Aside from what funnypony said I recommend saving a few images from arcane and copying the color scheme. From what Ive observed they use great contrast in the art, it's by no means something you can achieve using just an air brush or soft shading. It's sharp. The reason why yours look a bit far is because you seperated sections of the hair using lineart. In arcane there's barely any line art. It's mostly in the rendering. Pick the base color, a really dark color to make it give it depth, then a rlly light color to make it pop. For the base color before you shade it with the colors you picked, use air brush first and shade certain general directions/areas light or dark so you're working with something that already has gradient and depth. Use brushes that looks solid.
The face you've drawn is fantastic, and you're doing a great job with shading and character design! For the hair, here's my advice (take it with a grain of salt):
1. Add More Volume and Strands Arcane-style hair has distinct, bold shapes but also includes individual strands or smaller locks to break up the mass. Add subtle, flowing lines to suggest the hair's movement and texture. For example, near the bangs and the ends of the hair, incorporate soft flicks or splits.
2. Use Layered Shading The shading on the hair should mimic its texture and give it dimension. Add layers of highlights and shadows to indicate depth. Tips: Place darker shadows under the bangs, near the roots, and where the hair overlaps. Add bright, sharp highlights along strands where light naturally catches, especially towards the top and edges of the hair.
3. Vary the Hair's Thickness To avoid the flat look, give some variation in line thickness for hair outlines and inner strands. Use thicker lines for bulkier areas and thinner ones for finer details.
4. Incorporate Gradients Arcane’s style often blends colors smoothly. Try introducing a gradient in the green hair—darker at the roots and lighter towards the tips.
5. Add Subtle Texturing Use fine strokes or soft blending to give the hair a "painted" feel. You could draw small wisps of hair to make it more lifelike while maintaining a stylized look.
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How the hell did I miss this, it’s so good omg. Post the final results when you’re done I wanna see it so badly I bet it looks so awesome.
omg haha that's so sweet! I will just for you bb
Aside from what funnypony said I recommend saving a few images from arcane and copying the color scheme. From what Ive observed they use great contrast in the art, it's by no means something you can achieve using just an air brush or soft shading. It's sharp. The reason why yours look a bit far is because you seperated sections of the hair using lineart. In arcane there's barely any line art. It's mostly in the rendering. Pick the base color, a really dark color to make it give it depth, then a rlly light color to make it pop. For the base color before you shade it with the colors you picked, use air brush first and shade certain general directions/areas light or dark so you're working with something that already has gradient and depth. Use brushes that looks solid.
ahhh thank u so much for the advice ilyyy
The face you've drawn is fantastic, and you're doing a great job with shading and character design! For the hair, here's my advice (take it with a grain of salt):
1. Add More Volume and Strands
Arcane-style hair has distinct, bold shapes but also includes individual strands or smaller locks to break up the mass. Add subtle, flowing lines to suggest the hair's movement and texture. For example, near the bangs and the ends of the hair, incorporate soft flicks or splits.
2. Use Layered Shading
The shading on the hair should mimic its texture and give it dimension. Add layers of highlights and shadows to indicate depth.
Tips: Place darker shadows under the bangs, near the roots, and where the hair overlaps.
Add bright, sharp highlights along strands where light naturally catches, especially towards the top and edges of the hair.
3. Vary the Hair's Thickness
To avoid the flat look, give some variation in line thickness for hair outlines and inner strands. Use thicker lines for bulkier areas and thinner ones for finer details.
4. Incorporate Gradients
Arcane’s style often blends colors smoothly. Try introducing a gradient in the green hair—darker at the roots and lighter towards the tips.
5. Add Subtle Texturing
Use fine strokes or soft blending to give the hair a "painted" feel. You could draw small wisps of hair to make it more lifelike while maintaining a stylized look.
A video ref for this stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WaTShr7amo
omg I love you, this is so insanely helpful, thank u so much mwaaaahhh
Aww, you're so sweet <3 I'm so glad I could help! Mwaaaahhh right back at ya~