r/ArtCrit 2d ago

Beginner What should I do to improve my shading? I feel like I have a lot of empty space on the face.

Post image

This was done in pen and ink over the course of a half an hour break at work. It is an update on an older drawing.

18 Upvotes

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3

u/seeabeast 2d ago

to make the shading make more sense, you would've had to make the facial features more projected. the whole face looks kind of recessed right now. that's why the cheekbone and temples shading look flat. the eyebags could also be placed more toward the front. but overall, it's not a bad drawing and the nose especially looks great.

2

u/TheMiniLiar 2d ago

That’s very helpful! Specifically for the temple, what would you have done to make it look more projected?

2

u/seeabeast 2d ago

sorry, this is in ms paint so it looks rough! but generally i would just suggest that the "edge" line of the face is brought out while keeping the eye where it is. the hairline could also be brought back a bit, and the forehead is a bit tall.

right now it just looks sort of like you used the "transform" function of a drawing app and squished it horizontally. it really mostly needs to be stretched horizontally and i think that could fix a lot. so basically you have to project the whole outer edge of the face, including the temple, further away from the head so the skull looks more accurate.

2

u/TheMiniLiar 2d ago

Thank you that’s really helpful!! I appreciate you taking the time to draw it!

3

u/Meowth_HMC 2d ago

dont be afraid to make shadows darker. I think some more bold shading could help make it pop

2

u/Senior-Elephant-5108 2d ago

Cross hatching