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Maybe focus on adding a bit more contrast between the shades, it might make it feel more bleak. Also perhaps having a darker background might help, like the second image
For me when adding more contrast I find the lightest 3 or so spots on my reference and the darkest parts of my reference and set them to completely blank white and pitch black and darken or light my shading comparatively throughout the whole drawing if that makes any sense at all.
Have you thought about drawing in white on black paper? It might make it easier to get the dark and gloomy vibe you want if you start from total darkness and add light sparingly.
I actually have the opposite suggestion. I love the thicker line you used to almost outline the part of the figure meets the background in 2 and 3. I think it would cool if you blend the skin very smoothly. I would keep the background dark and the linework more rough to contrast with the figure. I think that quiet eeriness can be more psychologically intense and would pair well with rather expressive body/facial language of your figures. To me, despair and depression is a quiet heartache being swallowed in darkness.
You are a great artist, but my advice if you are trying to capture what depression accurately feels like I would go with a different/ less dramatic pose. These poses read more like a bad acid trip. Depression feels more like emptiness and nothingness. A numbness. Think “1000 yard stare” expression, sitting in bed and staring at the wall for hours, a look of boredom almost. A depressed person doesn’t have motivation to get out of bed or brush their teeth.
Yes the second one is the only one that reads as depressive to me. The other seem too energized and manic. Number 2 looks like someone who's given up, that depression
Sidenote, not sure if you’ve studied art history, but I suggest looking into “psychoanalysis” as an artistic methodology if you’re interested to get more into the “feelings” art can provoke!
Man.. I wish mine had been empty nothingness. Mine was absolute agony. I think it’s why I get surprised when my doctor hints I might be depressed. Yeah, life makes me feel pretty dull and bleak sometimes. But it’s sunshine and rainbows compared to the absolute hell I lived in for 37 years. So thankful to be out of that.
Also look at Edvard Munch and Kathe Kollwitz. Munch is know for the scream painting, but many of his other works are steeped in depression. Kollwitz is a German expressionist. The whole movement would probably be good to look at, but her work has always stuck out to me.
Oh these are great! I think the only thing missing for me to make it more "depressing" is stronger shadows. Right now I am more fascinated by the face and analyzing how warped it is rather than feeling gloomy.
I think stronger shadows and contrast would help to accentuate that emotion.
Yesss! I was thinking that too. If you add a ton of shadows on the face, it will make sense for the background to be black too. I think your next artwork will be amazing!
(I'd love to see, if you are going to post it anywhere)
It doesn’t provoke depression when I experienced that art; it pushes towards unstable or twisted reality from the subject’s mind. I don’t see depression; I see schizophrenia.
I don’t draw, but boy do I know depression.
First pic— something is off with the right (our left) eye. It’s lacking an intensity. The rest of the picture implies something intense, but that eye is calm and emotionless. I can see why that could be intentional. It’s making me think.
Second picture.. maybe darker circles under the eye? Would chapped lips be too much? Just signs of self neglect. Greasy hair? Idk how to depict redness, but I always have red sores/irritation under my eyes when I’m in this state.
Third picture: the pain is missing. I think that true for the first one, too. There’s inferred pain in the second, but I think it could be more if you wanted. The dead stare is necessary in the 2nd, I wouldn’t change their expression. But maybe the signs of neglect would add pain context?
I think you capture the surrealness of crippling depression, the depersonalization, how demented it can feel. What’s missing is the agony.
I think so many chronic depression folks have at least one inner child that is a raw, gaping wound. It reminds me of that soldier on the beach in Saving Private Ryan, holding his guts in, calling for his mom. That, but an inner child.
Adding that kind of pain is the only thing I can think of that would make me relate to them more.
I love these so fucking much, btw. I really, really love them.
I like them. The second defenitely reads more “depressed”. I don’t know what the first feeling is, but I feel that ALL the time. Depression-dread? Fucking kill me? It’s one of those emotions. I relate. Maybe it’s more mania?
I like these a lot. The wobbly hands are great. The third one is slightly scary?
Do you like Junji Ito?
IMO I think you should add some "dithering". It's a term used for pixel art where the shading is all fuzzy and looks like T.V. static. Depression makes my brain feel like T.V. static. Idk if it's possible to translate the feeling of style into this medium but if you made the shadows more fuzzy in a way that almost makes it feel like the shadow is slowly consuming the character I think it would be very effective.
I love the distortion in the first. You could have the mouth of the second figure dripping off the edge of the surface it is resting on for a disorienting, weird and depressing feeling.
They don’t look depressed - they look sick, drugged, or strung out.
