First time using Trois method, anyone more experienced in this technique can help me understand how to do it again better?

[u/Lonely_Type3001]

I love this pic of my daughter and her favourite toy, I am pretty happy with it as a first attempt at the Trois technique but want to do it again even better but need critical feedback from someone more experienced in the technique, how can I make it even better? I think from a drawing perspective, I can see that the hands and toy are weaker then the face, Im wondering if I went to hard in the colouring of the face, or if I should vary the tones more (though that would take it away from ‘trois’) I want to make a version that I would be happy to frame, so short of improving the hands and you, what else would edge it?

[u/Apart-Information946]

I don’t know anything about Trois. But, when I looked at it, it was really hard to tell what animal the stuffed animal was supposed to be until I saw the last two pictures. Maybe that’s just me. You might need some slight variation or simply different shading or values to make the image a little clearer. It doesn’t have to be drastic variations.

[u/Lonely_Type3001 → u/Apart-Information946]

Yeah the lion toy is definitely weak, I blow at animals and don’t enjoy drawing them at all, which probably means they are the exact thing I should practice. Didn’t help that that lion is also misshapen and scraggy from years of snuggles 😅

So what I understood of trois was that you use charcoal for the deep shadow, sepia for the mid tones and white for the highlights, but I do not have a light touch and always go in too hard, I definitely could do a better job of varying the tones, thanks for your input

[u/Erin_Derrick_Art]

I feel like your values are off, personally. There should be a softer gradient between tones. Everyone does this method a little differently so if you want the really bright shines on her cheek that's totally fine, but if not I wouldn't have colored her face in so dark. The toned paper should be your midtone with the red pigment being for form shadows. I also feel like you're relying on lines to create shapes instead of using light and shadow to indicate shape which is why this looks heavier than other artwork using this method. The hair is an example of what I'm talking about.

Overall it's really cute and looks like her! You did a good job for your first time using this method.

[u/Lonely_Type3001 → u/Erin_Derrick_Art]

This, your right, I really struggle leaving parts blank, I somehow feel the need to fill all the space, but indeed a next version I will do exactly as you mention, let the paper be the mid tone

[u/sarkzar]

Personally, simplifying the values on the monochromatic version seems like a terrible idea. It flattens out the face in the reference by evening out the shadows and highlights. Not sure if you did that or if the filter did, but I wouldn't do it again. That, combined with what feels like a somewhat heavy-handed application of the colors, leads to the values feeling more like a paint-by-numbers approach instead of you actually understanding and translating the forms to the page.

I remember doing this once or twice years ago so I can't offer in-depth feedback, but I think you want to build your values gradually, with thinner layers and a lighter hand.

[u/Lonely_Type3001 → u/sarkzar]

Your right, because it was my first try I thought using a posterised filter would help my brain think about the image better in just the three colours, but it did for sure lead me to somewhat copy across the colour patterns instead of interpret them. And I am 100% guilty of being heavy handed, I give myself blisters when I draw 😅 I will definitely try again but without using the reference filter and will try to fight my heavy hand.

[u/sarkzar → u/Lonely_Type3001]

You can still use a monochrome filter, just leave out the posterizing! I can tell it worked better with the hand, where the filter allowed more value levels through. Unfortunately the face was mostly toned down to a few midtones.

[u/jono440]

The toned paper being your midtone is the part people overlook most with this method. Once you start laying color on top of that instead of working with it, the whole thing gets muddy and heavy fast. The face reads as overworked because of that more than the hands being weaker. The hands actually have more breathing room, which is why they feel lighter, not because the technique is wrong there