I'm struck by how effective the results are without a lot of fuss. You're absolutely right that the final highlight running onto the sheer area unifies it with the cloth, and sells the effect. I need to experiment with some sheer black now...
This is a good starting point I think, but it isn't quite 'there' yet. The translucent patches seem out of place, like fabric is worn away in these spots, rather than being a translucent fabric draped over skin. Now, I'm not a model artist, but I do paint on paper occasionally and have done digital art. I think you could try to add more warmth to the rest of the skirt to hint at the other leg that doesn't quite touch the fabric, but is still visible through the fabric. For a very sheer fabric, my approach would have been to basically paint the skin "through" the fabric and then to come in with a sheer layer of whatever fabric color you wanted, only adding opacity where the fabric folds over itself. For a less sheer approach, I would use less skin-tone in the parts where skin does shine through. Lastly, I think the type of molded dress/cloth is important too in selling the illusion. If the fabric appears too thick, it won't be realistic to assume it might be sheer. So a fabric that is very delicate and clings to the skin lends itself more easily to such a technique than something more heavy and draped. I hope this is in any way helpful, have a good day!
That's a more traditional approach, but both have their value. As a mini painter rather than a 2D artist, if you prepaint the flesh patches over the zenithal and then glaze in the cloth hue, you need a very clear idea of where the cloth is going and that can be tough until you've built a lot of experience and confidence. This approach is more intuitive and allows cohesive shadowing and highlighting of the main dress first, which really helps process
Thanks for the comment. You make a really good point about the type of fabric being an important consideration and that's definitely something that could be refined in my approach. There are also definitely other ways of achieving the effect. I think it is worth emphasising that this model is smaller than my thumb. I'm pretty pleased with what I achieved and how it shows up clearly at a reasonably distance but it isn't a large scale display piece. For what I was doing, the technique I landed on seemed to achieve quite a large "bang" for a relatively small investment of time compared to other approaches I have seen. But hey, there are always ways to improve and I welcome feedback! - Victor
Oh, definitely the effect was good as is, I just wanted to offer ideas for improvement! I can imagine how tricky it is to paint such a tiny figure, where the finer details are simply lost in the smallness of it all. I think my approach would definitely work better with a larger, more detailed sculpture. ^^
I'm struck by how effective the results are without a lot of fuss. You're absolutely right that the final highlight running onto the sheer area unifies it with the cloth, and sells the effect. I need to experiment with some sheer black now...
Glad it inspired you, Phil, I hope you'll let us know how you get on with sheer black, that's one I haven't cracked yet! - Victor
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Glad you enjoyed! 😀
Great job! Having done this model myself MB:P didn't do us any favors on that face. Keep up the great work.
Thank you for your kind words, really appreciate it!
This is a good starting point I think, but it isn't quite 'there' yet. The translucent patches seem out of place, like fabric is worn away in these spots, rather than being a translucent fabric draped over skin.
Now, I'm not a model artist, but I do paint on paper occasionally and have done digital art. I think you could try to add more warmth to the rest of the skirt to hint at the other leg that doesn't quite touch the fabric, but is still visible through the fabric. For a very sheer fabric, my approach would have been to basically paint the skin "through" the fabric and then to come in with a sheer layer of whatever fabric color you wanted, only adding opacity where the fabric folds over itself.
For a less sheer approach, I would use less skin-tone in the parts where skin does shine through.
Lastly, I think the type of molded dress/cloth is important too in selling the illusion. If the fabric appears too thick, it won't be realistic to assume it might be sheer. So a fabric that is very delicate and clings to the skin lends itself more easily to such a technique than something more heavy and draped.
I hope this is in any way helpful, have a good day!
That's a more traditional approach, but both have their value. As a mini painter rather than a 2D artist, if you prepaint the flesh patches over the zenithal and then glaze in the cloth hue, you need a very clear idea of where the cloth is going and that can be tough until you've built a lot of experience and confidence. This approach is more intuitive and allows cohesive shadowing and highlighting of the main dress first, which really helps process
Thanks for the comment. You make a really good point about the type of fabric being an important consideration and that's definitely something that could be refined in my approach. There are also definitely other ways of achieving the effect. I think it is worth emphasising that this model is smaller than my thumb. I'm pretty pleased with what I achieved and how it shows up clearly at a reasonably distance but it isn't a large scale display piece. For what I was doing, the technique I landed on seemed to achieve quite a large "bang" for a relatively small investment of time compared to other approaches I have seen. But hey, there are always ways to improve and I welcome feedback! - Victor
Oh, definitely the effect was good as is, I just wanted to offer ideas for improvement! I can imagine how tricky it is to paint such a tiny figure, where the finer details are simply lost in the smallness of it all.
I think my approach would definitely work better with a larger, more detailed sculpture. ^^
Interesting painting technique. I'd like to see it ona better quality figure.
Sorry for the slow reply, Anvil. Do you have any suggestions/examples of the sort of model you'd like to see this on?
Mandrake root I think she's holding
Would never have thought of that but that makes a lot of sense... Mandrake root is famously florescent pink, right? 😬😜 - Victor