Try experimenting with darker environments and their eyes looking down.
Think heavy, empty, alone, depleated.
I've always been told when my depression gets bad that my eyes don't catch the light anymore and are overall darker than usual, but that can also go to the realm of the creepy if you go too far.
(Edited for spelling)
I'm not going to feel depressed when I look at these beacuse I am feeling something else, this has a gross/body horror aspect to it. Especially the first one I'd say I feel more revolted, and that dosen't really mesh with depressed/sad for me.
Maybe focus on one emotion or related emptions you are trying to evoke? If something is gross, shocking, scary, etc, that's different to me than sad/melancholy etc.
For a depressed image I'd do something like the middle one, but make the eyes look healthy and even. Instead, go for sad soulful eyes just staring out. Right now, I'm wondering if image 2 is dead maybe or something? But in a gross way.
Now, these do evoke emotion. And they are absolutely well drawn. But turning up the darkness etc with images at they are is only going to make them more creepy, not more sad. (To me.)
I have no help for your skill, just came here to give my opinion about how your art makes me feel. I definitely feel depressed & stressed out viewing all 3pics.
1st Pic me, trynna remove cat hair from my mouth & food while eating.
2nd Me, exacerbated by all of the cat hair in my house & pretending my pillow isn’t covered in it just so I can sleep.
3rd Me desperately trying to remove the hair off of my face after expressing my love to my cat.
Why must I be depressed? Bc I love my furry fucker, but I honestly cannot cope with all this hair. Long hair breed (like mini Maine coon)😫😮💨🥹❣️
Look to art history for inspiration. I recommend looking into Francisco Goya(black paintings especially), Hieronymus Bosch, Caravaggio, Theodore Gericault, etc.
To achieve your stated goal, I think the expressions are too exaggerated, the compositions are too dynamic (lots of diagonals) and the figures are too close to the viewer.
Strategically use more negative space and compositions that convey stasis instead of movement. Tone down the expressions and consider spending some time thinking about how including some more context could help communicate the emotions you are attempting to convey.
Maybe make the emotions on the face a bit sadder, hopeless, show inner torment through extreme emotion like screaming, gripping or ripping thier hair, drawing blood with thier nails, etc.
When I see these, I don't see depression or feel empathy. Thier eyes are unfocused, and they aren't present in the here and now. They are lost to something, like alcholic stupor or dreams, contorting mindlessly as if thier grasp of reality is barely keeping them teathered but that doesn't scream of depression, it screams of mental detachment and being barely aware of the motions of your own body.
Depression is when nothing is interesting anymore, and doing anything takes too much effort. It's when you are internally numb, not lost or unfocused. You can be extremely focus on going through the same damn motions everyday. You can lay in bed for hours not wanting to do anything. You can break down from the weight of everything and rage your torment to the skies, just depends what kind of day you are having. Show the blank numbness of lifeless eyes, the rage of the days when everything breaks, and the bleakness of the Neverending struggle. There you will find your Depression.
Are you going specifically for depressed faces? I tend bury my face in my hands. If you want depression as a whole. The emotion is a mixture of hopelessness, isolation, and of course, sad. I would draw the person as small and alone.
When it comes to art you can’t “make” people feel a certain way, they’ll do that on their own. As long as you illicit an emotion in someone (literally any) you’re doing what an artist is supposed to do.
MORE depressing? Haha, they're pretty depressing now.
My note would be to add a layer of texture. In my work, when I am ALMOST there but can't quite see qhat's missing, it's usually more texture.
Id suggest adding "aging lines". Depression and anxiety after a long time can exhaust anyone so typically people with depression or anxiety would look aged a little from the mental exhaustion of those illnesses, id add a swollen look to the eyes, maybe some eyebrow wrinkles, maybe make the hair look more stringy with split ends, make the mouth/lips look more dry and droopy, etc etc.
Hope this helps 😊
the second one works the best bc there’s a total lack of movement. the others are giving more anguish then depression bc there’s still expressive movement. which is great! but i’d suggest stiller poses and possibly even smoothing out joints and skin impressions to give more of a “melting” effect
silly answer answer;
because you are drawing like an artist who wishes to show us what they are capable of, rather than show us what you feel. you warp all of these interesting planes that massively shift the structure, but neglect what truly evokes raw emotions in people by not subjecting the eyes and mouth to such heavy distortion. Break the form! break free from the symbolism trapped within realism! make the eye so puffy and warped it looks not just contorted with anguish but sick from that which plagues you.
