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The before and after of my digital paintings after I stopped using the smudge tool for everything
I spent 3 years blending all my shadows with that thing like a maniac, then I switched to layering with a hard brush and suddenly my portraits looked like they popped out of a Pixar movie instead of a blurry mess. Has anyone else had a stupid habit they were too stubborn to break early on?
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nina_lane168d ago
oh wait i gotta say something about this. its actually a misunderstanding that the smudge tool is bad, its more about how you use it. the real problem is people think smudge is for blending shadows but its really more for softening hard edges and creating texture. you wanna blend shadows? try using a soft round brush with low opacity and color picking from the canvas. its way more controlled and doesnt make everything look like you rubbed vaseline on the screen. the hard brush layering thing is good for structure though i use that for blocking in shapes and then go back with softer brushes for the transitions. took me a while to figure out that the smudge tool is actually great for things like fur or hair where you want those directional strokes to show movement. its not the tool thats the problem, its that nobody tells you what its actually meant for when you're learning.
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cameron_webb8d ago
Wait wait so you're saying the smudge tool is actually a texture tool disguised as a blending tool? That makes SO much sense. I always hated using it for faces because it turned skin into this weird waxy plastic mess. But I used it recently on a painting of a wool sweater and it worked PERFECTLY for catching those fuzzy edges and random fibers. Also tried it on a rusted metal pipe reference and it gave those scratchy, pitted textures way better than any brush could. So its really about picking the right SMUDGE brush too, not just the default one. A rough chalky brush in the smudge tool gives grit while a soft round one just smears everything into mush.
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