Lucadia, the shrunken head (sorta)

[beyond_the_forest]

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/beyond_the_forest/Luca.jpg


a painting of a friend of mine, there are some general mistakes that have been made,... for one, the top of the head should have not been cut off, but i don't think it particularly suffers for it...the bigger the same the more detail...
also i have no finished the eyebrows and the hair line....i may work on adding depth to the eyes but im not sure how.

ANY advice?


it's oils on canvas, and it's my first time using oils

[madster]

The yellow cast gives her a really jaundiced look, complexion wise, and the teeth go from overly white in the center to yellowed and icky on the sides...This odd color palette also makes the hair appear green, as well as giving her semi-evil looking eyes...speaking of which,

The eyes look like too small of marbles stuck under too large of eye sockets, with no upper or lower eyelids. Try reading this, and see if you can tweak those eyeballs into looking like more like eyeballs, and not so much like pumpkin colored cardboard eye symbols behind almond shaped cut outs...

The top half of the face looks like it's been overly botoxed, with no forehead or eye laugh lines/wrinkles, but strong chin and cheek creases, and one side of the nose wrinkled...those cheek creases should be closer to the corners of the mouth. Try a Google Image Search for Grinning, and study some of the faces to get a better idea of where facial creases should go...

Since it's oils, you will have a heck of a time trying to tone down that in-your-face background (tip: Try to avoid bright red backgrounds, unless you are painting for a Chinese Restaurant), but you might be able to blend some cooler tones with it to calm down the effect somewhat.

Are you planning a neck, or will this just be an oversized balloon head? If the latter, you might consider adding a string to the bottom.

~M

[beyond_the_forest]

hmmm well....theres nothing there i can use...sorry, cause it is based on someone and his eyes...well when you squint that much....arg nvm, but the colours are conscious, i use unrealistic colours to create a surreal element....


unfortunately...this is a guy... and yeah i totally agree with the green hair thing... its difficult to make the perfect colour only using primarys...

but that balloon thing sounds great, ill have to pass it by him...

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/beyond_the_forest/MVC-815S.jpg


now that i look at it...i've mistaken some hair on his face as lines...woops, and i forgot all about the hair on the chin.... the eyes definately need to be darker... and i totally see what you mean about the sides of the mouth being closer to the cheeks....i really should have sketched it out first, then projected it....but i lack a projector.


remember i want help, but i do have a specific style i paint in...

[beyond_the_forest]

GOD i made so many mistakes...im pissed.

The yellow cast gives her a really jaundiced look, complexion wise, and the teeth go from overly white in the center to yellowed and icky on the sides...This odd color palette also makes the hair appear green, as well as giving her semi-evil looking eyes...speaking of which,

The eyes look like too small of marbles stuck under too large of eye sockets, with no upper or lower eyelids. Try reading this, and see if you can tweak those eyeballs into looking like more like eyeballs, and not so much like pumpkin colored cardboard eye symbols behind almond shaped cut outs...

The top half of the face looks like it's been overly botoxed, with no forehead or eye laugh lines/wrinkles, but strong chin and cheek creases, and one side of the nose wrinkled...those cheek creases should be closer to the corners of the mouth. Try a Google Image Search for Grinning, and study some of the faces to get a better idea of where facial creases should go...

Since it's oils, you will have a heck of a time trying to tone down that in-your-face background (tip: Try to avoid bright red backgrounds, unless you are painting for a Chinese Restaurant), but you might be able to blend some cooler tones with it to calm down the effect somewhat.

Are you planning a neck, or will this just be an oversized balloon head? If the latter, you might consider adding a string to the bottom.

~M

[Silly]

The hair on the top of the head converges to a point that is not on the center line of the face. This gives the impression that the head is misshapen/ has a weird mutant blob on the left side of the skull. Try perhaps to make that more symmetrical.

The lighting in that photograph is awful... but I think the "nose wrinkle" is actually hair or shadow of hair.

[Luthien Rogue]

"and the teeth go from overly white in the center to yellowed and icky on the sides..."

That's natural.

[madster]

"and the teeth go from overly white in the center to yellowed and icky on the sides..."

