I finally tried a full digital painting versus just using photo textures

Did a portrait from scratch in Krita and another where I started with a photo base. The painted one took 8 hours longer but the skin tones looked way more real. Is the extra time worth it for you or do you get better results faster another way?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina15d ago

That eight hour difference is a serious time investment. I'd argue the photo base can look just as real with proper painting over the textures. The extra time is only worth it if you're specifically practicing manual blending.

spencer36215d ago

I used to agree with you about photo bases. Then I saw a side by side where the painted one still had that flat, pasted-on look. The manual blend just adds a depth you can't fake, even if it takes all day.

gibson.elizabeth14d ago

That "depth you can't fake" is just romanticizing the grind. I've seen plenty of painted portraits where the skin looks like plastic clay because the artist isn't a master at color theory. A good photo base gives you real-world texture and lighting as a map. You can paint over it selectively in two hours and get a more believable result than eight hours of struggling to mix the right shades from a blank canvas. The extra time is only worth it if your goal is the practice, not the final piece.