My digital paintings kept looking flat until I stopped blending everything smooth

I spent about two years trying to make my art look like a photograph with soft gradients everywhere. Then I saw a piece from an artist I follow on Instagram and noticed she left rough brush strokes visible in the shadows. I tried it on my next portrait, kept the edges sharp around the jawline, and the whole thing popped. Now I only blend maybe 30 percent of the painting, mostly in the midtones. Has anyone else noticed that keeping some texture makes your work stand out more in a gallery feed?

2 comments

2 Comments

karenw238d ago

My mate tried this and her fanart finally got more likes on Twitter, lmao.

harper_gibson27d ago

12 likes from random accounts @karenw23, not even her usual followers.