That's natural.Not with good dental hygene and regular checkups! I have a friend that would try and use that argument for the peridontal disease that's caused one of her teeth to turn dingy gray, too... :$

Don't be pissed, beyond_the_forest! In the end, it's simply another piece of work for your catalog. There IS no "artistic ideal," merely a generalized grouping of tips and techniques that are used as a "standard" to try to give us all a common vocabulary of those Compositional principles and Design elements generally accepted as "visually balanced and appealing," so that everyone can usually agree on what defines a person, or a dog, or a face. Just like your painting style is YOUR painting style, at some point in everything you create, you will fully and freely be EXPECTED to exercise some "artistic license" in interpreting your subject to YOUR personal perogative.

The crits you receive, by and large will almost always be based on the "standards" of what is pleasing to the eye of the average viewer. That may NOT necessarily be your intent, nor your choice for any particular piece, and THAT is natural. It is also one of the main reasons that I try not to suggest specific colors, or poses ("you should draw this from the front, so we can see the face"-type stuff), as much as I point out the discrepancies from the accepted "norms" or artistic evaluation. For all I know (like the beady eyes), you may have specifically WANTED green hair...Who are any of us to tell you that is wrong? I merely pointed it out, in case you didn't want the hair to look green...

In the end, it truly boils down to:
1. Did/Do you know what you are doing in creating this, with a picture in your mind of what you are trying to accomplish?
2. Are you/Did you put sufficient Thought, Planning, Time, Effort, and Care into the execution of this, or are you rushing/glossing over the technical execution?
3. Are you/Did you enjoy the creative process?

If you answer "No," to any of those questions, then a critique may be of help to you, in that it can help you over difficulties you may be having, or point out flaws that you may not see. Beyond that, any and every comment and critique you will ever recieve on your work is like a breath of air. Some may be good, some may be foul, but you are not obligated to accept any of them.

Relax, and return to this piece with the "fresh eye" that the comment here have given you. Change what YOU feel now "sticks out," that you didn't notice before, but don't lose the enjoyment you felt that encouraged you to create this piece in the first place. If the flaws bother you enough, paint the entire piece again. It's not unheard of, and everytime you paint it, you will become a bit more "aware" of the subtle nuances you may have missed the time before.

Part of your problem is a badly lit reference photo. I still think this would make a great "Fun" portrait by turning it into a balloon head on a string...maybe even add some surreal clouds to the background... ;)

Here is a color-adjusted version of your reference pic, if that might help you. Notice the 3 zones of skin tones, golden on the upper third, reddish in the middle third, and cooler from the mouth to the chin. You will find this common to most facial portraits.
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/8517/balloonhead9jg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Don't consider them "mistakes," think of them as "Educational Errors," and make an effort to learn from them...
~M

[beyond_the_forest]

about the nose wrinkle....i beleive you're right... :P

mutant blob? im not sure what you mean?


The hair on the top of the head converges to a point that is not on the center line of the face. This gives the impression that the head is misshapen/ has a weird mutant blob on the left side of the skull. Try perhaps to make that more symmetrical.

The lighting in that photograph is awful... but I think the "nose wrinkle" is actually hair or shadow of hair.

[beyond_the_forest]

im just going to redo the whole thing just use a sketch first and find me a projector. the colours and main idea will be the exact same...but most of the features will be different. theres just so many mistakes on the forms of the face and hair, i can't really go back...the oil is dry *meep
but it IS my first time using oils so ...IM still impressed but im a little disappointed that i didn't plan it better. thanks for the help, and the biggest problemwas...that i didn't actually look at the reference! lol well at least i printed it out small in crappy quality so thats why shadows looked like lines....not gonna happen again..




Not with good dental hygene and regular checkups! I have a friend that would try and use that argument for the peridontal disease that's caused one of her teeth to turn dingy gray, too... :$

Don't be pissed, beyond_the_forest! In the end, it's simply another piece of work for your catalog. There IS no "artistic ideal," merely a generalized grouping of tips and techniques that are used as a "standard" to try to give us all a common vocabulary of those Compositional principles and Design elements generally accepted as "visually balanced and appealing," so that everyone can usually agree on what defines a person, or a dog, or a face. Just like your painting style is YOUR painting style, at some point in everything you create, you will fully and freely be EXPECTED to exercise some "artistic license" in interpreting your subject to YOUR personal perogative.

