Skin textures

T

Troyster

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image.jpg Hi guys
Against my own better judgement I'm gonna have a crack at a black and white portrait, Lord knows I don't have the skill level or knowledge to replicate it to a level I,ld be pleased with but portraits seem to attract me. Anyway, below hopefully,I've uploaded the picture in question. Initially I thought it looked quite straight forward but the skin textures worry me and hopefully you talented bunch have some ideas!
The furrows in the forehead, wrinkles under the eye and the way the light catches the pores on the cheek, surely the airbrush alone is not capable of this, is there a technique behind this?
 
you didnt pick an easy one , the textures are hard to do but not impossible . the trick is in A: eraser techniques B: airbrush control.
I call portraits like this monochrome as I would only use one color to paint it , starting with the darkest values , saving my highlights the best I can and working the textures from the start with various erasers and hand held stencils /mask
 
Ronald art said:
you didnt pick an easy one , the textures are hard to do but not impossible . the trick is in A: eraser techniques B: airbrush control.
I call portraits like this monochrome as I would only use one color to paint it , starting with the darkest values , saving my highlights the best I can and working the textures from the start with various erasers and hand held stencils /mask
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply, I seem to have a talent for choosing images that are way beyond my ability!, guess that's why I haven't finished anything in months!. I seem to have hit a brick wall when it comes to images with any level of detail, very frustrating. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford to go on a course but until then I'll probably just stick to less detailed work .
 
This looks a lot more daunting and complicated than it actualy is, it does requier some "technical" knowledge though (wel requier might be a big word but it wil help :p)

First of you'll need to have a grasp of grey scales. I'll be refering to that and the basic explenation of the can be found here:
http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/greyscales-the-basics.9901/

This picture will requier a lot of erasing so the surface you are working on will also to a great extend determine the feasibility. Normal paper will almost certainly not work, canvas with it's own texture would need to be made smooth with gesso so I think the easiest option is airbrush board (clay board, schoellershammer, cresent)

You'll need to look for gradations in greyscale to know how to aproach each area. For ease of explenation I'll refer to them as highlight areas (1), Midtone areas (2) shadow areas (3)

airbrush skingreyscales.jpg



1. Highlights
Check the grey scale of the highlight areas (average grey scale of the darker/texture parts, not the white highlights). I think its somewhere around scale 7. You now do the whole portrait but don't go any darker than 7 on the greyscale. To avoid going to dark "over reduce" the paint (1 paint /2 pigmentless paint/ water till it flows nicely (2-3))

Try to airbrsh a bit of the texture (watch directions etc) as that wil just look better, but most will be done with the erasor. In the highlight areas (1) you could sufice with just a coat of paint and bringing back the highlights with an erasor in the midtones and shadows (2 and 3) it will requier some detail airbrushing

With the whole portrait at greyscale 7 use erasors to get back the lighter parts (gerneral light parts, highlights and textures). Electrical erasors are probably easiest for the fine texture , erasor pencils or fiberglass for the rougher/smoother tetxure).

You are now done with the highlight parts.

2. Midtones

The dark parts of the midtones are about greyscale 4 I guestemate. So we now don't go any darker than greyscale 4. Do all parts of the portrait except for the areas defined as highlight, those should be finished as the don't go up to greyscale 7. The darker you go the more detail work with the airbrush is requiered. In the highlights you achive texture mainly by erasing, in the midtones its 50/50 airbrush and erasor and in the dark areas it's mostly airbrush.

Make sure you hit the whole of the midtone/shadow area's with paint. Those areas already have greyscale 7 in their "dark parts". By adding layer of paint those areas already brought up to 7 will get darker. Do this till they are at value 4. By doing this all the erasing back to white you did has also been hit by pain and should now be at greyscale 3 (if you look at picture 2 you don't have white highlights in the midtones but a difference in grey which you should get by building up like this.)

Now erase back to white where needed in the transition areas between the midtones and highlights. You Don't erase in the midtone and shadow area's, the midtones should be done now and the shadow areas have to get darker, not lighter.

3. Shadows.

The shadows go to black (greyscale value 1). This will almost all be detail airbrush work. Repeat what you did for the midtones but only for the shadow areas and transition areas between the shadows and midtones.


As a finisging touch use a knife or electrical erasor to do the few white highlights in the shadow areas or where ever else needed. This is a rough guide tht should enable you to do 90% of the texture is some areas you might ahveto deviate a tad but you'll notice those when you get to them :p

ps this is ofcourse only one of a lot of way's to go about it, and I'm certainly not saying it's the best or easiest way, but it's the way I'd go about it :)
 
Last edited:
haasje dutchairbrush said:
This looks a lot more daunting and complicated than it actualy is, it does requier some "technical" knowledge though (wel requier might be a big word but it wil help :p)

First of you'll need to have a grasp of grey scales. I'll be refering to that and the basic explenation of the can be found here:
http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/greyscales-the-basics.9901/

This picture will requier a lot of erasing so the surface you are working on will also to a great extend determine the feasibility. Normal paper will almost certainly not work, canvas with it's own texture would need to be made smooth with gesso so I think the easiest option is airbrush board (clay board, schoellershammer, cresent)

