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pistolrush — How I draw lips
Published: 2008-12-27 04:18:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 14077; Favourites: 13; Downloads: 18959
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This is my first time submitting something like this but I decided to give it a try. I will try to explain this as best as I can. If you need a better explanation note me. I did this in my weapon of choice Open Canvas 1. However you use this method in any program. I picked up this technigue after reading Iman's Beauty of Color book. It seems like a lot but believe me I only took ten minutes to do this.A. Draw your lip shape. It doesn't need to be fancy. I like using the pen brush with transparency turned on.
B. Block in the main color you plan on using for the lips. I like using a very soft brush with medium opacity for steps B-I.
C. Use the complementary color of the color to define the shadow areas.
D. Now using a blending brush to soften up the harsh colors. I love this part. (In OC, it is a watercolor brush with the variables turned all the way up. In Photoshop use the smudge brush or a brush that has the flow and opacity turned down. I am not sure what that tool is in Painter. If you are using Shi-painter then blur also works.)
E. Decrease the size of your regular brush and using a lighter shade of the lip color reform the bow.
F. Using the same size begin to add the creases along the lips. This helps give your lips a plump shape.
G. Adding more creases to the upper lips.
H. Using now a darker shade of the main lip color, repeat steps E-G.
I. First add a small bit of the skintone along the edges of the lips. Then using the same blending brush from step B softly blend the colors. Not so much that they merge together but enough so that they don't so harsh. Remember softness is the key.
J. Make a new Add layer (Color dodge layer in Photoshop and increase the opacity of your brush. Using a lighter shade of the complementary color from earlier begin to place your highlights.
K. Using the main color of the lips increase the size of the highlights.
L. Now using a lighter shade of the main color add dots along the highlights.
M. Using the blending brush, blend the highlights together. Normally I would stop here but I wanted to also show how to make the lips look like gloss had been applied also I didn't like the shape of the bow.
N. Use a light pink to run a line right through the blended highlights.
O. Use white to accent the pink line.
P-Q. Me fixing the bow of the lips.
Fin.
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Comments: 18
Ah-hah! At last! The tutorial on how pistol makes those glorious lips I wanted to kiss. *____* Nice tutorial! And i love how you've described each steps. ^___^ Must fave and store in 'helpful info' folder!
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Thank you. I felt I had to because it looks difficult but it is really easy. I usually spend more time doing the hair because that is my main nemesis.
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I went to your page and there weren't any deviations and I started panicing D:
But it wa just a glitch. Or is it spelt glich?
So this is how the magic happens? I have always been fond of your lips. ;D
Open Canvas is a fine program of choice *salutes*
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I'm sorry. For some reason Deviantart wants to give my computer worms so I have to be careful when I come on. Yes, it is very easy. I developed it so that it could save me time. I love Open Canvas 1. It's free, simple, and the brushes are super customizable. Plus it allows you to set up a paint chat type thing. Open Canvas 1.1 for life. The only other painting program I might get is Paint Tool Sai.
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I really, really, really, love the brushes in open canvas. (But I'm sticking to photoshop because it's what I'm used to and I spent an unheavenly large amount of cash on it) Can't you also record your drawing process on Open Canvas??
And yeah, I've been hearing alot about sai lately. It's getting quite popular. I guess because it's suppose to be very easy to use and is used mainly to draw with instead of photo-editing. I would like to see you use both, really. I'm curious as to how'd your style would look using different programs XD
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They are so nice and soft particularly the watercolor brushes. Yes, you can record and share the process however you can only do it in Open Canvas 1 when you draw from start to finish in there. Sai is very good. It is like Painter except without the unnecessary brushes and with a good layout. It's very easy to just download and start right away. I have used the free trial and hope to buy it one day soon.
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Oh, how much is sai? I might try it some day, though it isn't my style. I've become adapted to a more technical way of drawing lately :C (I can't stand drawing on paper because my hand is always in the way. Some people complain that tablets are hard to draw with but I find them so much more relaxing because you don't have to slouch over the paper and move around.) And I can't say I've tried painter. I used to use photoshop elements :/ (Let me tell you I wanted to make every last one of those brushes come to life just so that I could snap them in half and use them for firewood in 90 degree weather)
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It is about 45-55 dollars I think in the current rate of exchange. Their ink brush is a thing of beauty. I usually draw on paper with my inkpens now. I like the freedom it gives me. I never understood people who have a hard time using tablets. It seems as natural as hand drawing to me. But then again the Bamboo tablet that I own has a textured surface like regular paper. I don't like Painter. I tried the free trial and found myself wanting to stomp the damn thing. It froze up my laptop and took way too long to load. And the brushes were worse than useless. I have used Photoshop Elements. (In fact I am using PSE 5 right now.) I never had a lot of problems with it as it wasn't my main painting tool. But the brushes were very limited and I am glad that PSE 5 has the same brushes as PSCS2.
