Skin on PIXLS.US

A Chiaroscuro Portrait

Wed, 27 Jul 2016 13:16:07 -0500

Introduction (Concept/Theory)

The term Chiaroscuro is derived from the Italian chiaro meaning ‘clear, bright’ and oscuro meaning ‘dark, obscure’. In art the term has come to refer to the use of bold contrasts between light and shadow, particularly across an entire composition, where they are a prominent feature of the work.

This interplay of shadow and light is particularly important in allowing the viewer to extrapolate volume from a flat image. The use of a single light source helps to accentuate the perception of volume as well as adding drama and dynamics to the scene.

An Open Source Portrait (Mairi)

Mon, 18 May 2015 12:04:49 -0500

This is an article I had written long ago (originally published in 2013). The material is still quite relevant and the workflow hasn’t really changed, so I am republishing it here for posterity and those that may have missed it the first time around.

The previous post for this article went over the shoot that led to this image.

If you’d like to follow along with the image of Mairi, you can download the files from the links below.

Skin Retouching with Wavelet Decompose

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:47:07 -0500

Skin retouching is a delicate art.

Effective skin retouching can feel like a black art.

There have been various methods detailed in the past for ways to “smooth” skin in GIMP . Those methods ranged from disappointing at best to downright ridiculous at worst. The disappointing methods were simply a product of the best methods available at the time. The ridiculous ones seemed to be due to a lack of subtlety.