In need of assistance/CC

[PxelSlayer]

I postponed this one long enough. Finally decided to give my ego a good whooping and look for some help. Here`s the deal - this is my first, shall we say, "big" project, and I really want to make the best out of it. It`s a promo-poster for my faculty s fashion show, and it will hang all around the city. Not important for this thread, so...whatever. The first image is a layout I arranged with my professor, and the second one is the real thing. I spent ages on rendering the facial features, but - something is off. Something just dosen`t look right, even when I`m looking with a fresh pair of eyes. I looked at numerous references, Loomis books on facial proportions, everything - without results. So, to sum it up -

Are her facial features in order, and what would you change?
How far off is the shape of her skull?
What would be the width of her neck?

I know these are rookie questions, but...I`m starting to panic, and when I do that, I loose the last remaining shred of common sense and logic. Please, bear with me.

Comments/suggestions/paintovers/mockery encouraged and expected. Let it rip.

[DAMJAN]

Really nice rendering. Where r u from, which part of Balkans? I don't think that anything is wrong besides the ears. Neck is fine like you did above. For the first image I think her neck is slightly longer then it should be and her left shoulder is flat and a little wide.

[PxelSlayer]

Thanks for suggestions, Damjan! They were duly - noted. As for your question - look at the top right (under location). Should give you an answer.
I fixed it a bit and added some light effects on her, which made it look a bit better. The outfit is provisional (I know materials fold underneath the chin, ATM it looks like it`s decapitating her, I know, I know...I have to design a kind of outfit people will be wearing in 2000 years...-_-...right), and I did some fixing on the features...but STILL, something is wrong! Is it the jaw? Too round? Too long? Lips? Nose? Eyes too small? I spent all that time rendering them, and as separates they look OK, but combined - just ain`t working!

Anyone?

[JeffX99]

Not bad - I think you could bring in the zygomatic arch (bone on outside edge of eye socket) a bit for more of an indent/taper into her eye. I agree with Damjan - shoulder is not sexy - also a little more attention to neck anatomy would help - the sterno-mastoid muscles that define the edge of the neck and meet at the pit of the throat/collarbone.

Eyebrows start a little too low into teh eye socket area and angle a little too much (unless she's Vulcan). Could also strenghten shadows at inner corner of eyes and shade sides of nos bridge so it doesn't look so flat. And she needs ears but they have to be right.

Just my thoughts - good luck!

[dashinvaine]

It's a minor point but I find it too symmetrical. It seems like you drew half a face and flipped it. I would suggest having a difference even if only the result of the lighting being from one side or the other.

[PxelSlayer]

Thanks guys, your advices really helped!

Here`s what I got so far. After incorporating changes suggested by Jeffx99 and finding some references for bald heads, this is what is...left. Really dosen`t resemble my original image, huh? I`m still very worried about her facial features. She seems too...masculine? Sharp. IDK. I`m so loosing my patience. Thousands of references, and no solution in sight. To be quite honest - I feel very stupid. The answer is right there, and I don`t see it. WTF is wrong with me?

[markwagner]

Looks good, have fun, the problem young artists get into is product vs. process. You will learn so much more and get better so much faster if you go for quantity over quality. Read: Art & Fear by Bayles & Orland, and The Courage to Create by Rollo May.

~MW

[Symphonic7]

I think it looks great. Honestly, I think your original painting looks great too, you know...before altering it =) But I guess that's not very helpful, since you still seem a bit unsatisfied with it. I don't think I can tell you what is wrong with it (personally I don't think there's anything wrong with it whatsoever), but if you feel the face is too masculine there are a few minor changes you perhaps could try. And since you mentioned in your first post that it's ok to overpaint, I thought I could show you by doing just that...

What I did: my main focus was the nose. I narrowed the nose bridge a little more by moving the sides a little close to each other. I also shaded the part that's between the two eyebrows and just above the start of the nose bridge. Well, I more like darkened or added more shadows to it cause you'd already shaded it a bit. This is to give the nose bridge a little more indent, and sets it a part from the forehead (so that it doesn't look like the forehead and the nose bridge are on the same level). I also made the nose wings somewhat smaller by removing some of the shadows around it. Not much, just a little. All this was to make the nose smaller in general; a female's nose is usually more delicate than a male's. This is not a rule, just a loose guideline I tend to follow myself. I higher nose bridge often makes for a...I don't know...buff nose? and hence more masculine. Narrow it down and it will look more feminine. That, I think, was the most drastic change I did, which is saying a lot...cause it wasn't much =) Anyways, I proceeded to narrow the width of the face, making it less round and the chin smaller. Same loose guideline to the chin as to the nose; a big/buff chin tends to make a face more masculine. And at the very end I just added a little more vibrant colors to cheeks, lips, eyelids and eyebrows. But that's more like a finishing touch thing which perhaps you would have done yourself anyway.



I'm not sure if any of this was of much help. When all is said and done, the tweaks I did were so minimal they are barely noticeable. Your painting is a work in progress, and a lot of the things I did are stuff often added at the very end as a finishing touch. And it seems to me your skills are good enough to have gotten you there (your desired goal) on your own...(nor am I sure the things I did made the painting any better, so there you go...)

[xerenity]

I dunno...it seems like you're getting too wrapped up in the details here.

She looks very feminine to me, I'd say just keep going and finish out your concept and take a look at it as a whole package, not just the individual parts. Your ability to render seems fine, so just go ahead and make it.

[PxelSlayer]

Ok...Symphonic7 - I could just leap into my monitor and kiss you! That`s it! That - is - IT! Just what I was going for - Sturdy, edgy, sharp looking face that still displays a certain feminine elegance. And as I said - the answer was right in front of my nose. Well, her nose, but you get the point. Would I be pushing it if I was to ask you to marry me? Also, while you`re thinking about it - what is your blending technique? It just looks so smooth, porcelain like, I absolutely adore it. Gawsh...I feel a *squee* comming up.

xerenity - You are absolutely right, my OC does get in the way every now and then, so I decided to put it in context - just for "fun". Sure enough - a whole new thing.


Allthough...Right now I`m all pumped up again. No sleep for me tonight! There goes another *squee*. Oh boy...

[xerenity]

hell yeah, like where you're going... keep it up

[Benjaminba]

This is turning out great! The design of the headdress/outfit works well.

Minor point just in case you haven't noticed/can't see it on your monitor: there's a white box around the text which is a slightly different colour from the background. Might want to set the text layer to multiply. :p Anyway, it's a cool poster.

[Symphonic7]

well, I'm relieved that you like it and glad I could be of help ^_^

To your question; I just use the "add water" tool, it's you know...the every man's blending tool in my opinion. That is, if you use Painter. But I'm sure Photoshop has something in the vicinity if that's what you use =)

Good luck with your poster campaign =)

[cuptow555]

INCREDIBLE! I'm a fashion design student... so I REALLY appreciate this. This thread made me extremely happy!!!

[goldilockz]

You know, after looking at the paintings for quite a few minutes now... I can't find anything wrong. Maybe you looked at it too long and now it seems "off" to you... but I'm not seeing it!! Looks fantastic!

[xerenity]

dude, hurry up and finish it. I must see the final result

[PxelSlayer]

K, calling it done. Thank you everybody for suggestions, help, support. I really appreciate it. You helped a perfect stranger, and that`s gonna count...eventually

Have a look

[xerenity]

wewt...gj, looks good

[goldilockz]

That is absolutely amazing! GREAT job, wish I could "like" it like on FB :lol: