Day 151 Fun With Faces

Fun With Faces Challenge

I’ve completed my two sets of the #funwithfaces challenge.

My posts: #funwithfaces challenge blog posts

My Instagram: 42Sheri

Full size pictures on Flickr: Sheri Edwards

About the challenge:

The challenge was to practice drawing through the  #funwithfaces challenge on Skillshare by teacher Charly Clements.

I challenged myself, someone who just cannot figure out faces, to complete the challenge first in Procreate, a rastor app and then in Affinity Designer, a vector app. Here is a summary of the two versions, complete with the prompts:

Procreate

In Procreate, layers, transparency, and blend modes work to create the effect desired. The easy “undo” feature makes my life easier– I could not draw without it. Although you can purchase brushes and textures, I prefer to use the app’s native elements and any brushes or textures provided free to use by my marvelous Skillshare teachers.

There are many tips and tricks to apply, but a steady hand and practice with drawing is much needed. My hand is not as steady as when I was young, so the stabilizing feature of the brushes is a must for me.

Links: Procreate / Skillshare [you can get two months free].

Note: I am not connected to any of these products except as a dedicated user. 🙂

Affinity Designer

I love Affinity Designer. Because it is a vector app, I can draw something, then use the nodes to correct my silly shapes. I can save elements I like as “assets” to reuse later, as you can see in the repeated background and plants of these designs. I did not need to redraw them– I did recolor them to fit my palette.

Affinity also has so much to fine tune to create the needed effect: layers, gradients, transparency, noise, blend modes. Everything can be adjusted to blend from one component to another, like shadows to highlights, in a seamless transition. Well, I’m learning to do that.

From all I learned each day of creating a new face, I was finally able to create a self-portrait that I felt good about.

Two things I love: the assets and the fact that I can resize any of my work as needed– because vector is math based, not pixel based like rastor apps. Having said that, Affinity Designer also has a “Pixel/Rastor” mode, so rastor artists can really apply their skills in  this app too. I choose to stick with vector as much as possible. Occasionally, I’ll want a special effect, and I add a texture photo– but rarely.

I also don’t purchase brushes or  textures for this app either: I like using the native apps or I create my own. I also use the brushes free to use from my Skillshare teachers, whom I thank so much because this app is so powerful.

Oh– another benefit– Affinity Designer works on iPad and desktop seamlessly! Here’s how to learn:

Affinity Designer / Skillshare / Affinity Spotlight / Affinity Tutorials

Note: I am not connected to any of these products except as a dedicated user. 🙂

Here’s another project I’m working on: Modern Folk Art Insects in Affinity Designer  [Tracey Capone, Skillshare class]

Really, if I can do this, a seventy year old woman who can’t draw a straight line– you can learn too. And you’ll feel better about the world as you create and learn.