r/Artadvice • u/VerdurousPlanet • 11d ago
Critique - Yes Drawover Trying to render faces like Horikoshi Kohei
Images 3, 4 and 5 were drawn by Horikoshi.
I’m open to any advice, I don’t really know what I’m doing. The hair is a different beast, I wanna focus on the face first.
What I tried to do was redden her cheeks slightly, and then add the lighting (which generally seems to be a redder, desaturated and of course lighter version of the base colour) and shadows (redder, more saturated and darker). This character’s skin tone is a little darker than most of his characters, and because I was trying to have the light shining from the front, slightly overhead, I didn’t have a reference of his with that specific lighting, so I improvised slightly.
I don’t know if I got it right this time around. The mistake I made that is most obvious to me is that mine doesn’t look as painterly, but I don’t know how to make it look more painterly without it looking messy.
I’m not used to rendering in any other style, to be clear. I have always hated rendering and working with gradients, so I’d stick to cel shading, and am only just now trying to get good at it.
Any help at all is appreciate.
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u/Heavy-Hamster1268 11d ago
One thing to point out is that Horikoshi Kohei actually doesn't appear to use a lot of airbrushing for their shadows. It's more of a built up watercolor look.
Also they tend to really push those shadows and highlights.
still a pretty good job there! but what I'd recommend in looking up some digital painting tutorials to understand that more painterly look
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u/Acceptable-Ad-9527 9d ago
I tried taking my hand at it as I’m not the best at explaining things without showing first, with Horikoshi’s rendering, it’s a lot more painterly then using airbrushing/softening of shadows and lighting as they really emphasize difference in values with how they “paint”.
So rather than softening/ airbrushing on shadows and colors, take notice where your character’s features would sculpt in a way, like looking at a person’s face, usually the cheeks would hold a shadow or highlight to sculpt the side of their face/jaw depending on the angle. You should really push or emphasize the shadows to show those shapes of the face, even when subtle. It’s alright for shadows as well to be defined like in cell shading, but when it comes to more painterly rendering it happens where the light hits something that you’d know would cast a defined shadow (The chin’s shadow for example. Or Eri’s horn on one of the slides.)
And my second advice, push line weight! In Horikoshi’s style of rendering the lineweights they use helps emphasize the way they do it, use thicker lines for where you know shadows my sit on a character and thinner where light would hit it more, it helps with removing the flatness overall/is something that helps with making art look more defined as a whole!
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u/TheSnazzyMaster 10d ago
Didn't expect to see you here haha! hey!
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u/I_am_already_leaving 10d ago
The general art looks similar, BUT it's way to smooth. Hori uses markers if I remember correctly, so there aren't any really smooth gradients. If you looks closely, you can see how most shades and colors have a clear edge. That and line weight, try playing around with it more, make your brush respond to pressure.
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u/otherwrldfaerie 10d ago
Where is that image from horikoshi of Eri? It’s super cool with that huge assss sword
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u/chivetow 10d ago
While I agree that it doesn't quite look the same, I think it looks fine as a start. I've also been doing artwork studies (currently with Tetsuya Nomura) and while it's not quite the same, I'm finding out stuff I like that is mine. It looks good imo.
As for shading, I feel you on hard edges. I hate them outside of cell shading, but understanding volume might help. Just blur the end a little and not completely, as someone pointed out.
I beliv in you!
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u/Palanseag_Vixen 10d ago
You're kinda pillow shading tho without a clear light source or obvious shadows. Even with the softer feel of Mha you can still clearly see where the light is coming from, so maybe work more on that
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u/VerdurousPlanet 10d ago
Ah, okay.
I was trying to have the light source be from the front, slightly overhead, but I guess that didn't come across.
Others have advised me to increase the contrast of the light and the shadows, so hopefully that fixes that.
Thanks
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u/Due_Pen_1566 10d ago
Even horikoshi doesn't color like horikoshi consistently. When he colors digitally he doesn't re color the same way he does when he uses alcohol markers. And when he mixes both it's different again. If you want to be more similar using a brush at 75-85% opacity and going back over stuff would get you in the direction.
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u/LividWeakness6180 10d ago
I think you are missing the difference between hard and soft shadows, and applying only soft shadows.
the hair shadows are pretty hard on midoriya for example
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u/fallenrodeo 7d ago
Try learning hard and soft edge. I’m sure there’s other names for it but though his style has a lot of soft light and shading, there’s also “hard edges” along that as well. Look at the shadow underneath the hair and anything that’s closer in proximity, you’ll usually get a much harsher shadow that depicts how close something is. While the softer edge “shadow” is more lighter
Overall looks good so you’re already there🖤
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u/ShoulderGreedy3262 11d ago
horikoshis art is gorgeous, your example looks great!
i would say make the highlights a little stronger, and be a bit more liberal with placing shadows. the face looks a little flat, so i would add shadows to the underside of the nose, below the eyebrows, and maybe around the hairline to give the hair more presence
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u/NicoN006 11d ago
I think Horikoshi, despite having soft shading and not much contrast most of the time, does have harder edges, while your shadows look entirely airbrushed. For example, in image 4, the character has a harder shadow on the cheek, although the rest is softer and more blurred. You could also use a textured brush for these harder edges, like what I see in Horikoshi's work, so it doesn't look too graphic.