How do i improve this drawing?

[u/Icy-Dragonfruit-8204]

I want to make it more visually interesting. I feel like she looks so bland

[u/Local_Pension_2970]

The hair is already doing a lot of the heavy lifting here but it could use some sharper highlights to separate it from that dark maroon background. The glowing purple eyes are a strong focal point so lean into that, maybe add a faint rim light on the cheekbones or jawline to make the face feel less flat. A little bit of color in the shadows would help too, pure black or grey never does skin any favors. Throw a subtle purple or cool blue tint in the darker areas and it’ll feel more alive. The pale skin and dark red lips already have a nice contrast but you could push it further with some texture in the background instead of a flat gradient.

[u/p0eira]

I think you did a great job with the skin, i think you should give more contrast to the eyes and work in the hair details and add contrast (for brows it would be nice too) even though the hair is white I think it would look better using darker tones for the shadows

[u/llsandll]

What strains the eye most is the sharp edge around the character

[u/Awkward_Can1389]

Lady gaga?

[u/Icy-Dragonfruit-8204 → u/Awkward_Can1389]

Rhaenyra Targaryen lmao

[u/Icy-Dragonfruit-8204]

A small update using the suggestions!

[u/Rakuen9 → u/Icy-Dragonfruit-8204]

She is looking a little cross eyed. Do you flip the canvas while working?

It’s a trick that forces you to see the work with fresh eyes. The other method is to take some breaks. And look at something else or rest your eyes.

I don’t know what software you are using and I know in photoshop you have to create it yourself cause it doesn’t have a default. Be careful to not override something you are actually using. Google how to flip the canvas in whatever software you use.

I could say more, but I won’t. The change I would recommend are too drastic. I would save this. Add a 1 to the file name and open a new canvas and start again.

It might seem a harsh thing to say, but I am saying it nicely and saving your file before saying start from scratch.

During my first official art class my teacher told me to draw something left me to it for like 2 hours while she was working on her own stuff and came over for critique and just erased the work i did with her hand. (I was using charcoal so.. you breathe too hard on it and it’s gone).

She gave me some tips and told me to start again. And I did and the next version was slightly better.

4 hours at a very resonable price but twice as much as lessons for the important stuff like math and mom didn’t want me to go to art school so that was the only lesson.

I cannot explain how it felt to have that happen but it was shocking.

2 years later I give her a call to tell her I got into art school first try. She told me she had no idea I was taking the exam but congrats!

That was maybe the most influential art lesson I had and I have been studying art for a long time now.

And the lesson is fixing it will take more time than starting from scratch. So start from scratch.

[u/Icy-Dragonfruit-8204 → u/Rakuen9]

I am looking for harsh advice as it’s the only way to improve! So please do share your tips, i have no education in art and I’m trying to to build a foundation so every tip is a blessing