I can't figure skin out

[mika_land]

Hi!  I hope I'm doing this right, I'm new here.

So I made this self portrait last week, in about 5 hours .  But as with all my paintings where I  render skin, I seem to be having trouble.  I'm confused when to make edges hard and soft, still trying to figure out ClipStudio brushes.  I just started working with digital painting again too.  Been fun but difficult. 

Any critique you could give would be great.  And if you have resources that might help me figure out skin that'd be great too.  I'm been doing a lot of research myself but input would be nice.

[darktiste]

I think this is a case of more than you can chew.Take a photo of a bald person remove the unnecessary background and you will able to focus on the skin alone.Don't even put the eye or glass in they are just superflu and remove any cloth.Study different skin tone and different area of the skin they don't have the same thickness so some area are more red than other.I hope this was helpful.Since there no other work you have posted in here i cannot compare it to anything else you done so far.

[mika_land]

I think this is a case of more than you can chew.Take a photo of a bald person remove the unnecessary background and you will able to focus on the skin alone.Don't even put the eye or glass in they are just superflu and remove any cloth.Study different skin tone and different area of the skin they don't have the same thickness so some area are more red than other.I hope this was helpful.Since there no other work you have posted in here i cannot compare it to anything else you done so far.

Okay I'll do a some studies that way.  I'll find some photos of bald people without glasses.  I noticed how badly glasses make it to see the eyes especially when I was doing this one.  My eyes are actually smaller with my glasses on, I defiantly over compensated now that I look again.

I'm studying different lighting and tones as well. They're just in the beginning stages so I haven't posted them (kinda nervous). As for the  "different areas of skin" you mean other parts of the body, not just the face? I'm a little confused there.  I know my hands are thinner in skin and if I put them in the light they glow orange in places but my arms don't glow or shine as much (as the face or hands) in the same light.   Is that what you mean?

Thanks for your time!  I'll be posting more in the future.  This site seems really helpful.

[darktiste]

No what i meant is that certain area where the skin is thinner so you can see more blood vessel near the surface this make the overall skin of those area more red.Looking forward to seeing your attempt if you feel confident enough to share them.So don't be shy.

[mika_land]

No what i meant is that certain area where the skin is thinner so youi can see more blood vessel near the surface this make the overall skin of those area more red.Looking forward to seeing your attempt if you feel confident enough to share them.So don't be shy.

Okay I think I know where to look then.  I'll try and share soon (and overcome my shy side).  Thanks for your help!