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TIL a fellow artist told me to stop blending so much and it fixed my portraits

I used to spend ages blending every shadow and highlight in my digital portraits until they looked all soft and airbrushed. A guy named Mike in the Procreate discord saw my work and said I was overworking the skin and losing the structure underneath. He told me to use blocky shapes and only blend the edges where light actually transitions. I tried it on a commission of a woman with glasses and the glasses cut into her cheeks came out way sharper than anything I had done before. After 3 tries I started getting compliments on the texture and realism instead of people asking if I used a filter. Now I keep my blending brush to a minimum and focus on hard edges first. Has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit they picked up from tutorials?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennyh557d ago

Maybe it's just me but I feel like the whole "blending is bad" thing gets taken a little too extreme sometimes. Some soft blending on skin can look really nice if you keep the foundation solid underneath.

mason_flores217d ago

Exactly, people act like one little soft blend and your whole foundation is ruined. A targeted blend on the cheek or nose before powder keeps it looking like actual skin while still having that solid structure underneath.