'm also looking forward to see how you fixed the jawline. I'll darken the nose but I'm going to be careful to not distort the shape, I may have to add another layer and color over the first three for the nose. Thanks for all your help! :3 I'll post a detail of her face when I fix the jewelry thingy (curve it a little) and when I fix her lips and jawline. Then I'll go to her neck and chest from there.

[Tanika]

http://tanikadevour.250free.com/helpme3.jpg

Is the figure ok now? The eybrows should be less bushy, I need help on the background now. I kind of like the mountains/rocky things in the foreground, they are a ways off so I've not detailed every crack and such, but they need more detailing and I'm not sure what. The grass does as well. x.x

[Sularia]

This looks much, much better. I love her eyes now and you did a great job on the nose. The circlet doesn't look like it's floating anymore either.

Sularia

[Tanika]

That is a relief. What about the background? That is my main worry right now. As well as her dress/outfit thing, what should I do?

[Sularia]

You might want to add a little 'snow' to the distant mountains - just an idea there. I do like the mist effect around the close hills - looks quite otherworldly like that.

I like her dress like it is.

Sularia

[Tanika]

Thank you very much. I'll add snow, is her neck and collarbone alright? and what about the grass/brush, it looks so flat, what should I do to it to make it more...lively?

[Sularia]

Her neck might be a touch long, but some people have longer necks. I think it might look nice - and a bit more natural if you softened her hairstyle a bit. Not so much short around the face then long in the back, but let some length play around her neck. I think it would suit the style of the gown and the circlet more. You could soften the hairline at her forehead a bit more too. I do love the color, you did a great job making it look like hair.

The shading on her collarbone is great - what would improve it though is if it wasn't such a sharp V shape. Unless the shoulders are being lifted - like shrugging for example, the collarbone isn't going to angle up quite that much. It would point more towards the clasps on the shoulders of her gown.

The grass looks very good to me. If you wanted to play a bit with 'distance" you might try adding a few small trees between the grass and the brown mountains.

[Tanika]

Originally posted by Sularia
Her neck might be a touch long, but some people have longer necks. I think it might look nice - and a bit more natural if you softened her hairstyle a bit. Not so much short around the face then long in the back, but let some length play around her neck. I think it would suit the style of the gown and the circlet more. You could soften the hairline at her forehead a bit more too. I do love the color, you did a great job making it look like hair.

The shading on her collarbone is great - what would improve it though is if it wasn't such a sharp V shape. Unless the shoulders are being lifted - like shrugging for example, the collarbone isn't going to angle up quite that much. It would point more towards the clasps on the shoulders of her gown.

The grass looks very good to me. If you wanted to play a bit with 'distance" you might try adding a few small trees between the grass and the brown mountains.

Thank you VERY much, I can see what you mean with the hair. As for the hair, making it look real, I just filled in the area I wanted with a brown color, locked it, then took different colors and made swishing motions with my tablet. x.x I'll let some strands go more loose. My hair is sort of like that, only one layer will brush my face, but I'll fiddle with it and see if I cant get some to overlap her shoulders/neck a little so it looks natural. The collarbone can be fixed with shading, I'll get a reference picture and take a look then re-do the shading on her neck and upper chest, it was bugging me but I needed an explanation. As for the background I'll work on it after I fix the hair and collar bone, that has been bugging me. ^^'

[Sularia]

Glad my comments helped - I really can't wait to see the next version. :)