I've decided to start doing work based on the prompts on Illustration Friday. I'm not actually submitting this piece, but just using the prompts as an exercise.
My first ideas were about playing with the idea of puzzles, and then specifically crossword puzzles, but I ultimately couldn't really think of an interesting image. Then I decided I wanted to do something more about a really quizzical expression on someone's face. Then I thought of a sort of quirked-eyebrow, beard stroking sort of image and I really liked it. I like beard stroking in general.
I changed the eye direction from what was in the reference photo to be more thoughtful and added the hand. I'm not sure if the hand reads is if it is really stroking the beard, or sort of floating in front of it. The irises are also a bit too big, I think. I think the face reads as puzzled, but not that puzzled, which I would've preferred. This isn't the first piece I've done digitally, but it's the first I think is good enough to be put on here, so hopefully I'm getting better at it.
Digital Painting.
