x.x OK, I know, I think in lines.. but lately I've seen sooo much awesome realistic works, I have to be able to do that too! I just.. can't.. yet..

click here I know! the nose is off.. I just need some help on how I can make it look more.. realistic, skin and hair..

LOOK: the no hair version! click!

please help? (I've never done realism with my computer before, so sorry for the svckage.. )

[edit] I re-shaded without using blacks! Please have a look at it again.

the best thing you can ever learn: never shade with black. ever. ever. use red, brown, purple, orange, blue, almost ANYTHING, but not black. it de-saturates your work, it makes mistakes more obvious, it makes everything dull and just shouldn't be done! remember: color is the reflection of light- black is the absence! try to look at someone's real face and you will not find an ounce of black!

Thank you for your wisdom.. :o I will start re-shading immediately!

ahhahah, sure- i'm a art teacher from a lineage of art teachers... ;-_____-

but yeah, otherwise i really like the way it looks- the shape of the face is very interesting.

Oh, Tyra that'd be great! Here's the reshaded version (without using any blacks): click

I will also put it in my first post.

The middle of the eyes. That bit.. you know.. -Hand motions- Should be more circular. And maybe move the right eye over to the left a bit. Also, remember to use the proportion lines, especially with the inside of the eye and the mouth. Inside of eyes line up with side of the nose, corner of mouth lines up with the pupils. IMO the head is a bit too wide too, but people have wide heads. I can cope with it. xD It just looks like I'm expecting to see an ear starting on the side but there's not. And you could shade it a bit more, so it looks darker in the darker bits, lighter in the lighter bits. For example on the neck, with the shadow of chin, and a bit lighter on chin and forehead. That would also help define the nose if you do redraw it. And maybe some more definite highlights in the hair?

However, I do really like the eyebrows and shape of the eyes. -shot- Sorry, I'm difficult.

Hmm.. Let's see.. I've moved the eye on the right a bit to the left so the eyes are positioned better.. Erm.. Let's see, I'll shade some more.

[edit] Haxxie- I've got a head like that too.. Perhaps I'll make her hair a bit wilder and bigger so it looks better.. we'll see.

Edit 2: Edited the picture again! the hair is highlighted too much, I know.. and the nose is still too solid.

[edit] Why do people need a nose anyway.. x.x (it would be much easier to draw without a nose)

The eyes do look in a much better position, and the head looks better too. With the highlighting of the hair, try and look where the light is coming from etc. in the eyes, it's coming from the right side, yet in the hair it's coming from the left. Maybe have a look at some photographs with good lighting for examples? I'll try and find some for what I mean.

[edit] x (Obviously she has veryvery shiny hair, but you get what I mean) x Not a portrait, but you can see exactly where the light and dark bits are

OK, I changed the position of the light, now it's OBVIOUSLY coming from the right.

[edit] I saw your edit Hax..

...

I think I'll edit it again in a few minutes.

That looks better. Sorry for being annoying. xD

Oohh, it's OK! I really appreciate all your help! Realism has always been my weaker side so all the help is welcome! (even if I have to edit it 5 times or more.. LOL!)

Quite annoying really.. My worst work, has been looked at more often than my best drawing. -fail-

Anyway, I should continue.

ROFL, compared to your work mine looks baaaddd...

Erm, could you slow down the frames in which you draw the skull? Then I can look a bit better at that..

Thank you Tyra ❤

[edit] Also, it was a random person, wasn't really aiming for a specific age.

(and thank you for using JD as example, really, that stuff helps in my case! XD )

OK, I continued... Got rid of some hair so it's a bit easier to make the face, also made the eyes a bit smaller, lips redder..

The shading is still a bit to dark I think.. AND I still can't figure out the nose shading.. x.x And the hair is also annoying me at the moment.. some new comments?

-edit= I must be failing so hard for not getting a grip on the basics.. x.x

you have a good grip on the basics, people, especially faces are VERY difficult because they are pretty much all subtle shading. no shapes, really. and they're something that if any feature is off in even the slightest way it DRASTICALLY changes the face. i mean like millimeters, even. crazy stuff.

my suggestion for you would be to keep building on the shadings you have. use a light stroke if you have a tablet or a semi-transparent stroke if you are using a mouse of the original face color to soften the harshness of the shading. and then go back and shade the darkest darks and the lighten the lightest lights and do it again and again until you get a real feel for it. harsh shading/skin color/shading/skin.... so on.. since it's a learning piece you can start out insanely harsh and work you way down to refined. i would also suggest you look at black and white portraits to get a better idea of shading and shape, as colors can trick your eyes. :)

good luck! :D

OK, 5th edit! More shading in the face, some highlights in the hair (still not satisfied with that), and the nose.. it's still bothering me.

The face shading looks better to me.. opinions?

Shading looks slitghly better. They eyes shoud move up a bit more so they look like they're in the... dip.. bit.. thing. xD And lower the left eyebrow a bit. And make the left eye smaller width ways, so it looks like it has perspective, because it doesn't match the way shes looking

Another edit! the left side of the head is made a bit smaller and do is the eye on the left, more hair shading..

[edit]

I really need help with the hair. It looks ridiculous.

When I first started realism I found it extremely hard too xD So no worries there. When I first began I ALWAYS used a reference, just because I find my imagination always distorts things. I found that it help to work on different areas separately. As in:

-drawing/sketching in grayscale to master the whole shading/lighting aspects of faces -trying out just colors without black to figure out the natural tones of skin -etc

Also have you tried asking friends to model for you :) They may feel a bit awkward because you'd be staring at them for a long time but it always turns out really fun.

[edit]As well check this tutorial out xD It gave me so much inspiration and showed me the points on realism which I would have never thought of: Click

Koterie- I already did this before I read your comment.. I know for sure that I will have to edit again so I think that then your comments will come in useful..

click That's the no hair version! I am not sure what to do.. You see the cheekbone on the right, should I always shade under that one? I'm not sure, because the light is also coming somewhere from the right.

I'd say it would shaded. It seems like so far your light comes from upper right. Where you would shade would probably also depend on how much fat she has on her cheeks xD.