Hey there! Cool portrait! :) Start with a simple color base, just think in terms of flat colors. Once you have that base, you can paint a shadow mapping pass to establish the shadows based on the direction of the light. I would also recommend maintaining better line quality and avoiding very thick lines. It’s usually better to use thin lines and only apply slightly thicker ones where forms overlap or where there is ambient occlusion. Now, regarding the shadow mapping: you can use a Multiply layer to paint the shadows, either with the same color you used for your base colors or with a slightly darker version of it. Keep in mind that using a Multiply layer is only meant as a starting point, since all the values at this stage are essentially the same. Later on, you can add things like ambient occlusion, bounced light, and other refinements. Shadow mapping is simply a way to plan the direction of the light when painting shadows, which is crucial if you want to avoid painting in a messy or uncertain way. This is a method many artists use, and it’s also similar to how traditional painters work; they block in the shadows first and then continue painting either within the shadow areas or the light areas. On the other hand, if you’re having general difficulties while painting, I would recommend spending some time studying the fundamentals of painting. For example: values, light direction, and shadow structure, as well as concepts like midtones, the terminator, core shadow, ambient occlusion, and so on. These are essential to understand even before painting with full color. Hope this helps!
