Specific Define Jawline realistically (of person on left.)

[RyanP0523]

I want the jawline of the person on the left to be very defined, Anything to make it look better. thanks!

 

[Rich54]

Here's my try. There is a strong light coming from the left, so any shadows on that side need to be subtle.

 

[JeffK]

I haven't done this type of edit before but took a try. What's problematic, is that side of the man's face is in bright sun so the shadows needed have to be very subtle.
So added a slight jawline shadow and then tucked in chin, neck, and jawline.
This is much more overly subtle than @Rich54 but put the time in and decided to post.
- Jeff

 

[Dennis1507]

I have never attempted this type of edit, so I wanted to give it a shot. Usually when I attempt something like this I tend to over edit and it stops looking natural.

 

[JeffK]

I have never attempted this type of edit, so I wanted to give it a shot. Usually when I attempt something like this I tend to over edit and it stops looking natural.

I never did this either and that's why I took a shot. Learning is never a straight line. And the best way to learn is to try.
@Rich54 did a great job at it. Maybe he'll give us some insight into his process (hint, hint)?

 

[Babine]

Subtle D & B with the skin colours.

 

[Rich54]

Maybe he'll give us some insight into his process (hint, hint)?

Thanks. I've been learning to draw the human figure for many years (both digitally and on paper) and one insight is that features are rarely defined by lines, which can look cartoonish. For a more realistic appearance, it's better to use changes in value—light and shadow. So to add a jawline, it's best done by adding the shadow that the jawline creates on the neck.

The Photoshop part is fairly simple. I first created a path to define the jawline.



I created a selection from the path and gave it a slight feather. Then, with a soft brush, I painted dark gray to create a shadow on his neck. Depending on the situation, I'll use a layer blend mode of Multiply, Color Burn or Linear Burn. In this case I used Linear Burn and layer opacity of 50%. Given the strong light coming from the left, the shadow would be most apparent just below the ear—where most people have a cleft—and then under the chin, which presumably juts out on somebody with a well-defined jaw. The middle area of the neck would have the least shadow because of the lighting, so I masked away 90% of that.

Dennis, I like the shadow you made, but in my opinion it's the wrong color and can be confused with the ruddiness of his skin. I think it should be closer to the color of the shadows on the dark side of his face (but not as dark because of the direct light).

 

[JeffK]

@Rich54 - excellent...thanks for the tips. I was trying to freehand the shadow and that was a mistake.Tried also using a jaw shadow from another image but just didn't look right.
I think your option was the best by using the pen tool to isolate and guide the shadow.
Thanks again!
- Jeff

 

[Dennis1507]

Yes thanks for the figure showing your path. I only used dodge and burn for my shadow work. Looks like I should try sampling color too and practice some brush work. I like to edit, but wish I had some real artistic/drawing talent. In these type of request it would come in handy.

 

[Rich54]

Yes thanks for the figure showing your path. I only used dodge and burn for my shadow work. Looks like I should try sampling color too and practice some brush work. I like to edit, but wish I had some real artistic/drawing talent. In these type of request it would come in handy.

I almost never use dodge or burn, which is probably limiting me in many situations. It never occurs to me to use those. My first impulse is to draw directly over an image while using blend modes—mostly Multiply or Soft Light—to preserve the underlying textures. The other technique I do a lot is to create curves adjustments that either lighten or darken, and then I use paths and a low-flow brush to gradually brush-in highlights or shadows.

I've been drawing all my life, but in an unschooled, intuitive way. In the past 18 months since I retired and have lots of time on my hands, I've been studying figure and portrait drawing much more rigorously. I've read many books, studied dozens of videos and joined an on-line art school. I'm focused on actual paper & pencil drawing, but many of the concepts can be applied to digital drawing.