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At least you can use a wide variety of programs.
My art teacher was wondering how I could use a drawing utensil without any traditional texture. (never accured to me. And the only thing I can't stand drawing with is chalk. The feeling sends shivers through my whole body) I do love using microns and such, but I always get sad because I can never add as much detail as I want. Though I am proud of that first toned picture I did because the lines were all done with microns. I like the look. Are you going to post those pictures anytime soon for me to see? *eyelash fluttering*
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Well, it's not so much that I can use different programs it's just that I tested many different ones and found the ones that suit me best. And those often are simple programs without very many special features. I can't stand chalk. I always press down too hard and snap the damn thing. I'll try but I am probably going to end up putting them in scraps as they look really funny.
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I feel you with the chalk thing. I also can't stand pastels. I like the pastel pencils. But by God there is no way you're going to get me to use normal chalky pastels. It seems I get more of them each year. I just want to get into someone's face and scream at them to STOP. WITH. THE. PASTELS.
I personally prefer the over-the-top programs just because I like messing around with different things. I really like Photoshop because of that but it's hard to explain to my drawing/painting 1 teacher that it's not only for photomanipulation/photoediting. Thank you portfolio teacher!
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I like the pencils too but I fail at them. The only pastel I use is this white chalk pencil for adding highlights to my watercolor drawings. Fortunately I made it clear to people that if they wanted to buy me art stuff then just give me the money. I used to get crayons and pastels.
Oh I understand that. I like messing around in Photoshop too. It's not a bad program. But when I want to get down to some serious coloring I find that Open Canvas 1 helps me concentrate more since I don't like to search for my drawing tools. I do a lot of editing in Photoshop however. I had this art teacher say the same thing until I dragged them to a computer and forced them to watch me draw something.
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I used to be pretty good with pastel pencils. I actually thought that they were normal colored pencils for awhile, though. -fail-
I have found that if you don’t have some nice lineart in Photoshop the coloring can be pretty difficult. I would absolutely suggest using something like Open Canvas for a painted look. But I fail at making things looking artsy and so on. So I thought I’d just go all the way and make my pictures 100% clean-cut commercial-looking crap. Another problem is that there’s so many Photoshops it can get painful. I got my CS3 less than a year ago, then just recently they come out with CS4. Adobe’s out to get me, really. (When I got my tablet they sent me an expired coupon for CS2) Although, Photoshop is a good learning experience. It’s pretty universal and well… I couldn’t draw realistic looking pictures without my babies.. burn and dodge.
The fact that people look down upon digital art really irks me. I have had to explain to my art teachers many times over that I DREW it FREEHAND onto PHOTOSHOP. I wish I could just cross out the photo in Photoshop. And then all over the place it’s not even considered art. It’s considered… something like drafting or the other. Then the technology geeks tell digital artists it’s not geeky enough to be tech.
But my school is the school of art and law so I’m fine. In fact I’m in a math science and technology academy so I’m helping decorate the technology classrooms with digital art. It’s pretty… Um… Fulfilling.
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I have found that out too. Don't say that you're work is not commercial or crap. I wish I had the ability and the patience to do lines like you. I have actually stopped inking because I would lose my patience too easily. I understand how you feel. I sometimes use it to quickly block in colors before I start a drawing in Open Canvas. I just want a Photoshop that doesn't cause my computer to break down and die if I use it and Open Canvas together. I love burn and dodge.
I hate when people do that. I think they are just slow to catching up to a new medium. When watercolors first came out no one respect those who would work exclusively with that for paintings. Same with acrylic paint. I think it is also a case that art for a long time has been something controlled by the people within rarefied circles. Very rarely has it been something that was made by the people for the people. And now there is a medium that allows some one with just a computer and a drawing program to create art for better or worse. That scares a lot of people so they have to look down their noses at it. I say those tech geeks are very silly.
That's very cool.