The crits you receive, by and large will almost always be based on the "standards" of what is pleasing to the eye of the average viewer. That may NOT necessarily be your intent, nor your choice for any particular piece, and THAT is natural. It is also one of the main reasons that I try not to suggest specific colors, or poses ("you should draw this from the front, so we can see the face"-type stuff), as much as I point out the discrepancies from the accepted "norms" or artistic evaluation. For all I know (like the beady eyes), you may have specifically WANTED green hair...Who are any of us to tell you that is wrong? I merely pointed it out, in case you didn't want the hair to look green...

In the end, it truly boils down to:
1. Did/Do you know what you are doing in creating this, with a picture in your mind of what you are trying to accomplish?
2. Are you/Did you put sufficient Thought, Planning, Time, Effort, and Care into the execution of this, or are you rushing/glossing over the technical execution?
3. Are you/Did you enjoy the creative process?

If you answer "No," to any of those questions, then a critique may be of help to you, in that it can help you over difficulties you may be having, or point out flaws that you may not see. Beyond that, any and every comment and critique you will ever recieve on your work is like a breath of air. Some may be good, some may be foul, but you are not obligated to accept any of them.

Relax, and return to this piece with the "fresh eye" that the comment here have given you. Change what YOU feel now "sticks out," that you didn't notice before, but don't lose the enjoyment you felt that encouraged you to create this piece in the first place. If the flaws bother you enough, paint the entire piece again. It's not unheard of, and everytime you paint it, you will become a bit more "aware" of the subtle nuances you may have missed the time before.

Part of your problem is a badly lit reference photo. I still think this would make a great "Fun" portrait by turning it into a balloon head on a string...maybe even add some surreal clouds to the background... ;)

Here is a color-adjusted version of your reference pic, if that might help you. Notice the 3 zones of skin tones, golden on the upper third, reddish in the middle third, and cooler from the mouth to the chin. You will find this common to most facial portraits.
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/8517/balloonhead9jg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Don't consider them "mistakes," think of them as "Educational Errors," and make an effort to learn from them...
~M

[beyond_the_forest]

oh i know it really isn't...completely nature, like in words it is but the yellow is too yellow and the white isn't grey enough to make it look natural...but the thing about my style...the words "iky" and "jaundice", are compliments and are the responses im looking for. the only thing i don't like is when the proportions are off.

most of my paintings are how i see people and i usually exagerate peoples flaws...
this guy smokes weed none stop and ....i know, since i smoked often for a couple years, it majorly stains your teeth, but it also wouldn't....the teeth wouldn't be so white at the front...

im going to whiten the teeth entirely though, since thats what the person requested, but the mouth is the best part of the painting in my opinion

"and the teeth go from overly white in the center to yellowed and icky on the sides..."

That's natural.

[beyond_the_forest]

yeah and the thing i also should have done is painted the top of his head when i did the face, so parts of his scalp would be poking through...

im not particularly picky about symmetry, most people are painfully assymetrical, in real life our brains do the work to mask it and we usually don't notice. plus we spend too much time looking at models faces, picking those appart then our friends...

and yeah it looks like his pony tail is floppy, and that wasn't intended..so its no good and needs to go

thanks for the comment :D

The hair on the top of the head converges to a point that is not on the center line of the face. This gives the impression that the head is misshapen/ has a weird mutant blob on the left side of the skull. Try perhaps to make that more symmetrical.

The lighting in that photograph is awful... but I think the "nose wrinkle" is actually hair or shadow of hair.

[Silly]

about the nose wrinkle....i beleive you're right... :P

mutant blob? im not sure what you mean?

If you look at the photo, you'll notice the head is tilted to the left by 10° or so.

You did that in your drawing, but not consistently. There is a vertical line over the center of the face, along the nose and the middle of the mouth. The line formed by the eyes should be perpendicular to this, but in your drawing, it isn't really.

The strands of hair on the top of his head are drawn as if the head is vertical rather than tilted, which to me gives the impression as if his scalp is somehow growing sideways. It reminded me of the red dwarf episode where Lister's head was swollen, hence the mutant blob mention...

You keep talking about using a projector... I think several of the problems could be fixed by drawing some simple guiding lines to help with lining up the parts of the face. The danger wth relying on photos or projection is that you copy things that you think you see, but that are not based on reality - such as the nose wrinkle. It can also cause you to give the same attention to minor things and important ones. For example, in your painting, all wrinkles seem to have about the same weight, but if you draw from life, you will pay much more attention to the eyes and nose than the tiny wrinkles on the chin. Things like that make it really obvious that you worked from a photograph.

