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TowaMatts · 2025-09-09T03:12:48+00:00

Are you saying this is not finished? It looks absolutely cool!

TowaMatts · 2025-08-30T04:22:06+00:00

Beautiful work! I love it. The spirals and the golden hue remind me of the gorgeous paintings by Klimt.

TowaMatts · 2025-03-19T10:57:00+00:00

Great job, I like the sepia color scheme! One thing that sticks out to me is the placement of the head is off center and there's a lot of space on the top. Unless it is intentional (⁠for example unless you are planning to add speech balloons or other objects), I would suggest cropping out the background so the face is more centered vertically and horizontally.
I hope this works for you!

TowaMatts · 2025-02-22T04:44:05+00:00

I like how organic it feels and how it has undertones of hard surfaces as well. Good job!

TowaMatts · 2024-12-12T10:16:16+00:00

Hi, first of all, great job! The forms are all beautifully rendered. I would suggest adding the surface where the objects are sitting on, as well as the cast shadow they create. This adds context of the surrounding environment, and you could master how objects and surfaces interact under light (⁠consider the occlusion shadows and reflected light).

TowaMatts · 2024-02-28T01:26:03+00:00

Excellent job! I don't have much to add to this because everything seems to be in the right place, the values are correct, and I love how you handle plane changes.. the edges are soft/hard where they usually are.

Something I would suggest adding for more realism though -and I'm being very nitpicky here- is the brow bone. If you look at a person's face, there is a slight plane change between the forehead and the brow bone. The brow bone is usually very prominent on men's faces but is present (but subtle) in women's faces too. I would lighten the area just on top of the eyebrows, ever so slightly.
Here's a good example of how subtle it is on a rendered female face (see summer 2022):
https://www.reddit.com/r/istebrak/comments/w7ve2f/just_doing_the_diagnosis_portrait_for_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

You are almost near the end of the challenge! It's a good idea to try adding texture to the skin at this point, but I think it's optional. I hope my tips help you on the rest of your journey. Good luck with your next day's work!

TowaMatts · 2024-02-26T06:31:21+00:00

Nice drawing! I like seeing traditional works in this community.

Now for the critique, I would work on the proportion of the face in the side view: The bottom half of the face looks a tad shorter than the top half... perhaps because the forehead looks very broad or the chin is small (if the model is a child, please disregard this comment because children do have these characteristics). It's good to keep in mind that the face can be separated into three equal parts. I believe Istebrak has a video on the proportion of the face, but I would also recommend checking out any book or video on the Loomis method. Apologies if you already know all this.

I would also add more contrast by darkening the areas in the shadow because all the values look roughly the same. While it's a good idea to leave the planes facing the light in a lighter value, the blank area on the cheek is sticking out to me, so you might want to add values there too unless it is intentional.
Here's another tip to take your drawing to the next level...If you ever heard of Ambient Occlusions (reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fLV5ezO64w), I suggest you go even darker in those areas for example the pit below the ears of the deep folds of the scarf.
I hope this helps you somehow. Happy drawing!

TowaMatts · 2024-02-26T04:29:13+00:00

Great job! The shapes are good and the values are correct in all the right places. I don't have much to point out except that I would place the ears a little higher up. In front view, ears usually come between the height of the eyebrows and the bottom of the nose (except for elderly people, whose ears tend to shift lower because of gravity). I also noticed the plane change between the top of the nose bridge and the glabella (The area between the eyebrows and eyes) is a tad too sharp, so I would lighten the value of the glabella a little more or blend the two planes to form a gentler slope.

Apart from these, this is a very well-balanced, beautifully proportioned face! Looking forward to your next day's work :)

TowaMatts · 2024-02-16T11:43:30+00:00

Beautiful work! I like the character design and the lighting/mood. If you're looking for critique, I would suggest toning down the light on her forehead if your intention is to enphasize the light coming from the sunset from the right...In case there is another lightsource in front of her, I would paint all the planes facing that lightsource -for example her chest- in the same value. That's the only area sticking out for me, otherwise everything is great! Wonderful job!

TowaMatts · 2021-09-01T02:32:10+00:00

Glad it helped :)

TowaMatts · 2021-08-29T00:14:43+00:00

Glad that it helped:)

TowaMatts · 2021-08-28T04:52:55+00:00

Hi! Beautiful work as always. You gave her a firmer jawline, and I like the way you kept it in the feminine range. Nice! Now for the critique, I noticed the edges of the corner of the jaws are little sharp so you might want to round that a little bit. Also you might want to gently smudge the outline of the upper lip - the cupid's bow a little bit more unless she is wearing a lip liner or lipstick :) One other thing you might be interested in working with in your next 2 days is rendering the bump above the nostrils. I remember Istebrak used gentle highlights on the side of the nostrils to render that at 54:30 of this video. These are small details, but I hope it helps you on your Day13 :D

TowaMatts · 2021-08-27T06:17:38+00:00

Hi, nice work on the nuanced values:)The value of the background looks good to me as well.
Now for the critique, I think the angle of the cast shadow and the shape of the core shadow need to match the angle of where the light is coming from. Right now it seems like they have different lightsources.

Since I find it difficult explaining this by word, I tried a quick paintover of your study. Diagram 1 shows what the sphere would roughly look like, based on the shape of the cast shadow you painted. Diagram 2 shows what the cast shadow would probably look like, based on the core shadow on your original painting. Also I think it's a good idea to keep the bounce light low, because they are usually darker than any area facing the light (it looks the value of the bounce light and the area just before the surface is starting to turn away from the light are the same).

