Hello!
First off thank you all very much for your lessons. They are a massive help for developing my characters. Second off I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some art advice, or if not if there's somewhere I would be able to ask for advice. I'm not looking for anything very complicated. I'm mainly just trying to figure out if I'm coloring my characters port-wine stain correctly, or if there's any edits I should make. I'll attach what the color choices currently look like, but there's no pressure to review them if that's not what this blog is for.
(Image ID: A digital drawing of a Black teen with a port-wine stain. End ID.)
(Image ID: It's the same image as above, but the character's port-wine stain is slightly darker. End ID.)
(Image ID: It's the same image as above, but the character's port-wine stain is less visible and more red in color. End ID.)
Thank you for your time.
Hello,
Either is fine! Port wine stains come in many shades, from lighter red to very dark purple. Them being less visible on someone dark-skinned is normal and not "erasure", it's just color contrast -- the same way light-skinned people with vitiligo aren't "erasure" either. Some People Just Look Like That, etc.
If you want to make it more distinct, you can give the birthmark some texture and make it thicker than the rest of the skin or make it have "lumps" or small masses (somewhat similar to the ones you can see in neurofibromatosis, visually speaking). I'm not sure what the correct medical term for those is, but you can see it on some people with PWS. If you just google PWS pictures you'll probably spot it pretty fast since it's rather distinct. However, these changes are generally seen in older people since they happen over time, so for a teen I wouldn't overdo it.
Since PWS around the eye(s) is a big risk for glaucoma, you could also consider that (either for the current or older version designs, if those exist). Glaucoma by itself is invisible, but one-sided vision loss can result in squinting or strabismus, for example.
Hope this helps! Good to see a character with a facial difference that looks like a nice normal person as well.
mod Sasza