Aesthetics Repost: Critique Wanted

Not crazy about how you blushed the ears. I'd look at more photos of that next time. The eyebrows are a little blocky to me. Try making them with gentle brushstrokes (I dip my WC pencils in water and touch my brush to them) instead of filling them in.

I think her eyes and lips look great, though. Just the right style of wrinkles in the lips, her eyelashes look like he used mascara. And the rouge on her cheeks and nose is cute. :3

 

First of all, congratulations on taking the plunge! It takes a lot of courage to come online and ask for constructive feedback. I admire you for that. I'm not going to tell you "don't blush this way" or "don't make these shapes" because style is something I respect. Just because something isn't necessarily my style doesn't mean it needs "correction." For example, I love heavy blushing and texturing. I know this isn't for everyone and I know some people might find my own rendition excessive, but this is my "style" and I like it, so I'm not open to changing what is part of me. It's very important that you discover what is "you" and to perfect the "you" within that style.

Take make-up trends, for example. We used to live with blotting sheets to wipe excess oil and now people are putting on highlighter on the tip of their noses — on purpose! Some people don't like this or consider it greasy (just like some don't like dewy make-up for the same reason) but that doesn't make it wrong! Go crazy with the highlighter, if that's your thing. The same can be said about the eyebrow trends. Now people fill in their brows dark and some consider them to look fake and as if they were painted with a stencil with how "square" they are. Yet, it's all the rage, and just because some don't like it doesn't mean it's "wrong."

So, I really hope you can balance feedback and the style you'll eventually uncover the more you paint faces! It's tough, but the most important thing is to be genuine to whatever feels "you." Right?

My only advice is to practice your line work. Start soft, work your way up. I don't like watercolor pencils... never have... so I don't use them. I like using brush with gouache/watercolor for all my line work. It's just a personal preference. So, what I do is I paint very light brown lash hairs and go adding darker hairs. I add fewer hairs the darker I go. Again, this is a style preference... you'll have to find a balance during practice that is true to you. You can add shading to the eye crease/brow bone area to create the illusion of depth, and from there build the brows.

I also recommend you continue to shade with pastels until you find that style, and then try to airbrush. I still think nothing beats the beauty of building the shading by hand, but that's just me. I think you're already in a great place. It's all about continuing to practice, perfect your line work, and find your signature style as you do all this. You're going to only grow from here!

 

Fantastic that you're jumping in!

A couple of hints about eyebrows:
A traditional eyebrow starts directly above the inner corner of the eye. Then, if you lay an imaginary straight line starting at the nostril and lined up with the outer corner of the eye, the extended line will show you where a traditional eyebrow ends. (It'll be clearer if you look for a makeup demo online.) These two points can be your starting place for eyebrows. (It's the old: knowing the rules helps you know how to break them!)
Also, to check for eyebrow symmetry, look at the head upside-down. That should help.
Best of Luck in the future! Thank you for sharing your journey!

 

I feel like the under tone of the eyebrows should be more brown instead of orangey? But maybe that's just my preference XD

 

Great job!