Thank you for sharing this resource, Simon! I usually end up on Pinterest when I'm trying to find an interesting face to sketch, or use for an indirect reference. But this looks like a great alternative.
The aspect I find especially useful is that you can rotate the camera 360 degrees. A problem I still have is that even if I draw a satisfactory face without reference, I'm not able to draw it again from a different angle AND have it still look like the same person. It ends up looking like an entirely new face. :)
Metahuman really helps with that - plus the ability to tweak the expression reference.
It takes a ton of practice. Hours and hours and... hours. I spent years practicing and realized I enjoyed drawing cartoons and comics more, one reason being it's more forgivable when drawing the same person multiple times from different angles. I really don't enjoy realism at all.
Keep up the great work! If you ever want feedback, let me know. I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I recognize not everyone really wants the input and is happy just tinkering.
After Triverse I'm going to put more time into my drawing and try to do a comic of some sort, so at the point I will certainly be seeking feedback!
And yeah - realism isn't the way to go for comics, normally, as it just takes too long. I'm deeply envious of artists who have developed their own unique cartoon style.
I want to have sketches of my POV characters to make my novel’s multiple storylines easier to follow. I have a talented nephew who offered to draw some character sketches based on my descriptions. What he has done so far is amazing, but I am a little concerned it’s too much to ask since he has a pretty demanding full time job. I’m sure I’ll try Metahuman. It can’t hurt to send some faces to him for reference. It sounds fun, like something I could really get lost in.
There’s nothing wrong with using reference— doesn’t matter if that reference is a magazine or a computer model. There is just too much variation in nature for any artist to keep that information in their head. Go look at any great artist and they all use reference.
I do think you’ll be better off trying to freehand the sketch while looking at the reference because that is going to teach you specific skills that you won’t pick up through drawing over an image. Specifically you’ll learn how to measure things and more importantly you’ll learn how to interpret a 2D image and represent it as a 3D object.
That’s not to say that there is zero value in tracing. That’s how most artists begin but eventually you’ll want to move away from that and learn how to do it all freehand.
A great and cheap book that covers the fundamentals is Fun with a Pencil by Andrew Loomis. It was written in the early 1900’s so it definitely feels dated but it does a fantastic job at teaching how to set up the basic measurements for the head and even more importantly it shows you how to do it from any angle.
Great tips, thanks John! And you're right - I should definitely move on to freehanding the sketch step. Sounds like something that would help me imbue the image with more of a style, rather than being a 1:1 translation.
Thanks for sharing your process and this great looking tool! Now hopefully I only use it to enhance my own writing process instead of distracting me. I'm one of those that'll take forever designing their character/avatar in a game. 😂
This is something I still need to work on. John's advice in another comment, to freehand the sketch rather than doing an overlay trace, is a very good one. That would help introduce some imperfections and quirks of my own style, rather than retaining the realistic look of Metahuman.
Thank you for sharing this resource, Simon! I usually end up on Pinterest when I'm trying to find an interesting face to sketch, or use for an indirect reference. But this looks like a great alternative.
The aspect I find especially useful is that you can rotate the camera 360 degrees. A problem I still have is that even if I draw a satisfactory face without reference, I'm not able to draw it again from a different angle AND have it still look like the same person. It ends up looking like an entirely new face. :)
Metahuman really helps with that - plus the ability to tweak the expression reference.
It takes a ton of practice. Hours and hours and... hours. I spent years practicing and realized I enjoyed drawing cartoons and comics more, one reason being it's more forgivable when drawing the same person multiple times from different angles. I really don't enjoy realism at all.
Keep up the great work! If you ever want feedback, let me know. I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I recognize not everyone really wants the input and is happy just tinkering.
After Triverse I'm going to put more time into my drawing and try to do a comic of some sort, so at the point I will certainly be seeking feedback!
And yeah - realism isn't the way to go for comics, normally, as it just takes too long. I'm deeply envious of artists who have developed their own unique cartoon style.
Yes. I agree with Brian about the value and utility of this resource. It really does look useful.
Oh man. Why did I have to read this just before bed. Now I'm going to stay up playing with faces! Really cool resource. Thanks for sharing this!
Enjoy playing with faces!
I want to have sketches of my POV characters to make my novel’s multiple storylines easier to follow. I have a talented nephew who offered to draw some character sketches based on my descriptions. What he has done so far is amazing, but I am a little concerned it’s too much to ask since he has a pretty demanding full time job. I’m sure I’ll try Metahuman. It can’t hurt to send some faces to him for reference. It sounds fun, like something I could really get lost in.
Sounds like it might be useful and reduce the amount of time your nephew has to dedicate to the project.
There’s nothing wrong with using reference— doesn’t matter if that reference is a magazine or a computer model. There is just too much variation in nature for any artist to keep that information in their head. Go look at any great artist and they all use reference.
I do think you’ll be better off trying to freehand the sketch while looking at the reference because that is going to teach you specific skills that you won’t pick up through drawing over an image. Specifically you’ll learn how to measure things and more importantly you’ll learn how to interpret a 2D image and represent it as a 3D object.
That’s not to say that there is zero value in tracing. That’s how most artists begin but eventually you’ll want to move away from that and learn how to do it all freehand.
A great and cheap book that covers the fundamentals is Fun with a Pencil by Andrew Loomis. It was written in the early 1900’s so it definitely feels dated but it does a fantastic job at teaching how to set up the basic measurements for the head and even more importantly it shows you how to do it from any angle.
https://www.amazon.com/Fun-Pencil-Everybody-Easily-Learn/dp/1805472690/
Great tips, thanks John! And you're right - I should definitely move on to freehanding the sketch step. Sounds like something that would help me imbue the image with more of a style, rather than being a 1:1 translation.
This. 👆
Intriguing. Given my Ray Adams books have a regular cast, this might be a fun thing to explore...
Very thoughtful.😊😊😊🤗🤗🤗
Thanks for sharing your process and this great looking tool! Now hopefully I only use it to enhance my own writing process instead of distracting me. I'm one of those that'll take forever designing their character/avatar in a game. 😂
Thanks for the tip!
This is something I still need to work on. John's advice in another comment, to freehand the sketch rather than doing an overlay trace, is a very good one. That would help introduce some imperfections and quirks of my own style, rather than retaining the realistic look of Metahuman.