I'm not saying everything should be perfectly symmetrical. But most viewers assume the human face to be more or less symmetrical, so deviations will be interpreted as having a purpose, like the head being turned a bit to either side. If your deviations are random, the picture can give an inconsistent feeling. It is a bit like perspective: that there are no parallel lines in a perspective drawing doesn't mean you can just draw lines wherever - well, you can if you want to, of course...

Please don't take my comments in a bad way, I'm just saying what I would change/do different if it was my painting.

madster, how did you correct the color on that photo? I don't know how to do that.

[madster]

madster, how did you correct the color on that photo? I don't know how to do that.It's easy, Silly! (Oh, how I've waited to be able to say that!!! :tihi: )

I'm a Photoshop Phreak, and love playing with photo corrections/manipulations. For this picture, I actually took the down and dirty "quickie" approach, since it was only for reference, as opposed to print.

First, I checked the Levels, which were not bad, so I didn't adjust them.
I then went to Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation. From the Edit box, I selected Yellows, and reduced the saturation about 4%, just so it wasn't so overpowering.
Then, I went to Image>Adjustments>Variations, and moved the coarse/fine slider from the middle two notches to the Fine side, so my adjustments would be subtle. When you look at the six color adjustment boxes surrounding the Current Pick box in the middle, you see that the box opposite "More Yellow" is "More Blue." I clicked on that 2 or 3 times, until the skin tones started to look more natural. I then clicked on the "More Cyan" box once or twice to bring out a bit more of the green tones that are in skin.

When I was satisfied with the color (which I judged by the forearm on the side and the lips), I used Unsharp Mask at 50% with a 1px threshold to sharpen the blurriness a bit, and then increased the contrast of the image by about 4% to bring out the darker tones in the hair and face that were washed out by the flash and the light refraction off the walls, and called it "done."

I could have spent more time than I needed to by using Curves, Channels, and Adjustment Layers, but reference pix seldom need that fine of a tune-up...

~M

[beyond_the_forest]

" But most viewers assume the human face to be more or less symmetrical, so deviations will be interpreted as having a purpose, like the head being turned a bit to either side"

thats why there are paintings made for commercial purposes..to the ignorant who assume and don't have a trained eye.... like i said, i exagerate negatives in my own stuff... some of it was on purpose...a lot wasn't :P so im going to go at this again


and i don't follow you on the projecting....usually if you have the room dark enough and have a big enough sketch, you get the same amount of details...without having to use an eraser...having lines all over the canvas is ugly and doesn't look professional...another big mistake i made in this peice, i made a grid...and it shows through the paint and can't be erased.
If you look at the photo, you'll notice the head is tilted to the left by 10° or so.

You did that in your drawing, but not consistently. There is a vertical line over the center of the face, along the nose and the middle of the mouth. The line formed by the eyes should be perpendicular to this, but in your drawing, it isn't really.

The strands of hair on the top of his head are drawn as if the head is vertical rather than tilted, which to me gives the impression as if his scalp is somehow growing sideways. It reminded me of the red dwarf episode where Lister's head was swollen, hence the mutant blob mention...

You keep talking about using a projector... I think several of the problems could be fixed by drawing some simple guiding lines to help with lining up the parts of the face. The danger wth relying on photos or projection is that you copy things that you think you see, but that are not based on reality - such as the nose wrinkle. It can also cause you to give the same attention to minor things and important ones. For example, in your painting, all wrinkles seem to have about the same weight, but if you draw from life, you will pay much more attention to the eyes and nose than the tiny wrinkles on the chin. Things like that make it really obvious that you worked from a photograph.

I'm not saying everything should be perfectly symmetrical. But most viewers assume the human face to be more or less symmetrical, so deviations will be interpreted as having a purpose, like the head being turned a bit to either side. If your deviations are random, the picture can give an inconsistent feeling. It is a bit like perspective: that there are no parallel lines in a perspective drawing doesn't mean you can just draw lines wherever - well, you can if you want to, of course...

Please don't take my comments in a bad way, I'm just saying what I would change/do different if it was my painting.

madster, how did you correct the color on that photo? I don't know how to do that.