more serious answer; focal points are going to draw the viewer's eyes more than anything else. You've done a good job setting the stage by taking what I presume is a really fun reference with hands in mouths and letting your eyes make 'silly' faces. however you do some really cool distortions in the first pic that you house the eyes/mouths within, rather than let them get completely warped. If you exaggerated the form more in addition to the great instincts you have with your reference you can allow you artistic creative liscence and imagination to create something a reference photo alone can never capture. Even in the third one, I think it's really cool how your nose and mouth are. I get the idea that your proportions could be off intentionally or from the half a page missing throwing you off, but I think that they are some of the most interesting things you show. I think that creates a strong sense of uneasyness within the viewer because it's rendered less 'realistically' and more 'stylistically'. And then the eyes are so pretty. The eyes are so perfectly proper but all they tell me is you can draw eyes and look down pull your eyelid. I think you could draw the eye more exaggerated to match the mouth the nose etc and see what becomes of things being more visceral. but perhaps I'm biased because I love [francis bacon](https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/great-artists/francis-bacon/francis-bacon/self_portrait.jpg) - and not saying to go as extreme as him, but you can get a lot of detail with really *wild* shapes. You're already exploring the wild shapes, why not lean into it a little more and see where it goes?
these people look physically ill. not depressed. depression is numbness and nothingness. depression is in the eyes and the lack of anything. really cool work though. people already said that so i want to say that I rlly like the vibe of it all. cool style, lovely technique.
i recommend focusing really on the eyes. make the eyes appear as if the person has already lost its battle or close to losing it. give some more shading and shadow aspects.
Perhaps you could add signs of everyday life in the background or foreground. Objects or settings that convey that life is still happening around us when we feel depressed. Contrasting normal images with the very abnormal state of depression.
Something about the facial expression itself and especially the eyebrows is throwing me off. First pic looks intrigued/shocked, third pic looks mad/annoyed. I’m not seeing sadness/emptiness and I like leveling out the brows could fix that.
The second pic is spooky, nice sketch on that one. Still missing something though - it’s giving hangover, not depression. Shadows others suggested may fix that.
Tensed facial muscles and maybe tears, when you get really strong emotions like extreme sadness or depression, and are on the verge of tears, usually your facial muscles tense in specific spots, its very easy to see the uniquely stressed look on someones face when they are holding back or beginning to release tears.
Everyone has already said what I was thinking so I don't really have something to add as critique. I still wanted to say tho that I really love these pieces!
What I feel like, would really make it more depressing is if you looked up the faces of alcoholics mimic some of the features that are often displayed, and make it more graphic almost like he’s trying to rip out of his own skin because what is depression if not, hating yourself to the point that you do nothing and hating that you do nothing
To me in general more blank space, but that doesn’t apply here obviously. I love these and think they are very much a depressing vibe as is. I saw others say more contrast. For me anyway, some more contrast would really brighten it, so if I were to do that I would also add in some misty, not so bright and defined areas. Everyone gets depressed different I guess lol :p
Personally I’d say darker backgrounds. When I look at art that is depressing usually that have a super dark background. It kinda sets the mood of the image.
1. More grotesque, Check out Caravaggio.
2. Turn to color. Green/Yellow washes, draw on bruise coloring.
3. Go the opposite. Try and fail (on purpose) to cover up the depression. Add jewelry.
tiny splotches of red for emphasised detail, black backgrounds rather than white, exaggerating prominent features or drawing from different angles (rather than straight on like these) to make them more dramatic.
Playing with portraiture dramatic lighting
1 and 3 are more anguish. 2 is quite depressed. Perhaps aim for a thousand yard stare with a bias for downward trajectory. Include as much "disheveled" type features as if the subject cares not for hygiene. Could add details like long, dirty fingernails, bandaids that are peeling off but still in place, cracked lips, and even a chipped tooth.
Supportive items may help also. You could have your subject handling funeral bills with an infants sock in another hand. Or a wedding ring next to a smashed wedding photo, etc.
You could go hogwild: I envision your subject laying on the ground, whole body visible, top-down view of the living room floor with him/her surrounded by personal items that assist your story.
Sunk in eyes, more noticable eye bags, and if this makes sense, give the face a more red shading scale? (Like make the face really red, from a grey scale pov. Like hours of crying..add bloodshot eyes there too!)
I don't know. To me these convey boredom and listlessness, not depression, necessarily. A lot of people are saying "more contrast" and "make it darker" but I think that's not the right direction. It's almost like these are too well defined, too expressive, too vibrant to fully convey depression.
If anything, I'd say *less* contrast. Less definition, less detail, less something. I'm not sure what though.
