Step by Step of a Realistic Portrait (Tink) by lithriel

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Step by Step of a Realistic Portrait (Tink) by lithriel

Here is that promised step by step of my Tink piece. It's more of a tutorial format but when I get some more free time I'll do a quick movie step by step of the process which I will link here. Please download the PDF for the full file.

You can find the original image here- [link]

PLEASE NOTE: This tutorial assumes you already know how to draw well, that you have a Wacom drawing tablet with pressure sensitivity and a stylus, and that you have a recent edition of Photoshop and know how to use it.

You'll need Nathie's brushes which can be found here- [link]

If you are interested in DAZ studio you can download it here- [link]

If you want the model I used you can buy it here- [link]

For an in-depth tutorial of how to light a scene in DAZ please see this- [link]

Bloodsong13T Featured By Owner May 22, 2014

heyas, lithriel! your portrait painting tutorials have helped me immensely. thanks so much for sharing! : )

i don't know if you're still lurking or whatnot, but one major thing i have a problem with... after i block out the main hightlight and shadow areas, i get stuck. i don't know what, exactly, i'm supposed to be doing to get the colour blocks to blend smoothly and to work out the details. i mean, my instinct is to just grab the smudge tool and go nuts, but i know that's not the proper way to do it.

is there any tutorial you've seen (or made, of course), that covers just that part? (or anybody who wanders by the comments...!)

thanks!!

lithriel Featured By Owner Jun 11, 2014 Professional Digital Artist

Do your brush settings look like mine? With opacity and flow set to pen pressure? If so, then you may want to change your brush to the soft round brush more often. It softens the look of it. I don't recommend it for the block-in, but once you have established the structure, it can be used to help blend in colors.

Bloodsong13T Featured By Owner Jun 12, 2014

the 'normal' soft brush?
yes, i have set up a brush as in your tutorials. i never thought of using the pressure to affect the opacity/flow. and i always used the standard 'shop soft brushes, so i never realized how useful a harder-edged one can be.

i have found more tutorials, with one that defines the blending process part. which goes something like this:

paint the one colour.
paint the second colour.
overlap them a bit.
sample the in-between colour that results from the overlap.
paint that over the first colour and the middle colour. paint it over the second colour and the middle colour.
keep sampling the in-between colours and doing them by halves...

and i have discovered that if i tried to do THAT, i would go nuts. i do not have the patience.

i have found a different method tutorial, that has a very nice blending brush using the smudge tool -- that doesn't look like the ugly smeary smudge tool. i've been working with that.

i do want to thank you for taking the time to get back to me. the transitionary phase has always been a blocking point for me, even in traditional media. (i think i actually really hate painting, and only enjoy drawing : X )

lithriel Featured By Owner Jun 25, 2014 Professional Digital Artist

No, you need a tablet with pressure sensitivity installed, otherwise your painting will not blend naturally and you have to do it "the hard way", which is the way you just described. Pressure sensitivity set to opacity and flow make all the difference. You don't have to think about the colors building up or blending, they just do.

Bloodsong13T Featured By Owner Jun 28, 2014

if you have time, i have a really dumb question about the pore brushes and layer... i sample the colours of the skin to paint the pores, but... i can't see anything because it's painting dots of the same colour as the background layer....! is there a special trick or technique to this? or i'm not understanding it correctly.

oh, are there special settings for the pore brushes? i mean, to use with the brush shapes?

thanks so much for all your help!

Bloodsong13T Featured By Owner Jun 27, 2014

ohhhhhh.... okay!

i still get a little frustrated with it... i tend to have a light touch on my tablet, and i never seem to grind the nib hard enough to get the 100% effect. that, and i prefer drawing to painting. all that switching colours gets to me, too. ; )

i'll give it another shot and see if it works with the conglomerate technique i'm building up. thanks!

ambermdigitalpaints Featured By Owner Dec 17, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

This is very helpful! Thank you!

TrinitySage Featured By Owner Aug 28, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I featured your tutorial in my journal today!
Here's the link if you'd like to check it out - fav.me/d6k39b7

ambermdigitalpaints Featured By Owner Aug 23, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Cool tutorial! I'll have to try DAZ Studio because I'm tired of always searching for perfect references...

lijunhao Featured By Owner Jun 24, 2013

nisnnoiso on o mo

lijunhao Featured By Owner Jun 24, 2013

llllllllllllllll

Lovelykarthi Featured By Owner May 15, 2013

Thank U!!!

[link]

reh-sa Featured By Owner Mar 28, 2013 Student Digital Artist

This is very good! Thank you so much!

manapi Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2013 Professional Digital Artist

Very helpful, thank you so much!

mri0903 Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2013 Digital Artist

Thank you so incredibly much for this!

It helps so much!