You'll need to look for gradations in greyscale to know how to aproach each area. For ease of explenation I'll refer to them as highlight areas (1), Midtone areas (2) shadow areas (3)

airbrush skingreyscales.jpg



1. Highlights
Check the grey scale of the highlight areas (average grey scale of the darker/texture parts, not the white highlights). I think its somewhere around scale 7. You now do the whole portrait but don't go any darker than 7 on the greyscale. To avoid going to dark "over reduce" the paint (1 paint /2 pigmentless paint/ water till it flows nicely (2-3))

Try to airbrsh a bit of the texture (watch directions etc) as that wil just look better, but most will be done with the erasor. In the highlight areas (1) you could sufice with just a coat of paint and bringing back the highlights with an erasor in the midtones and shadows (2 and 3) it will requier some detail airbrushing

With the whole portrait at greyscale 7 use erasors to get back the lighter parts (gerneral light parts, highlights and textures). Electrical erasors are probably easiest for the fine texture , erasor pencils or fiberglass for the rougher/smoother tetxure).

You are now done with the highlight parts.

2. Midtones

The dark parts of the midtones are about greyscale 4 I guestemate. So we now don't go any darker than greyscale 4. Do all parts of the portrait except for the areas defined as highlight, those should be finished as the don't go up to greyscale 7. The darker you go the more detail work with the airbrush is requiered. In the highlights you achive texture mainly by erasing, in the midtones its 50/50 airbrush and erasor and in the dark areas it's mostly airbrush.

Make sure you hit the whole of the midtone/shadow area's with paint. Those areas already have greyscale 7 in their "dark parts". By adding layer of paint those areas already brought up to 7 will get darker. Do this till they are at value 4. By doing this all the erasing back to white you did has also been hit by pain and should now be at greyscale 3 (if you look at picture 2 you don't have white highlights in the midtones but a difference in grey which you should get by building up like this.)

Now erase back to white where needed in the transition areas between the midtones and highlights. You Don't erase in the midtone and shadow area's, the midtones should be done now and the shadow areas have to get darker, not lighter.

3. Shadows.

The shadows go to black (greyscale value 1). This will almost all be detail airbrush work. Repeat what you did for the midtones but only for the shadow areas and transition areas between the shadows and midtones.


As a finisging touch use a knife or electrical erasor to do the few white highlights in the shadow areas or where ever else needed. This is a rough guide tht should enable you to do 90% of the texture is some areas you might ahveto deviate a tad but you'll notice those when you get to them :p

ps this is ofcourse only one of a lot of way's to go about it, and I'm certainly not saying it's the best or easiest way, but it's the way I'd go about it :)
Click to expand...
Thank you so much haasje, what an absolute master class for a relative newbie like me!, I,m a little overwhelmed by the work involved and if I,m honest I don,t understand absolutely everything but it without a doubt the most detailed explanation I,ve come across. I,m gonna print it and keep for future reference!. I,ve ordered a grey scale reference tool to help me out but is there anything you could suggest as a starting piece for someone who is looking to try grey scale or monochrome portraiture?, something not so intricate as the pic I chose but more of a lower learning curve. I know I might be taking the p**s a bit by asking, but your work is so inspirational to me and, to be honest has stopped me from just hanging up the airbrush completely!. I can see what's possible and I want to aspire to it!.
 
Troyster said:
Thank you so much haasje, what an absolute master class for a relative newbie like me!, I,m a little overwhelmed by the work involved and if I,m honest I don,t understand absolutely everything but it without a doubt the most detailed explanation I,ve come across. I,m gonna print it and keep for future reference!. I,ve ordered a grey scale reference tool to help me out but is there anything you could suggest as a starting piece for someone who is looking to try grey scale or monochrome portraiture?, something not so intricate as the pic I chose but more of a lower learning curve. I know I might be taking the p**s a bit by asking, but your work is so inspirational to me and, to be honest has stopped me from just hanging up the airbrush completely!. I can see what's possible and I want to aspire to it!.
Click to expand...

This greyscale stuff can be a bit hard to get to grips with initialy, but it's realy the basis of getting to realistic/semi realistic paintings. I normaly would advice people to start with a skull as this permits at least some errors (wrong shadows in a portrait messes things up, on a kull you'll probably get away with it).

