Skin & Body

Micro-Texture & Surface

Bring out pores and grain of the skin to remove the “plastic look.”

Skin pores, in extreme close-ups the pores on the nose or cheeks should be visible to feel like a real photo

Skin texture, expressing the overall roughness and unevenness of the skin

Subsurface scattering, the subtle reddish glow of light penetrating and diffusing through the skin, the key to depicting living flesh

Uneven skin tone, the complexion is not a single flat paint color but a natural mix of redness and yellowness

Rough skin, used when depicting male characters or people who have had a hard life

Dry skin / chapped lips, for wintertime or harsh environments

Blemishes & Imperfections

Create realism that is “more perfect because it’s not perfect.”

Freckles, natural spots around the nose and cheeks that add a boyish/girlish charm

Moles / beauty marks, small dots that give the face distinctive features

Acne / acne scars, for pubescent teenagers or raw, unprocessed skin

Hyper-pigmentation, natural skin changes from sunlight such as melasma or age spots

Birthmark, congenital red or dark patches

Scars, knife marks or scratch marks that show the character’s backstory

Spider veins, thin red blood vessels visible under delicate skin

Age & Wrinkles

Add depth when drawing older characters.

Wrinkles, general signs of aging

Crow’s feet, crow-foot-shaped wrinkles at the outer corners of the eyes when smiling

Laugh lines / nasolabial folds, wrinkles running from the sides of the nose down to the mouth

Furrowed brow, wrinkles between the eyebrows, suggesting a frown or a troubled expression

Age spots, patches that appear on the backs of the hands or face of elderly people

Sagging skin, the feeling of reduced firmness around the jawline or neck

Weathered face, a rough impression tanned and wrinkled by sun and wind

Physiological Reactions

Show the character’s situation and temperature through their skin.

Sweat, for someone exercising or nervous, increases the sheen of the skin

Sweat droplets, beads of sweat that have formed and are running down

Goosebumps / gooseflesh, the texture that appears on arms or neck when feeling fear or cold

Flushed cheeks / blushing, for embarrassment, drunkenness, or heat

Pale skin, for someone sick or terrified

Oily skin, shine and sebum on the T-zone or forehead

Wet skin, after being caught in the rain or just after swimming

Veins / vascularity, bulging tendons and veins on a strained forearm or the back of the hand

Hair & Fuzz

A decisive detail that distinguishes a smooth 3D model from a real person.

Soft peach fuzz on the cheeks and around the ears

Rough stubble from not shaving recently

Unshaven, a rough look as if having stayed up for several nights

Stray hairs, uncombed strands sticking out that add realism

Eyelashes, each lash depicted individually in an eye close-up

Eyebrow hair texture, eyebrows that show individual hairs rather than looking like tattooed blocks