Mabelma's Thread of Stuff (Art)

[Chris2Balls [:B]]

Interesting! I have a few suggestions for your work flow.


If you have difficulties with wrapping your head around the shading/volumes of your reference:

• convert the reference into greyscale (Image/Mode/Grayscale), then play with the level posterization (Image/Adjustments/Posterize) to get an idea of how the shadows and highlights are placed. You can even keep this as a layer to look at from time to time.
  

A smart trick for keeping the proportions right:

• add a transparent layer on top the reference in which you set lines to point out various things, like the level of the chin, the nose, the eyes, etc. and you can even add some basic outlines. Keep it simple.
  
• transform it to scale (either bigger or smaller than the reference) if you want to work at a different size, then create a new file from it. You now have a proportional guide to start with!
  

One last thing: keep looking at the reference, put it next to what you're working on if you have room on your screen. Flip your work horizontally from time to time to notice anything that looks off.

I hope it helps. I can illustrate this if necessary.