Face color variation

[sharprm]

hi

don seegmiller says in his book the face has three regions from top to bottom, yellow zone, red zone, blue zone. does anyone know why? i can see why middle is red (red cheeks) but what is the explanation for the other regions.

here is a WIP i did with the regions added using 'soft light' layer added. would u guys put more color variation in? ps. i know it looks a bit cubism (=retarded) but I didn't use an appropriate reference..

[sharprm]

Finished. The gag is she is co-host of a show for mensa types who are more interested in anagrams than her ass.

Maybe I'll just aks don seegmiller about the face color variation.

Quick question: in Painter X, the 'burn' tool darkens but also makes the color more saturated. Is there a setting for the 'burn' brush to make it more like photoshop? I tried googling but not much luck ...

[donpinsent]

The theory holds that the forehead is the "yellow" area, the cheeks and nose the "red" and the jaw the "blue". I can see some validity in it, but you have to be careful to avoid adhering to it so closely as to discount individuality. It doesn't work for every portrait. I tend to just closely scrutinize the colours in my reference photos rather than using any specific rules or guidelines, and I often find the red extends into the forehead and chin areas as well.

Also, I've seen this theory taken too much to the extreme, where the yellow, red and blue were way too obvious, taking away from the realism of the portrait/ caricature. As with all colour mixing, if you're looking for realism, subtlety is essential.

[em...]

With women, I tend to not use the blue area, as it can give them a five o'clock shadow, which isn't particularly feminine or flattering. But I would quite often amp up the red in the cheeks (not so much in the nose, though)

With men, I do the opposite - not too much red in the cheeks, but the blue (or sometimes it's green or grey) muzzle area can be accentuated.



But, as Don says, there's no standard for how much or how little colour can be added - it's treated very much case-by-case.

[maced]

The color variation has to do with blood and facial hair. Where veins are closer to the surface the skin looks more reddish. It's the blood that shines through.Where the veins are deeper below the surface, the skin shows more of the skin color itself: yellow. The purple color on jaws, cheeks and upper lip is caused by facial hair that shines through. The roots are directly below the skin surface and that's also why women don't show purple skin on their cheeks.

[sharprm]

"The purple color on jaws, cheeks and upper lip is caused by facial hair that shines through. The roots are directly below the skin surface and that's also why women don't show purple skin on their cheeks."

thx that's what I really wanted to know. Thx also em and don your comments were helpful also.

about the 'burn' tool question forget about it - I will just use it in grayscale mode.