The subject of this digital painting is the singer Sade Adu. I chose her not only because I admire her talents, but also because her features are sharp and defined. I altered this image by adding a background and vibrant colors using various paint brushes, the smudge and blur tools, and a color burn. The smudge tool was my favorite to use while working on this project, because I could create interesting patterns and blends with the colors.
My use of the smudge tool made me think of using oil pastels and blending the colors together, minus the mess on your fingers. It's also notably easier to get the desired effect without risking a messy, unintended blend of colors. To improve the project, I would experiment with more blend modes and use brighter colors for the darker areas in the image. I experimented with using the color burn (which is most visible on the face, in the area on and around the nose and lower forehead) and darker color blend modes, but not very much. The color is significantly harder to see in the darker areas of the image, such as the area on her shoulder to the right. Therefore, using brighter colors may have made it more visible, or possibly coloring the area in white before using colors (just like highlighting with oil pastels).
My use of the smudge tool made me think of using oil pastels and blending the colors together, minus the mess on your fingers. It's also notably easier to get the desired effect without risking a messy, unintended blend of colors. To improve the project, I would experiment with more blend modes and use brighter colors for the darker areas in the image. I experimented with using the color burn (which is most visible on the face, in the area on and around the nose and lower forehead) and darker color blend modes, but not very much. The color is significantly harder to see in the darker areas of the image, such as the area on her shoulder to the right. Therefore, using brighter colors may have made it more visible, or possibly coloring the area in white before using colors (just like highlighting with oil pastels).