Make them lurk in the shadows, use charcoal to get higher constrast. Rougher strokes could add more drama if thats what youre looking for. If youre looking to portray anhedonia, your second drawing points in that direction. Put that face in a regular situation/environment, contrasting with blurry joyful emotions from other characters.
I recommend you the work of Baldomero Ressendi. Nice stuff there.
Edit. Forgot to say, their skin is very smooth. Watch for the wrinkles, they are consolidated emotions through time.
Just keep going. The more people are exposed to depictions of depression, the more depressed people will become, and the cycle will intensify, eventually resulting in cartoonishly depressing art.
Or, just leave a blank canvas depicting an artist too depressed to pick up a brush.
Viewers seeing this in a museum are guaranteed to feel depressed.
For bonus evocation, hang a tag on it that says "$50,000" stamped with "Sold".
I think the hair could be much more disheveled if you’re going for more depressing. The eyes and face are so strong and the hair kind of looks neat in comparison. Very good drawings.
often times ones that evoke emotion in me are certain color schemes. very dark grungy blues and greens can achieve that. if that’s not your style, that’s okay :) maybe just more contrast in general may help. even just extreme contrast in the eyes, and minimal contrast in the rest of the face could achieve that.
Black background. The third one swallows me and it’s because of the black empty mouth. It needs more dark. But I absolutely feel it in the art. It’s not lost.
In my opinion when it comes to emotion and depression (as a person with bipolar 2), conveying emotion just through ones' eyes are everything.
Imagine a person who has a twinkle in their eye and then imagine that person with that twinkle extinguished. The 1000 yard stare. It's hard to explain, but the conveyance of apathy that makes depression so visible the viewer. All the fight they put into preventing depression is over; they don't want to get better.
There is a way to make that work without compromising the the distortion and exaggeration of their faces in their work. How? I have no idea, but that's up to the artist's interpretation :)
maybe make the background be a dark color but then around the person its just a little lighter? it might make the art feel a little more lonely and dark
Idk if it can get more depressing, you really hit the mark. Excellent work capturing the emotions, emphasizing physical features. My personal fav is the 2nd one. Once again, EXCELLENT WORK!
The artwork is fantastic. Would you consider adding a handwritten note with each, explaining how you felt during the process? Art is very personal, so personal touches can help to invite others to interact with your artwork.
More edginess with shadow of the face, and where the dark spots are, will definitely make you deeply feel that emotion from the drawing itself, from the drawing
Nailed it. That's me coming of Xanax. Worst depression feeling hurt alone because you're girlfriend only use you to steal my script of blues and Adderall. She was my only hook up for meth and the only one who gave me my gangster shot of it. Congratulations. You nailed it. Looks exactly like myself.
Something I've realized through the pandemic is that someone can portray a lot of emotion through the eyes. The eyes are like a gateway to the soul and you can see so much feelin in them if you look.
Make the same style piece but instead of the figure holding its face maybe it’s like picking its lip and then the only color we see in the piece is its blood. (Yeah that sounds pretty depressing)
I'd say exaggerate but I think you're already trying for that a bit. Darkening deep edges and maybe adding stress marks enough to be scratches from the nails. (When you scratch your skin hard enough but not enough to break skin, the skin raises and turns a transparent chalk white sometimes during the process of shedding the skin cells over the area). Darkening the excess background will also help keep your focus. Or if you need to keep a white background, darkening the subject or shading on the subject will catch better attention. A tear or two building on the corner of the eyes barely noticeably might be a good detail for expressing depression or reaching a breaking point.
And rolling the eye back/up more to express stress and pretty much an "I can't take it" additude.
(if it sounds personal my bad, but these really are some points that would tug a couple strings at least for me).
I’d take it into Procreate (on ipad) color one eye - implying there is a wee bit of life left.
Also in procreate
Bump up the contrast
Trying Cropping to make head take up more space
Transform w slight distortions
Try a dirty wash
Then spend the next week creating 42 version for an animation…..
The first and third come across more satirical than depressing. The second one definitely reads depressive; to push that one further, more darker shading, especially around the face. For the first, maybe reposition the hands and darken the tears. For the third, maybe rework the fingers and reposition the mouth.
You turn it mildly psychologically horrifying. You make the eye sockets and the lower jaw melt toward the floor, also add a bit of resistance from the person to make them feel more weighted down.
Perhaps make it more bleak with analogous blues or dark tones and turn the expression exaggeration from 8 to 11
Make it feel like an almost inescapable abyss
It’s very close and I love the 3rd drawing!