On my website (www.dutchairbrush.nl) you can download a skull tutorial in the step by step section(unfortunately in dutch). This also contains a pic of the skull I generaly use to teach the basics of greyscales. Even if You can't read dutch the progress pictures might help a bit.

ps if you have specific questions about stuff that is not clear to you feel free to ask :)
 
haasje dutchairbrush said:
This looks a lot more daunting and complicated than it actualy is, it does requier some "technical" knowledge though (wel requier might be a big word but it wil help :p)

First of you'll need to have a grasp of grey scales. I'll be refering to that and the basic explenation of the can be found here:
http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/greyscales-the-basics.9901/

This picture will requier a lot of erasing so the surface you are working on will also to a great extend determine the feasibility. Normal paper will almost certainly not work, canvas with it's own texture would need to be made smooth with gesso so I think the easiest option is airbrush board (clay board, schoellershammer, cresent)

You'll need to look for gradations in greyscale to know how to aproach each area. For ease of explenation I'll refer to them as highlight areas (1), Midtone areas (2) shadow areas (3)

airbrush skingreyscales.jpg



1. Highlights
Check the grey scale of the highlight areas (average grey scale of the darker/texture parts, not the white highlights). I think its somewhere around scale 7. You now do the whole portrait but don't go any darker than 7 on the greyscale. To avoid going to dark "over reduce" the paint (1 paint /2 pigmentless paint/ water till it flows nicely (2-3))

Try to airbrsh a bit of the texture (watch directions etc) as that wil just look better, but most will be done with the erasor. In the highlight areas (1) you could sufice with just a coat of paint and bringing back the highlights with an erasor in the midtones and shadows (2 and 3) it will requier some detail airbrushing

With the whole portrait at greyscale 7 use erasors to get back the lighter parts (gerneral light parts, highlights and textures). Electrical erasors are probably easiest for the fine texture , erasor pencils or fiberglass for the rougher/smoother tetxure).

You are now done with the highlight parts.

2. Midtones

The dark parts of the midtones are about greyscale 4 I guestemate. So we now don't go any darker than greyscale 4. Do all parts of the portrait except for the areas defined as highlight, those should be finished as the don't go up to greyscale 7. The darker you go the more detail work with the airbrush is requiered. In the highlights you achive texture mainly by erasing, in the midtones its 50/50 airbrush and erasor and in the dark areas it's mostly airbrush.

Make sure you hit the whole of the midtone/shadow area's with paint. Those areas already have greyscale 7 in their "dark parts". By adding layer of paint those areas already brought up to 7 will get darker. Do this till they are at value 4. By doing this all the erasing back to white you did has also been hit by pain and should now be at greyscale 3 (if you look at picture 2 you don't have white highlights in the midtones but a difference in grey which you should get by building up like this.)

Now erase back to white where needed in the transition areas between the midtones and highlights. You Don't erase in the midtone and shadow area's, the midtones should be done now and the shadow areas have to get darker, not lighter.

3. Shadows.

The shadows go to black (greyscale value 1). This will almost all be detail airbrush work. Repeat what you did for the midtones but only for the shadow areas and transition areas between the shadows and midtones.


As a finisging touch use a knife or electrical erasor to do the few white highlights in the shadow areas or where ever else needed. This is a rough guide tht should enable you to do 90% of the texture is some areas you might ahveto deviate a tad but you'll notice those when you get to them :p

ps this is ofcourse only one of a lot of way's to go about it, and I'm certainly not saying it's the best or easiest way, but it's the way I'd go about it :)
Click to expand...
Brilliant precise and clear explanation ,Haasje thanks for taking the time to answer this :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
haasje dutchairbrush said:
This greyscale stuff can be a bit hard to get to grips with initialy, but it's realy the basis of getting to realistic/semi realistic paintings. I normaly would advice people to start with a skull as this permits at least some errors (wrong shadows in a portrait messes things up, on a kull you'll probably get away with it).

On my website (www.dutchairbrush.nl) you can download a skull tutorial in the step by step section(unfortunately in dutch). This also contains a pic of the skull I generaly use to teach the basics of greyscales. Even if You can't read dutch the progress pictures might help a bit.

ps if you have specific questions about stuff that is not clear to you feel free to ask :)
Click to expand...
Thanks again, I like the idea of the skull, I seems to be a staple of airbrushing, particularly custom work. I,ll definitely take your advise on that and maybe I,lol start to walk before I can run!.
 
The Airbrush texture's Bible by @haasje dutchairbrush !!!!! Thanks a lot man !!!

One more question , this texture , painted using that technique , should not be attempted in a size smaller than .....?
I mean , which is a good-reasonable size to try this ? I'm in a portrait that involve the same texture
 
Spraying through a dryer sheet may help in some areas, and for really, really defined pores I have pierced holes in a small piece of acetate. But you have to be careful as it can look too harsh. But Haasje is the master, so you won't get better advice than his.
 
Diegojavbau said:
The Airbrush texture's Bible by @haasje dutchairbrush !!!!! Thanks a lot man !!!

One more question , this texture , painted using that technique , should not be attempted in a size smaller than .....?
I mean , which is a good-reasonable size to try this ? I'm in a portrait that involve the same texture
Click to expand...

the size is as small as you can manage to airbrush detail in the dark areas so it would be depending a bit on the skilllevel and on how fidly you like to work. I think a4 or bigger for a full face is "ideal", smaller than a4 and you will be increasing the difficulty level I think (up to the point where it's just not feasable due to the restrictions of the materials used)
 
you are awesome haasje - what an inspiration to all of us. You have to love this forum - great peeps here.
 
Haasje you the man!!!!well done !and by painting a piece to show what you mean is priceless,You really do spread the love as mitch said
 
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