Young Writers Society

Everybody's doing painting so I thought why not give it a shot. Unfortunately the scan didn't go so well. The skin colors aren't the same as they were on the paper. (Stupid scanner) Anyway, this is the first portrait I've ever painted so don't be too harsh on me because I'm not a painter, i usually prefer color pencils. And I need tips about the hair. How to make it look like a few strands are coming out roughly here and there. And how to paint shiny hair. I'm not familiar with mixing paints either so a few tips about that will be greatly appretiated.

I think you did a great job for a first time! (I personally love the eyes)
The skin tone is good, (though a bit patchy, I'm guessing owing to the scanner) but the hair does need some work. Especially the wisp of hair on the bottom right-hand side...just cover that side with a bit more hair, and I think it'll look a bit more natural.

Another problem is the ear. Quite disproportional. The earrings look a bit weird the way you place them, I mean it doesn't look like the ear and the earring touch. I think it's best to cover the ear with hair completely.

But to tell you the truth? You're INCREDIBLE. I mean, doing lips like you did? Impossible for me. Eyes? Double impossible. You're awesome, and keep painting! You have so much talent and it'll be a shame if you don't continue painting!

The earings were visible before I scanned it. I mean they didn't appear in the scan

Heygirlhey. This is pretty sweet to see you trying a different medium It can feel awkward at first, and trust me the test-run of new materials never looks pretty, but it's a lot of fun and great practice.

I'm no painter either, so I can't tell what kind of paint this is xD The only thing I've really tried is watercolor, so any painting tips I give will be of what I've learned with watercolor.

First of all, I love all the different colors that you've used here. They are so vibrant and I actually like the patchy style of the skin. It looks interesting. For me, the best area on this painting is the chin/lips area.

I've learned to start painting with very light colors because I make lot of mistakes. You get the initial colors down, and then I go over them with darker and brighter shades to add more shadow and stuff. But I'd suggest starting light first, though not all artists do it this way.

To get nice wispy hair, change your brush size, if you can. Use a big brush to get a nice even tone for your whole shape of hair, but NOT THE STRANDS. Just like a block shape. Then, get a small brush, use a slightly darker color, and make the lines of the actual hair just like you would with a pencil. If this kinda makes sense. The more lines you add, the more detailed it might look. But don't try to blob the paint on with a big brush. Especially since you're used to colored pencil. Just get a small brush and work with it that way, even if it seems like it's taking you longer. Change colors every now and then and blend areas that look too dark and such.

Oh, and it was already mentioned, but that ear is too low. The tip of the ear should be somewhat level with the eyes.

Thanks for posting this!!

Its a nice one for a beginner! My first portrait was unrecognizable at least yours is and it more than recognizable, it have some kind of beauty in it and a sort of gentleness in the eyes...love it!:D
Keep up the good work!

Hi there ^^
For your first portrait, it's really good. I wonder, did you have a model or is it all from your imagination?

As they've already said, the ear is too low - try doing a sketch and marking lines for nose and the eyes (like a cross over the face).. that way you'll know where the tips of the ears should be
The face itself is very well done - I liked how you used colours. That thing you did with the yellows (put them in the painting even though they're really just part of the skin tone, and on the real person wouldn't be so visible), that's great. Trust me, I go to art school - some people who wish to be professional artists can't get that

Now, for the hair.. you said you normally use colour pencils - if you ask me, that's pretty obvious from the way you did the eyes and lips. You did it with a lot of control in your hand, and that's why they look far more realistic than hair.

You should use different tones for the hair - you have done that, but you should take care of the shades there too, like you did on the face and the neck. I suggest you take a thinner brush and make some strands more visible. You could also work a bit on the part on the forehead, where the hair comes.. try making that transition a bit smoother, I think it will look more realistic that way already

Now, I'm not a painter myself. Though I have had good grades back in time when we had to try all the techniques, it was never really my thing, so I don't really have a clue how to paint shiny hair.. I guess it should have to do something with contrasts, as if one part is shaded the other automatically should look brighter and shinier.. but I never tried it xD

I know I said a whole bunch of things, and I really do hope you understood what I tried to tell you.. you did a really good job, especially for the first portrait ^_^ So I hoped I helped at least a bit, and I also hope I wasn't too harsh, as it wasn't my intention to be.. 

Aria