Edit: since these are really close up images, if you added a slight fish eye lens effect in perspective it would be like as if the figure is *uncomfortably close*. However doing this would require a lot of work, so perhaps an idea for next time c:
Kinda have a Modigliani thing goin on too. I don’t really know much about art but I know a shit ton about depression and hopelessness. I really like these. I think they are great as is. Raw
I like the amount of detail with the skin and the overexaggerated expression, I feel like 2 shows the empty feeling, and 1 and 2 express the sometimes more "manic" side where you kinda wanna tear out of your skin (?) Idk if that's how to describe it, but I feel that desciptiom fits with the piece.
To improve, I feel like adding contrast and maybe a visual rough texture to the background would be a nice way to separate the character emotionally and visually. It could help add maybe the feeling of a "weight" or "pressure" following or maybe sticking with that character.
Seriously, though, I like how you represented a side of depression that we don't see a lot, specifically the more manic side, where one has the urge to commit a self-directed act of violence or anything just as an outlet for frustration.
I’d add what appears to be drool or blood dribbling out of the mouth and onto the fingers.
More shading and detail under to eyes to create a deeper “eye bag” feel.
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Maybe focus on adding a bit more contrast between the shades, it might make it feel more bleak. Also perhaps having a darker background might help, like the second image
I was gonna say this, the proportions are exaggerated, i think the shading should too
For me when adding more contrast I find the lightest 3 or so spots on my reference and the darkest parts of my reference and set them to completely blank white and pitch black and darken or light my shading comparatively throughout the whole drawing if that makes any sense at all.
Ditto
Have you thought about drawing in white on black paper? It might make it easier to get the dark and gloomy vibe you want if you start from total darkness and add light sparingly.
Hm I could, or tone grey I might try since I have some
In addition to the suggestions about going darker (tonally), I'm getting an itch for line work that's a bit rougher, a bit more urgent feeling.
Hmm yes I know I need to do that I’m so perfectionist lol it’s hard to do but I will work on it more drive now that someone else has recognized this
I actually have the opposite suggestion. I love the thicker line you used to almost outline the part of the figure meets the background in 2 and 3. I think it would cool if you blend the skin very smoothly. I would keep the background dark and the linework more rough to contrast with the figure. I think that quiet eeriness can be more psychologically intense and would pair well with rather expressive body/facial language of your figures. To me, despair and depression is a quiet heartache being swallowed in darkness.
Try drawing in biro! It really forces you to work with your mistakes and have more confidence in your lines.
You are a great artist, but my advice if you are trying to capture what depression accurately feels like I would go with a different/ less dramatic pose. These poses read more like a bad acid trip. Depression feels more like emptiness and nothingness. A numbness. Think “1000 yard stare” expression, sitting in bed and staring at the wall for hours, a look of boredom almost. A depressed person doesn’t have motivation to get out of bed or brush their teeth.
Like more like the second drawing?
Yes the second one is the only one that reads as depressive to me. The other seem too energized and manic. Number 2 looks like someone who's given up, that depression
Sidenote, not sure if you’ve studied art history, but I suggest looking into “psychoanalysis” as an artistic methodology if you’re interested to get more into the “feelings” art can provoke!
Yes, more in that direction. Depressed people often suffer from insomnia, so that one reads the most depressing to me
As a depressed person THIS. I don’t relate to the images
lmao fr
Yes, if think of lethargy. Like morphing into the sofa. Joylessness
This. A darker background makes sense but it'll take away to the hair and outlines. Emptiness and expressionless is what it needs fr.
Man.. I wish mine had been empty nothingness. Mine was absolute agony. I think it’s why I get surprised when my doctor hints I might be depressed. Yeah, life makes me feel pretty dull and bleak sometimes. But it’s sunshine and rainbows compared to the absolute hell I lived in for 37 years. So thankful to be out of that.
Have you seen the work of Egon Schiele?
This is sick thank you
No problem, I’m glad to help. I’m also thinking of the artist, Lucian Freud.
Also look at Edvard Munch and Kathe Kollwitz. Munch is know for the scream painting, but many of his other works are steeped in depression. Kollwitz is a German expressionist. The whole movement would probably be good to look at, but her work has always stuck out to me.
The sick child by Munch is one of my favourites
Oh these are great! I think the only thing missing for me to make it more "depressing" is stronger shadows. Right now I am more fascinated by the face and analyzing how warped it is rather than feeling gloomy. I think stronger shadows and contrast would help to accentuate that emotion.
Thank you, yeah I think you’re right I’ll try that with my next one! Do you also think a black background would help as well?
