Coloring Faces

The face is the most important part of any image. It shows expression and feeling and conveys character.

Light It Up!

Before beginning to color an image it is necessary to identify the light source to determine where the light is coming from in the image.

Let's start this exercise by considering some common lighting scenarios. If a person is outside during the day, the light source is the sun. If a person is inside a home during the evening hours, the light source is most likely an overhead light or lamp. If a person is telling ghost stories around a campfire, the light source is probably the roaring fire.

The light from a source will illuminate the things around it and create areas of highlight and areas of shadow. It is important to understand where the light source is when coloring images, especially when faces are included, in order to create accurate and realistic highlights and shadows. Keep the following rules in mind to make the task easier.

Rule 1: Always highlight the most important part of the image by having the light shine directly on that aspect. On people images, the face is typically the focal point.

Rule 2: The image should always "face" the light source.

Notice how the young girl is sitting at an angle on the bench. Even though she is glancing down, her face is still facing left. Keeping Rule 2 in mind, place the light source in the upper left corner when coloring this image.

Rule 3: Areas that are closest to the light source are brightest and most highlighted.

Turn on a lamp. Hold your hand up to the light. The side of your hand that is closest to the light is bright and the side that is facing away from the lamp is dark or in shadow. Keep this concept in mind when coloring your images.

Faces — Simple & Complex

When it comes to face images, there are many different styles on the market — from small and simple to largely complex and detailed. Some are cute and whimsical while others are more realistic. Whatever style you prefer, there are some easy tips and tricks to help color them well. If you have never attempted a large, fully detailed face before, it can be intimidating. We recommend starting with simple images and working up to more detailed ones.

Simple Faces

This little girl is similar to many images on the market today. She has a basic, round face shape with uncomplicated facial features. Since the image itself is simple, we want to keep the coloring simple too.

Notice that this image is only colored in two or three values. Any more and it would look too detailed. Keep it simple — a highlight (shown by the white), a mid tone (C1) and a shadow (C3).

Complex Faces

Here's an image that is larger, more realistic and much more detailed. It calls for more values and more attention to detail to create a cohesive look.

This image is shown with five distinct values — Y11 for highlights, white for light areas, C1 for light shading, C3 for darker shading and C5 for darkest shadows.

Focus on Features

When coloring complex faces, it is important to pay attention to the features as they can make or break a composition.

The Eyes Have It

People say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Here are a few tips to help capture the "essence" of the character through the eyes.

The iris is not a flat disk of color; it curves with the eyeball. To portray this, it is important to have a variation of shade. The iris is typically darker near the top and bottom where it meets the eyelids and/or near the corner of the eye when looking toward the side.

The eyeball is round. While the eyeball is typically left uncolored, define its shape by adding a touch of gray or lavender to create a shadow near the edges and along the upper eyelid.

Everyone wants that sparkle in his or her eyes. Create it by using a tiny dot of Opaque White to add a bright highlight to the iris. Note: There is already a tiny highlight in the pupil of this image. Feel free to add another (larger) highlight to the lightest part of the iris.

Luscious Lips

A pretty pout is easy if you remember one thing — the bottom lip is usually fuller than the top lip and therefore sticks out more. Because it sticks out from the face, it catches more light and should be highlighted. Notice that the corners of the lips and where the lips meet and recede are therefore darkest.

The Surface of the Face

A face is not flat. It's a basic sphere, curving away from the viewer above the forehead, below the chin and along the ears. There are ridges and valleys that jut out to catch the light or sink in to create shadows. It is important to think of a face with volume and to understand how the different features "sit" on its surface.

Eyes

The eyes sit back in the head a bit. There is a brow bone that protrudes above the eye and a cheekbone that slopes out underneath.

Nose

The nose is probably the most feared facial feature, but it is actually fairly simple. Most detailed drawings will give you a hint of nose shape and placement. It is up to you to fill in what isn't there. The easiest thing to remember about the nose is that it sticks out from the face and will block light. The bridge of the nose will be the brightest, while the sides of the nose will have a bit of shading. The side closest to the light source will have subtle shading that flows down from the brow bone. The side furthest from the light source will have a darker cast shadow. The tip of the nose curves down and around, so there is slight shading along the edge of the tip. If the light is from above, there will also be a slight shadow under the nose.

Lips

These are pretty simple. They stick out from the face, catching the light, and therefore create subtle shadows.

Cheeks

Some images have very prominent cheekbones and others are less defined. If the image has prominent cheekbones, they will stick out from the face catching a bit of light and creating highlights. They may also create slight areas of shadow along the jawbone below the cheeks.

Coloring Skin

"What is a good skin-color combination?" It's a frequently asked question and unfortunately, there's no simple answer. What are you coloring? Is it a young or old character? What size is the image? What sort of tone are you looking to portray?

You're How Old?

Everyone wants to have younger-looking skin. We spend hundreds of dollars on creams, masks, treatments and ointments. What does younger skin look like and why is it so attractive? It is important to understand that the appearance of our skin changes as we age, and making an age-appropriate color choice is very important.

Young Skin

Young skin is typically bright, smooth and moist. Babies and young children often have...