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Thank you, I’m glad you like my work. Sometimes I truthfully wonder why I draw so many lines (I usually start coloring half way done with them because I can never wait for the coloring part. But then I get back into the designing state of mind). The worst part for me is symmetry. I never want to draw the same thing again on another side and try to make it look exactly the same. Must be why my characters have such heavy fringe. The only thing I can manage now-a-days without lines are realistic portraits. Which become they way they are with blobs. No lines involved at all. Which I really like the lineless look of your work. It’s so hard to stick to something when you keep seeing all these talented artist’s styles. Must be why it looks like I’m some dork who decided to go around and pull one picture out from everyone’s gallery and combine them into one gallery. I like what I’m doing right now, though. My portfolio teacher tells me to never turn in something to him in a cartoon style. And I can tweak around with it until it’s realistic like he wants.
Well on deviant art sometimes I think the majority of the art is digital. So there’s a big tolerance, if not preference, of it. I guess I just prefer digital because you can do so much with it. Or maybe it’s because I’m a detail whore. But remember, on Photoshop everyone knows it’s a mistake, with watercolors they think it’s suppose to be there. Sometimes I think the old styles of art being looked down upon, too. People are convinced that abstract is just blobs on a canvas and so on. Surrealism isn’t always necessarily pretty to look at. Both of which are respectable in their own ways. What people don’t get is that that popular anime everyone likes is a sub-form of abstract. And I asked this once on a forum somewhere before but no one answered me. Why is art being placed into two categories now? Realism and anime. Everything seems so confined.
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You're welcome. I have issues with symmetry too. That's the reason why I have problems with perspective. I started to look at people and realized that no one's face is truly symmetrical. I certainly feel you on the emobob hair. Lord knows I'm guilty of it too. Thank you. It was a big step for me to change my style like that. I was told by a lot of people that art particularly watercolor art wasn't good unless you had strong lines. I laughed and went ahead until I felt I was strong enough to duplicate the style on the computer. It is hard but then I remind myself that that their style and I I have my own. I am glad you like your style you should be proud of it. You're not a dork. I'm the dork I hardly ever finish things. I decided I couldn't deal with art school after having most of my stuff trashed when I sat down with a portfolio teacher. It made me feel so bad. I mean I can deal with concrit but that lady seemed to be going on the warpath with my stuff. That's why I started here even though nowadays I can't look at the main page because the popular stuff makes me sad. I like manga because there are very few confinements. I have come across animes and mangas that look so real you have to actually tell yourself that it is actually a drawing. Hiroki Mafuyu being an example. Then you have artists like Clamp. Yet both are respected and not told that one is better than the other. I guess that is why I have always had a soft spot for the Japanese comic book scene.
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Mmmm symmetry. This is the part where I vomit. It’s not that I’m not good at it I guess, but it bores me. A long, long time ago I was hired with the task of copying photographs. And I tell you (not to be stuck-up or anything) I was damn good at it. I got to the point where it became boring and too much of a brain teaser than interesting artwork. And the idea of symmetry just brings me back to those elementary-middle school days of pencil. Shading stump. And that photograph I needed to put onto another piece of paper using the tools. I can feel myself shiver at the thought.
I know the deal with the crits. I think it’s harsher to hear them with you think you’re hot stuff without much back up from other people. I would gladly have someone criticize the flying-butt out of my crappy photography. But as far as drawing/painting I frankly don’t think I “suck”. I have sadly compared my stuff. I think my finished art falls down into a moderate-low category. But anyways. I would probably cry if someone was to pick apart my art to the harshest extent. The thing is I usually know what’s wrong. I’m just too lazy to fix it. I could get a picture right now. Like that “crack whore” picture. I know the legs are a bit too short and skinny. The hair makes his head look too big. One of the hands looks a bit too stiff and wrong. Body is a bit too narrow, the glasses should be facing more forward as in you should only really be able to see the frame (But his glasses are always broken in some way so I guess that’s why I just let it be) And much, much more But it just doesn’t bother me. I just don’t like to hear things that I already know. “The artist is the worst critic.” I guess.
I’ve been on Gaia online. And it seriously bothers me to endless abysses how much they care about anatomy (Although it‘s a good place to get told what you need to work on). Who cares about the positive things of the picture. Or perhaps if there’s a deeper meaning. It’s all whether it’s perfect or not. I thought art was /suppose/ to be imperfect. I’m not one that strides for perfection, I guess I’m not an artist?
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Well I know I'm not the hotness when it comes to art. I realize that I have so very far to go so people giving me constructive criticism doesn't bother me. In fact I welcome it. But the criticism has to be something other than "I hate your drawing style so everything in this is complete posh." I have actually deleted pictures due to my seeing the mistakes in them. Yet I have learned that the main things that make an artist isn't how perfect they can be but how best to express themselves.
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