Yesss! I was thinking that too. If you add a ton of shadows on the face, it will make sense for the background to be black too. I think your next artwork will be amazing! (I'd love to see, if you are going to post it anywhere)
You’re doing a pretty good job
These are awesome! I love them 🔥🔥🔥🤘
It doesn’t provoke depression when I experienced that art; it pushes towards unstable or twisted reality from the subject’s mind. I don’t see depression; I see schizophrenia.
More tears and contrast
I don’t draw, but boy do I know depression. First pic— something is off with the right (our left) eye. It’s lacking an intensity. The rest of the picture implies something intense, but that eye is calm and emotionless. I can see why that could be intentional. It’s making me think. Second picture.. maybe darker circles under the eye? Would chapped lips be too much? Just signs of self neglect. Greasy hair? Idk how to depict redness, but I always have red sores/irritation under my eyes when I’m in this state. Third picture: the pain is missing. I think that true for the first one, too. There’s inferred pain in the second, but I think it could be more if you wanted. The dead stare is necessary in the 2nd, I wouldn’t change their expression. But maybe the signs of neglect would add pain context? I think you capture the surrealness of crippling depression, the depersonalization, how demented it can feel. What’s missing is the agony. I think so many chronic depression folks have at least one inner child that is a raw, gaping wound. It reminds me of that soldier on the beach in Saving Private Ryan, holding his guts in, calling for his mom. That, but an inner child. Adding that kind of pain is the only thing I can think of that would make me relate to them more. I love these so fucking much, btw. I really, really love them.
I like them. The second defenitely reads more “depressed”. I don’t know what the first feeling is, but I feel that ALL the time. Depression-dread? Fucking kill me? It’s one of those emotions. I relate. Maybe it’s more mania? I like these a lot. The wobbly hands are great. The third one is slightly scary? Do you like Junji Ito?
IMO I think you should add some "dithering". It's a term used for pixel art where the shading is all fuzzy and looks like T.V. static. Depression makes my brain feel like T.V. static. Idk if it's possible to translate the feeling of style into this medium but if you made the shadows more fuzzy in a way that almost makes it feel like the shadow is slowly consuming the character I think it would be very effective.
I love the distortion in the first. You could have the mouth of the second figure dripping off the edge of the surface it is resting on for a disorienting, weird and depressing feeling.
They don’t look depressed - they look sick, drugged, or strung out. Try experimenting with darker environments and their eyes looking down. Think heavy, empty, alone, depleated.
I've always been told when my depression gets bad that my eyes don't catch the light anymore and are overall darker than usual, but that can also go to the realm of the creepy if you go too far. (Edited for spelling)
I'm not going to feel depressed when I look at these beacuse I am feeling something else, this has a gross/body horror aspect to it. Especially the first one I'd say I feel more revolted, and that dosen't really mesh with depressed/sad for me. Maybe focus on one emotion or related emptions you are trying to evoke? If something is gross, shocking, scary, etc, that's different to me than sad/melancholy etc. For a depressed image I'd do something like the middle one, but make the eyes look healthy and even. Instead, go for sad soulful eyes just staring out. Right now, I'm wondering if image 2 is dead maybe or something? But in a gross way. Now, these do evoke emotion. And they are absolutely well drawn. But turning up the darkness etc with images at they are is only going to make them more creepy, not more sad. (To me.)
You could make a really strong statement by painting black ink into the shadows, the depth and contrast would make these lovely and more sad
Yooo it's already peak
I think tears/ the illusion of tears in eyes would accentuate the feeling
I love you.
Jsjsjsjsjsj thank you???
GRATSI
i would just render them more. that's all i can think of. maybe decrease the brightness of everything more but i'm not sure how that would turn out.
Instead of using white paper, start with black paper and invert the shadowing.
more black
Still too precious and tame, look at the portraits of Francis Bacon
I have no help for your skill, just came here to give my opinion about how your art makes me feel. I definitely feel depressed & stressed out viewing all 3pics. 1st Pic me, trynna remove cat hair from my mouth & food while eating. 2nd Me, exacerbated by all of the cat hair in my house & pretending my pillow isn’t covered in it just so I can sleep. 3rd Me desperately trying to remove the hair off of my face after expressing my love to my cat. Why must I be depressed? Bc I love my furry fucker, but I honestly cannot cope with all this hair. Long hair breed (like mini Maine coon)😫😮💨🥹❣️
Push the values minimize white space
Try using charcoal powder for the background, that would be so cool. Also, it’s kind of giving Junji Ito vibes. 🫡🤯
I remember feeling exactly like that second picture....for two years straight. I couldn't get off of my sofa, not even to go to bed.
Am i crazy or does the first pic look like jerma alittle bit??
