ami: expression and shading

face planning and expressions

photoshop is an incredibly useful program for creating and designing characters and concepts, this is because of the flexibility that can be achieved with multiple layers and various functions that can allow easy comparison of different designs and variations. in this case I have used photoshop to study expression within illustration using a predesigned character to view this design with different expressions.  often within illustration facial features are exaggerated to allow expressions to be read easier as well as adding emotional or comical value to an image, depending on the level of exaggeration an expression can vary greatly. considering this some level of exaggeration has been used by making the eyes and mouth larger to better put emotion across. I have also used the ears as an emotional indicator by using the angle to signify emotion, for example pointing them down to indicate negative emotions such as anger, while pointing up to signify alertness or interest.  

the first image features a neutral expression, allowing the features to be evaluation as they are, for example does the cover too much of the face, will the horns distract from the primary focus etc. the next two expressions allow me to confirm that is the style that I would like to use for this as the character is designed to be a more serious individual, therefore exaggeration should be reduced to bring a more gritty realism while still maintaining a cartoonish style.

ami

focusing on designing the facial features of this character followed by drawing expressions,

for this I have exaggerated features on the face such as the eyes and mouth to allow the emotions to become far more apparent, however I have also used the ears  as an indicator for emotion

base drawing

for this image I decided it would be best to draw the pose freehand because of the structure of the character in which I wanted the pose to give her energy while still showcasing her demonic nature in a way that juxtaposes and gives it a slightly more friendly appearance to suit the style I intend to use. I am not completely happy with the form of the pose I have used, as the image is completely freehand and aspects do not appear as plausible as they should be, for example I feel the waist is turned too much and in real life would not be a pose that could be held for long, however as with many illustration pieces, especially within comics features like this are exaggerated anyway giving subjects almost inhuman ranges of flexibility even if the character is not known for that.

the most challenging aspect of this form is still the human elements as a lot of my work is more nature based and I am not used to mixing those with a human form to create a human based hybrid, it was difficult to be able to evaluate what elements should remain human and what should be changed to make her look more demonic in nature. for the more inhuman elements such as the tail and legs I used snakes goats and birds for inspiration, as the legs are based on a cross between cloven hooves and talons.

my initial plan for the colour scheme uses various shades of red and gold, however I felt that the bright and sunny yellows did not match the overall mood created by the colour scheme of the skin, as a result of that I have decided to change the colour of the clothing to a more grey/black, making the overall image more sinister despite the style.

a major inspiration for shading is the art of marguerite Sauvage who often uses gradients within her work to give a sense of shade or even lighting, as a result of this I have used a reds to add to the image and break up some of the solid tones.

have used shading in a more subtle way as I fear that using it too boldly might take away from the images intention however I hope to develop this method as it is very effective and I feel that this is one my better pieces in terms of colouring.

the main overall issue with this is that is that the laptop that I use photoshop appears lighter than it is on other screens, as a result of the colours have to be significantly lighter and brighter on that device so that they appear as I intended on other devices. I could negate this by using a different system however I do not feel comfortable using college computes to create my art as I am not very confident in sharing work in an obviously public environment