When we think about faces, we think of the main features: the eyes, the nose, and the mouth. These things tend to get the most attention and detail, and often the rest of the face goes neglected. The result can go two ways. Either the face lacks cohesion and realism, or every face the artist draws looks the same.
This is a quick look at the oft-overlooked secret to painting an individual face that isn’t mask-like or repetitive. It’s called structural nuance, and is actually an important factor to painting well in general.
These images are two steps in a portrait, before and after I added nuances to his facial structure. I want you to take a close look at the main features in the two images… the eyes, nose, mouth, forehead, and edge of his face. All of these elements are practically identical between the two versions. I repainted his lips a little; other than that I didn’t touch any of his main features. But the second image is more realistic and considerably less flat and mask-like than the first.
Basic structure is easy: all you need to understand is the basic form of the skull, and the proportions of the major features. But to achieve a face that feels real and individual, you have to be able to capture the nuances and small details of that structure.
People love to spend time detailing the main features, but it’s important not to neglect the rest of the face. The cheeks and forehead might seem boring, but they’re not! They’re full of little niggles and nuances—places where the skin is thinner or thicker, where the bones are close to the surface or where the fat sits around the mouth… the subtle edges and creases around the nose, mouth, and eye sockets; the gentle details of the jaw and cheek. All these things play a huge role in making a face not only three-dimensional, but individual.
So try to resist breezing past the “uninteresting” parts of the face—hopefully you will find that spending time bringing out some of the nuances will take your faces to the next level.
♥ Lauren