Jadeyfish Featured By Owner Nov 11, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Amazing, thank you

gabpedroza Featured By Owner Oct 19, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Thanks for share!!

bramblefae Featured By Owner Sep 26, 2012 Professional General Artist

Awesome, this is great!

Jakit Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Student General Artist

wow!! soooo much detail!! <3 wicked work, thanks!! ^_^

AutumnEmbers Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Thanks for creating this. I just started using DAZ to help me with references when I can't find anything online. Do you use the same model for your references or do you have a few different ones?

As for adding pores to the painting, do you brush over the same colour with the same colour or do you put a lighter colour over a darker one? I've tried adding pores before and it ends up looking rather spotty and odd.

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

I morph the face on DAZ to suit my needs. I have purchased a few of Danae's characters which are really good- Milan, Paris, and Lyon. They are a good starting point and then I morph them to whatever I need.

I try to keep the value the same when done so it's a delicate back and forth process until it looks right. It does take time and finessing.

AutumnEmbers Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I'm still learning the points around DAZ because I haven't used it in years. I've only had limited exposure to Maya and Poser when they first came out years ago.

I'll have to check out those models and thank you for the tips.

o0MaYa0o Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

great tutorial, thanks a lot !

ceruleanvii Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Nicely done! I really should think about using 3D for reference more, especially since I work as a 3D artist!

tedishpwnsome18 Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

I have potentially a really stupid question, so I apologize ahead of time, but here it is: how long have you been painting/drawing?

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Since I could pick up a crayon I've been feverishly drawing when not doing anything else. That would make it 24 years now (I'm 27). I started drawing realistic portraits at age 13. I went to college and got a bachelor's degree in Integrated Studio Art and graduated 4 years ago. You can see my old high school stuff in my misc folder- [link] (age 17 for a lot of it).

tedishpwnsome18 Featured By Owner Sep 21, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Thank you. I was just curious because I've been drawing [while attempting, at least] to draw realistic portraits just with pencil and paper for several years, but I just recently got into digital painting, and it seems like everyone just picks up their tablet and Photoshop and presto! amazing paintings. It's nice to see a little more of the process sometimes. (:

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 22, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

I also studied web design for many years before I started digital painting so I knew the software very well from the start. I did have a bumpy first year of learning how to paint digitally but I think I have the hang of things now.

tedishpwnsome18 Featured By Owner Sep 22, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

So do you actually work as an artist full-time? I'd definitely say you've gotten the hang of it!

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 25, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Yes, I work as a professional illustrator. I can't say I work full time because I have two kids to watch with a third on the way. Once they are all in school (my oldest is turning 4 next week), then I will be officially full time.

tedishpwnsome18 Featured By Owner Sep 25, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Wow! I imagine life's a little crazy for you right now. Congratulations, though

KakashiMorph Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012

Great tutorial! I did not entirely understand how you blend the colors so well though. Do you use the eyedropper in the neighborhood color and overlap it between two different tones with an intermediate one so that it ends up like a rough gradient?

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

No, I rely on the pressure sensitivity of my stylus and tablet to seamlessly blend together the strokes as I go. If you don't have the correct brush settings, the colors don't blend at all.

KakashiMorph Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012

I used the method I described on my only attempt at realism but it took me forever to blend them (probably because I press too hard? I do use hard round brushes too, maybe I should switch to soft round ones?). It was painfully slow which is why I asked.

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Do your brush settings look exactly like the picture shown in the tutorial? If it's selected and your brush doesn't appear to be fading in the little preview picture then your drivers are not properly installed.

KakashiMorph Featured By Owner Sep 20, 2012

I don't remember, I will have to check it the next time I plug in my tablet and play with it.

Or maybe I should try soft round brushes as well.. I'll let you know how it goes the next time I try!

HentaiNeko Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

This is too awesome!!!

Rovanna Featured By Owner Sep 19, 2012 Digital Artist

Thanks! It's good how you went right through all the steps.

SaraV-Art Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Student Digital Artist

You have no idea how happy reading this made me. Thank you for the amazing tips.

doctor-ghost Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Looks a little like Carey Mulligan (:

Jingle-Bella Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 General Artist

Thanks! This is a very nice tutorial. Though I don't paint humans much, the steps will be very useful, and I can apply some of the things to other works.

animegirl007 Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012

Nice information

Natasherz Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Student Digital Artist

Great tutorial, thanks for sharing

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

You are most welcome!

AlphaCanvas Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Digital Artist

Cool!

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Thanks!

Boogol Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012

Thank you so much very helpful!

lithriel Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

I'm glad to help!

Dark-SpectrumDS Featured By Owner Sep 18, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Great tips! I never thought about using my own 3D models for reference before. This will be really helpful whenever I finally get the time to start digital painting or maybe drawing in general. This is a good technique, especially for someone like me who is too shy to ask others to pose for me when I draw if I can't find a photo reference or anything like that.