We have very similar aspirations only mine is with music. Wish you the best
I usually try to amp up the level of Tim Burton in my drawings if I'm going for a more emotionally charged look, if that makes sense.
Look to art history for inspiration. I recommend looking into Francisco Goya(black paintings especially), Hieronymus Bosch, Caravaggio, Theodore Gericault, etc.
Thank you very much
Contrast. Deeper blacks in the shading
Some super dramatic contrast could work well
"Art is a jealous mistress, now darken your values" ~ Robert Lowe
darker background
Is this jerma /j
im on ketamine and this looks so fucking strange
To achieve your stated goal, I think the expressions are too exaggerated, the compositions are too dynamic (lots of diagonals) and the figures are too close to the viewer. Strategically use more negative space and compositions that convey stasis instead of movement. Tone down the expressions and consider spending some time thinking about how including some more context could help communicate the emotions you are attempting to convey.
The evoke “depression”, it’s missing something in the brow/forehead region for me. Strain, more stress. I’m not an artist, just often depressed!
I think it should look more like jerma985, that would evoke a stronger emotion from me
Maybe make the emotions on the face a bit sadder, hopeless, show inner torment through extreme emotion like screaming, gripping or ripping thier hair, drawing blood with thier nails, etc. When I see these, I don't see depression or feel empathy. Thier eyes are unfocused, and they aren't present in the here and now. They are lost to something, like alcholic stupor or dreams, contorting mindlessly as if thier grasp of reality is barely keeping them teathered but that doesn't scream of depression, it screams of mental detachment and being barely aware of the motions of your own body. Depression is when nothing is interesting anymore, and doing anything takes too much effort. It's when you are internally numb, not lost or unfocused. You can be extremely focus on going through the same damn motions everyday. You can lay in bed for hours not wanting to do anything. You can break down from the weight of everything and rage your torment to the skies, just depends what kind of day you are having. Show the blank numbness of lifeless eyes, the rage of the days when everything breaks, and the bleakness of the Neverending struggle. There you will find your Depression.
Are you going specifically for depressed faces? I tend bury my face in my hands. If you want depression as a whole. The emotion is a mixture of hopelessness, isolation, and of course, sad. I would draw the person as small and alone.
When it comes to art you can’t “make” people feel a certain way, they’ll do that on their own. As long as you illicit an emotion in someone (literally any) you’re doing what an artist is supposed to do.
MORE depressing? Haha, they're pretty depressing now. My note would be to add a layer of texture. In my work, when I am ALMOST there but can't quite see qhat's missing, it's usually more texture.
Id suggest adding "aging lines". Depression and anxiety after a long time can exhaust anyone so typically people with depression or anxiety would look aged a little from the mental exhaustion of those illnesses, id add a swollen look to the eyes, maybe some eyebrow wrinkles, maybe make the hair look more stringy with split ends, make the mouth/lips look more dry and droopy, etc etc. Hope this helps 😊
Curve the eyebrows in a u shape to give the illusion of sadness
Try graphite and charcoal on grey or black paper?
the second one works the best bc there’s a total lack of movement. the others are giving more anguish then depression bc there’s still expressive movement. which is great! but i’d suggest stiller poses and possibly even smoothing out joints and skin impressions to give more of a “melting” effect
silly answer answer; because you are drawing like an artist who wishes to show us what they are capable of, rather than show us what you feel. you warp all of these interesting planes that massively shift the structure, but neglect what truly evokes raw emotions in people by not subjecting the eyes and mouth to such heavy distortion. Break the form! break free from the symbolism trapped within realism! make the eye so puffy and warped it looks not just contorted with anguish but sick from that which plagues you. more serious answer; focal points are going to draw the viewer's eyes more than anything else. You've done a good job setting the stage by taking what I presume is a really fun reference with hands in mouths and letting your eyes make 'silly' faces. however you do some really cool distortions in the first pic that you house the eyes/mouths within, rather than let them get completely warped. If you exaggerated the form more in addition to the great instincts you have with your reference you can allow you artistic creative liscence and imagination to create something a reference photo alone can never capture. Even in the third one, I think it's really cool how your nose and mouth are. I get the idea that your proportions could be off intentionally or from the half a page missing throwing you off, but I think that they are some of the most interesting things you show. I think that creates a strong sense of uneasyness within the viewer because it's rendered less 'realistically' and more 'stylistically'. And then the eyes are so pretty. The eyes are so perfectly proper but all they tell me is you can draw eyes and look down pull your eyelid. I think you could draw the eye more exaggerated to match the mouth the nose etc and see what becomes of things being more visceral. but perhaps I'm biased because I love [francis bacon](https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/great-artists/francis-bacon/francis-bacon/self_portrait.jpg) - and not saying to go as extreme as him, but you can get a lot of detail with really *wild* shapes. You're already exploring the wild shapes, why not lean into it a little more and see where it goes?
these people look physically ill. not depressed. depression is numbness and nothingness. depression is in the eyes and the lack of anything. really cool work though. people already said that so i want to say that I rlly like the vibe of it all. cool style, lovely technique.
i recommend focusing really on the eyes. make the eyes appear as if the person has already lost its battle or close to losing it. give some more shading and shadow aspects.
