WIP Girl's face

[xio]

Yes pixelation is back! Here is a pictue of my best friend. I'm trying to do it entirely from memory, so there is no reference pic. Any crits?



Progress animation

[Pawige]

Very difficult to crit a portrait of someone if we don't know what she looks like. Off the top of my head, I would guess that you make her eyes too big and jaw a bit too narrow. I'd suggest you just ditch this and start over with a proper reference. It's incredibly hard to draw someone just from memory unless you've really honed the skill.

[VictorR]

I did little edits on the eyes and chin. They were really big as Pawige said and the chin was too bony.

[Terley]

very scary.. 

Im not fond on your methods but I suppose you're going in the right direction.. I wouldn't have been so sketchy, because it just feels so messy and with faces, women faces especially you need to be more patient with drawing certain features.. The eyes are too large but it does depend on what you want outta this, as exagerating features can look good sometimes.. But the big thing bugging me about this is the head-shape, it's basically like this..



nothing about this says feminine.. just adding makeup-ed eyes, lips and long hair doesn't make a female. It is hard doing anything from memory so you've done a pretty good job considering that you have no reference, my advice would be to still pick up some references of woman to help you convert whats in your head onto your computer.. I tried the same thing, kind of the same size and using some references from the net to help with some parts, but the whole time I tried breaking out of simple copying to make my character look more and more like a girl in my class. I added 4 steps because it didn't go perfect.. firstly the shape of the head was really bugging me, eventually I realised it was too wide, so I had to cut it down and re-position all the facial features.. Lasty I added a smile and something so she dont look nude.



Theres going to be a lot wrong with it still but it is just using whatever you can to improve it.. goodluck with it. 

[pkmays]

Drawing a realistic and accurate face is one of the more challenging tasks an artist can face. Drawing a realistic and accurate face from memory is even more difficult. Unless blessed with a photographic memory, even a professional would have a hard time doing justice by attempting to draw someone from memory. I'd highly suggest you get some sort of reference for the face; whether it be a photo of your friend, a photo of someone who looks like your friend, or just an entirely different face altogether.

[Helm]

pmkays: reference is great, but one should strive to work from memory, I hope.



Looking at your process, you don't seem to be in control of what you're trying to do right now. I suggest buying a book on human anatomy and taking it from the top. The edit above is mainly there to show that the placement of the individual elements of a human face ( besides the neck which was completely and way off. Try to think that the neck connects behind the ears and under the chin) isn't radically wrong, nor is their shape as much as the rendering method that makes an otherwise ok construction scary.

What you need to do is stop drawing symbols. Not eyes as you think eyes might be, but as they are. Start drawing from real life, lots of studies, for many years. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but when someone is a beginner, they can't skip chapters. I suggest you get traditional skills before going into pixel art.

[Terley]

Helm, you rock dude. 

if you haven't ever drawn a woman before (successfully) I do think using references is the first step towards building a visual memory, as not everyone has their very own beautiful woman to practice drawing I do agree we should strive to work from memory but this is the outcome from someone who isn't great at working from memory yet. If you want better results xio I'd suggest drawing people around you. And consider going over the basics. What I was trying to get at is, if you are finding it hard drawing straight from memory, and you realise it's not going to plan, do look at other images to help you. Everyone needs those first stepping stones.. work like Helm's doesn't come easily.

[xio]

the placement of the individual elements of a human face ( besides the neck which was completely and way off. Try to think that the neck connects behind the ears and under the chin) isn't radically wrong, nor is their shape

Well, I would like to start off by saying that this was very helpful as was the edit. To say, "go learn more then start over," is not helping. It is the same as saying, "go find something helpful and learn from it." This is something I see a lot on this board, and for that reason I am especially greatful to you helm. Yoou took the time to write two sentences about anatomy, which I can learn from rather than simply saying go study it. Secondly, this is a rough sketch, very rough. That is why it says WIP, but I guess I could have made it more clear that this work is far from even half complete. I just wanted to get some input before I went so far that it actually would be better to just start over. I have gotten some helpful input, so thanks to all, and look for an update soonish.

[Helm]

The point is that even if you arrive at something you consider decent through the proccess you posted above, the same process shows it would be a random result. You clearly need to work on the fundamentals. And why is it unhelpful to point you towards books by professionals like mister Loomis that can help you 100 times faster and more correctly than we can, on a pixel art board. Your problems are not pixel arty, they are anatomical.