Plasticine Corn Rows With Butter Fly Eyes Gone Digital 03

Getting the eyes right

For this blog please reference the original drawing below. One of the things that I wanted to accomplish with this project is to learn how to paint using digital tools.  Converting a complex drawing is also a task at hand, but I really want to get good at using Adobe PhotoShop to render a decent image that meets my expectations.  I also wanted to fix a few things that I could not do in the original because of the limitations of the color pencils.  Look at the left eye and notice that I added two eye lashes that I wanted to add in the original but making major drawing changes with color pencils after you have built up a lot of color is near impossible.  This is where traditional painting and digital painting have the advantage, you can apply color on top of color with better results than you can with color pencils.

I am also using layers to organize the elements and get the colors and details aligned to give better depth perception on the face.  In this progress image you can see that I have placed two colors of stripes which is the layer underneath the bright yellow facial swirls.  I have started to add the missing lower part of the image which did not exist in the original.  The lower lip and chin were not available in the original because I have changed the proportions of this image when I enlarged it from  14 x 17 inches to 30 x 40 inches.

I really like being able to think with my pencils, but they do limit what I can do with the image once I start drawing.  I have resisted using digital methods for a long time, but the ease of clean up verses traditional painting is like it is non existent.  I am not sure if digital prints will sell better than original art for me at this point.  At this stage in my creative journey I am still experimenting with digital painting.

You can purchase a print of this drawing from the Wormley Design Launi Art Shop.