Switched from outlines-first to value-first after a harsh critique

An instructor at a workshop told me my characters looked like coloring books because I always did clean outlines before any shading. Now I start with rough blocks of light and dark using a 3-value system, and it made my portraits actually feel like they have depth. Has anyone else had a fundamental process change from one piece of feedback?

2 comments

2 Comments

evand652d ago

clean outlines before any shading" - yeah that hits close to home. I spent like 3 years doing super tight lineart first and wondering why my stuff looked flat, flipped to blocking in shadows with a big brush and everything just clicked overnight.

uma_patel192d ago

Ngl, that's how so many things are once you stop overthinking and just trust your gut.