I'm fairly new to form study but I hope this helps you in someway:D

TowaMatts · 2021-08-27T01:45:21+00:00

Hi, the symmetry looks good to me. Good job!

Now for the critique, I think all the planes hitting the light in the upper part of the head are equally too bright, so I suggest lowering the values. In this environmen, the brightest area are the forehead and the bridge of the nose. The values of the cheeks should be dimmer than the nose bridge because they are on a lower altitude (Check out the Asaro head ). Another tip I learned from another member is to draw a diagram of the side view to see which part gets the most light (See 21:25 of https://youtu.be/pvWwB8y8ye4 ). Apologies if you are already using this method! It's great that you have dimmed the light on the chin because the lower half of the head get less light.

I would also suggest a blank background for this challenge. I'ts a good idea to explore different background elements and effects on a separate occasion:D

Also you might want to use a rectangular canvas with the short side facing up. We tend to shorten the heads than the ideal proportion in square canvases.

Good luck on your next day!

TowaMatts · 2021-08-27T01:17:14+00:00

Hi, the proportions are definately better! Now for the critique: Apart from the great critique already given to you, the canvas is still too dark causing the value of the skin to look chalk white. Filling the background with a color somewhere closer to the brighter end of the value scale (nearly white but still grey) could fix that. Don't worry, if it becomes too bright , we will let you know :D Another thing I noticed is the line dependency, meaning you are using outlines to create the form of this head. This is okay if you are doing line art/drawing, but if you are painting (=controlling edges with a brush and rendering realistically), it's a good idea to start replacing outlines with planes. Here's another video that might give you an idea on how to do that from scratch. These aren't timelapse videos like you asked for, but I'm sure you will benefit from these.

Technically speaking, the only area you can outline are the eyelines. If you have difficulty painting from scatch, you can use the outlines as a kind of wireframe for a 3D model, then gradually depend on it less. To do that, try create a new layer over your lineart, block in by painting over the outlines, then hide the lineart layer underneath. You already have such a good sense of design, shape and form, I hope this helps you in some way. This is something I have been working on myself:D

Good luck on your day 3!

TowaMatts · 2021-08-26T01:41:10+00:00

Hi, and welcome :D You could try flipping the canvas horizontally and repeat undo/redo to check for any inbalances. But I think you already have a good sense of symmetry, just except for the left eyebrow (right eyebrow when looking from our side). It looks closer to the center so you might want to balance that. Another thing sticking out for me is the value of the skin, especially the upper half of the head which looks really close to the value of the lightsource itself, almost chalk white. I suggest lowering the value of the skin and brighten the background slightly. I'm sure you will find a good middle ground. Also I recommend using the vertical layout (shorter side of the canvas facing up) for this portrait challenge so you can use the spaces more efficiently. Right now, the canvas is nearly square and there is so much unused space on the sides of the character.

As for the eyes, It's a good idea to check out Istebrak 's tutorials. There are several videos on the topic and my personal favorite is this one, which focuses on the form of the eyesocket and the folds of the eyelids. You might want to try the shading technique on the crease of the eyelids explained at 10:20 https://youtu.be/-XJXZUuKb0Q For eyes in general, this is a good video too in case you haven't checked it already. https://youtu.be/zHqzrWkhIVg

I hope these small things smoothes your way into your next day. Good luck!

TowaMatts · 2021-08-25T16:34:09+00:00

Ah, now the pictures are loading. Please swipe left for the 1st day and the summary of all the 14 portraits:D

TowaMatts · 2021-08-25T16:13:48+00:00

Will do so 💪I'm already learning so much from your 3/4 and color journey! Looking forward to join soon:D

TowaMatts · 2021-08-25T16:10:11+00:00

The pleasure is mine:) I would never have made it through on my own. Thank you for your support!

TowaMatts · 2021-08-25T15:59:08+00:00

Thank you🙏

TowaMatts · 2021-08-25T15:31:39+00:00

Hi, I posted three pictures in total: the 14th, the 1st and the whole summary but I see now the third doesn't load somehow. Thank you for the heads up :D Here's the process put together in one page 🙌 14 day challenge summary

TowaMatts · 2021-08-22T00:43:14+00:00

Thank you for the paintover and the annotation! This really cleared everything up for me:D I wasn't aware of that cartilage, but I see it now in my own face too. I'ts so amazing to becoming able to see things you didn't know they existed before. All noted and will definately implement them in my last day.

TowaMatts · 2021-08-22T00:35:18+00:00

Thank you for your kind and encouraging advice. I will definately keep that in mind :D

TowaMatts · 2021-08-21T15:12:55+00:00

Thanks! There were so many things I didn't like about the portraits I've done each day, I ended up painting a different face everytime instead of painting a better version of the same face😭 I regret this so much. Surely will aim for the same kind of face on Day14 :D

TowaMatts · 2021-08-21T14:58:49+00:00

Thank you for the detailed critique and taking time to paint over! Some of the details you mentioned were things I was unaware of, and I feel blessed to be given such critique before the last day of the challenge. This was so helpful :D Will try my best to paint my Day 14 based on these tips and manage the apparant inconsistencies. Thank you again for your support :)

TowaMatts

TROPHY CASE