Realistic-looking skin 10

Next I paint the skin texture, pores and small wrinkles. In this case, the lips and ears are the most difficult. The use of highlight brushes is very important here for a more dynamic look. I am referring to the white areas around the mouth, nose, ears, and of course the eyes of the cat mask.

I give the character this 1% smile by lifting the corners of the mouth ever so slightly; it depends on the observer’s way of thinking and if they actually interpret the slightly raised mouth corners as a subtle smile or not. Both would be fine, because the interpretation of each viewer is different and depends on their life experiences.

The wrinkled skin of the cat mask was also tough; it helps to have good references on hand. The look of the cat mask should reflect the look of the character under it. Humans are programmed to always look in the eyes first; according to studies, we even look into the eyes of a character first – even a fantasy creature that doesn’t wear its eyes on its head.