Okay, so I wanted to share something I’ve been messing around with lately. I kept seeing these really cool digital paintings, portraits mostly, and the name Daria Medvedeva popped up a few times with them. I really liked the style, something about the mood and the way the light was handled. So, I thought, why not give it a try myself?
Getting Started
First thing, I just started looking closer at the images I could find. Tried to figure out what made them tick. It wasn’t just technical skill, there was this feel to them. Seemed simple at first glance, but it wasn’t.
I got my drawing tablet out, the one I’ve had for ages, and opened up my usual art software. Didn’t really have a plan, just wanted to see if I could capture some of that vibe. Picked a reference photo of my own and decided to try and apply that kind of lighting and brushwork I saw in her stuff.
The Process (and the Struggle)
Man, it was tougher than I expected. My first few attempts just looked… wrong. Flat. Didn’t have that depth or the specific way the colors seemed to blend yet stay distinct. I spent a good couple of hours just laying down base colors and trying to get the shadows right. It felt clunky.
I realized I was maybe focusing too much on copying exactly. So, I took a break. Came back the next day and just started sketching loosely, thinking more about the feeling than the exact details. I messed around with different brushes in my software, trying to find something that felt right for that soft-yet-textured look.
- Tried a bunch of different skin tone palettes.
- Played a lot with layer modes, especially for lighting.
- Spent way too long just on trying to get the eyes to have that certain look.
There was this one evening where I was just blocking in shapes, not even thinking too hard, and something started to click. It wasn’t perfect, not even close to the inspiration pieces, but it felt like my attempt was finally moving in the right direction. It started to have a bit of that mood I was chasing.
Where I Ended Up
So, after a few days of fiddling around, I ended up with a portrait. It’s definitely not a Daria Medvedeva piece, haha. You can tell it’s my hand, my usual quirks are still there. But, I did learn a lot about how to approach lighting differently. And I found a couple of new ways to use my brushes that I hadn’t considered before.
Overall, it was a good exercise. Didn’t master the style, not by a long shot, but that wasn’t really the point. The point was to push myself, try something new because I saw something that sparked my interest. It’s still rough, needs more work, but it was time well spent just messing around and learning by doing. That’s usually how it goes, right? You see something cool, you try it, you stumble, you learn a bit, and you move on. Worth it.
