[X] My Assistant

[Soruve]

Improving facemaker facesets tutorial.

(to the mods: sorry if this isn't in the right section. Please move to the appropriate section if needed).

This is the first tutorial I’ve ever done and I’m not much of a teacher. XD So if there are some questions, be sure to ask! =)
I thought of making a tutorial on how to do this, because I’ve actually got a few requests from numerous people to ‘improve’ their facesets. The thing is, this is actually really easy to do, so I made this tutorial a week ago or so. I was hesitant to put this up until recently I received a PM asking for a tutorial, so here you have it. =)
-----
Well, my first impression of facemaker is like what you would expect, I didn't like it -I thought the shading was too bland and the style too generic. But I kind of grew to like the style after a while. XD (I still prefer to completely draw everything from scratch though XD ) But I understand that not everyone is an artist, nor are good artists easy to find, so I can see reasons why people still use it.
This tutorial is about making faces much more appealing to the eye and would probably make less people go and say "don't use facemaker, its ugly" or "ew, facemaker!" XD (I've said this a couple times too in my head, mind you). XD

Requirements:
Face maker ( http://www.creationasylum.net/index.php?sh...mp;hl=Facemaker )
a program that supports layers (photoshop, GIMP, Open Canvas etc. )
- Basic knowledge of how the program works.

(Normally I use OC, but for this tutorial, I'll be using PS).

Before I begin, make sure you have Face Maker ver. 3.1 This one is much smoother than the earlier versions and it will be much easier to 'blend' things in.

Step 0: Starting off
Make sure you have a pre-rendered faceset ready. As shown. Some of you may want to save it in its largest format (192x192) to make it easier for you. For this tutorial, I'm going to be working on 96x96 size.


(Note: The more saturated colors you use, the harder it will be to make everything look natural. You should have a basic knowledge of how color works. =) )
Step 1: Palette choice no. 1
Let's start off with the skin. The colors I usually use to tone the skin are usually these colors. The orange-ish color is usually the same shade applied on the default faceset, so make sure it is the same. The purple color (#ad96b0) is something I prefer to use, but not necessary. Okay, now since you know what colors you’ll be shading in lets go to the next step.


Step 2: Drawing some shadows
Create another layer and set it to multiply. Now use the brush tool and shade in some tones (I usually use a brush set on 100% hardness). Make sure you keep the shadows balanced and not over the top (by that, I mean don’t shade where there shouldn’t be a shadow there in the first place). If you're using a mouse, make sure you erase some applied tones to get a sharp edge as shown here:


Step 3: The blur tool
This is optional, but I prefer to have some sort of gradient look to things. Make sure you don't over blend or else you won't get much of a definite shadow anymore. I usually only blur the edges of the shadow. (Blur tool: normal, strength: 50% ) But you can choose whichever you are comfortable with.


Step 4 (optional): Darker tones.
It's time to use that purple. You can skip this step altogether because it is all about preferences. Just like the first shade color set the layer to multiply and shade where ever you think is necessary. If the shadow is too dark, you can always change the opacity level. Then, just like the first shade color, use the blur tool to blend things in.


Step 5: Defining shape
At this point, I like to merge both the shade layers in (if I'm satisfied by the shading) Now let’s remove some shadow on the chin to give it a more dimension. You might need too use the blur tool if looks too sharp.


Phew, we're done with the basic skin shading part. Now let's move to the hair and eyes =)

Step 6: Picking the palette (again)
Okay, first we need to set up our new palette (if you haven't already). Use the eye dropper tool to pick out the 'pure' color of the hair, eyes and eye shadows. Now we're ready to begin.


Step 7: Putting shadow on the eyes
Let's start off with the eyes. create another layer and set it to multiply. Use the eye shadow color and shade around the eye. Sometimes it isn't necessary, but for some eyes in face maker, the shading is poor.
Next, on the same layer, use the color of the eyes hue (in my case, the purple) and shade around the outside of the iris. Sometimes I will use the color of the pupil and color over it to make it darker as shown.


Step 8: Hair shadow
Okay, now let's move off to the hair. You can make another layer and set it to multiply if you want, but I'm just going to go ahead and use the same layer as I did for the eyes. Use the color we picked out earlier for the hair and start shading in lines. Make sure it is near where the default shading is. If the hair is a very saturated color when applied, you might want to desaturate the shading color you going to use. (I had to do this for this example, the circle on the bottom is the color I've been using for the shading). Make sure you don't go overboard with the shading on the hair. The default is good enough really, but it just needs more value. So follow the ‘flow’ of the hair. =)


Step 9: Highlights!
Now the fun part: Highlights!
Make another layer and set it to screen. We'll start with the eyes. Use the pure color of the eyes again and make a curved ‘arch’ line around the eye. Once you're done with that, use white and intensify those highlights! =)


Step 10: Highlights-hair
Now for the hair. use the hair color and start drawing right on the highlights of the hair. (Still on a screen layer) Don’t go too overboard on this either or else you’re going to end up with one shiny head. Just like the shading part, follow the ‘flow’ of the hair.


One more thing, use the ‘pure’ skin color and add a highlight on the lips cheek and any where you think it needs it.
Okay, now you're done! (If your character has clothing and such, don't forget to shade it too!)

Yay! Now the facesets look much more polished! =)


(Completely optional step: adding some more color to the skin).
First, pick out a very washed and rosy color (#fdd5d5), the little circle at the side is the color I chose. Make another layer and set it to multiply. Add the pinkish color to the lips, tip of the nose and the side of the cheek. Use the blur tool thoroughly on the chin to give it a rosy like hue to the skin. Next, go to the highlight layer and add one dot of highlight on the cheek. Now you're done! =)


Now for comparison!


See? It’s not really hard, now is it. =) These normally only take about 3 to 5 minutes to do. It might take a little longer if you’re not very experienced yet. This also proves to be good exercise for those who are learning to draw too!

If you have some questions, or are having difficulty, don’t be afraid to ask. =)