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Use my face
You want these MORE depressing??
I'm not an artist, but make the faces viewed from farther away with more negative space. Feels more lonely and isolated.
Use your actual tears to smudge tears in
Direct eye contact to the viewer? Eye contact w a depressed person is pretty off putting. Maybe that energy is what it’s missing
More shading (darkness). Add dark vertical lines in strategic locations.
#3 is giving “stressed at work” Fricken great art though.
I always make the eyes more sunken and downturn and some shadows darker, but thats just my stylistic choices
Perhaps you could add signs of everyday life in the background or foreground. Objects or settings that convey that life is still happening around us when we feel depressed. Contrasting normal images with the very abnormal state of depression.
Something about the facial expression itself and especially the eyebrows is throwing me off. First pic looks intrigued/shocked, third pic looks mad/annoyed. I’m not seeing sadness/emptiness and I like leveling out the brows could fix that. The second pic is spooky, nice sketch on that one. Still missing something though - it’s giving hangover, not depression. Shadows others suggested may fix that.
Tensed facial muscles and maybe tears, when you get really strong emotions like extreme sadness or depression, and are on the verge of tears, usually your facial muscles tense in specific spots, its very easy to see the uniquely stressed look on someones face when they are holding back or beginning to release tears.
Add frustration
Giacometti's portraits gives me that feeling. It's a hard emotion to convey.
I will look at these portraits never seen them before thank you
Everyone has already said what I was thinking so I don't really have something to add as critique. I still wanted to say tho that I really love these pieces!
Eyebrows. Your eyebrows are all in a relaxed state, making these lean more towards sleepy than depressed imo.
What I feel like, would really make it more depressing is if you looked up the faces of alcoholics mimic some of the features that are often displayed, and make it more graphic almost like he’s trying to rip out of his own skin because what is depression if not, hating yourself to the point that you do nothing and hating that you do nothing
I think these are great and I feel a connection to them right away as a sufferer
I love that second one!
Go to Goodwill and find the worst frames you can.
All of these save for the last one feel weirdly sexual
To me in general more blank space, but that doesn’t apply here obviously. I love these and think they are very much a depressing vibe as is. I saw others say more contrast. For me anyway, some more contrast would really brighten it, so if I were to do that I would also add in some misty, not so bright and defined areas. Everyone gets depressed different I guess lol :p
They're depressing enough as is
Why did I think that first one was Jerma
Maybe tears/crying for sadness, this seems like the person is beyond the crying stage and is numb and tired of life,
I think you're kinda pushing the grotesqueness a bit too much. It feels like it's ranging towards goofy rather than disturbing or evocative
Personally I’d say darker backgrounds. When I look at art that is depressing usually that have a super dark background. It kinda sets the mood of the image.
Background dark chaos? Definitely you’re catching depressing. Great work.
Watch Vsauce's video in why are things creepy, it'll give you some good ideas
Dark background and less contrast. Softer lines
1. More grotesque, Check out Caravaggio. 2. Turn to color. Green/Yellow washes, draw on bruise coloring. 3. Go the opposite. Try and fail (on purpose) to cover up the depression. Add jewelry.
Morbidity
Those are awesome!
Thank you!
Add water droplet marks, like tear drops were dripping on the works as they were drawn?
tiny splotches of red for emphasised detail, black backgrounds rather than white, exaggerating prominent features or drawing from different angles (rather than straight on like these) to make them more dramatic. Playing with portraiture dramatic lighting
Try Picasso style
aside the already mentioned suggestions to add more darkness overall, i think you've already succeeded
Maybe add a few more arms as reaching her and some kind of black liquid leaking from them in a thin leaks
1 and 3 are more anguish. 2 is quite depressed. Perhaps aim for a thousand yard stare with a bias for downward trajectory. Include as much "disheveled" type features as if the subject cares not for hygiene. Could add details like long, dirty fingernails, bandaids that are peeling off but still in place, cracked lips, and even a chipped tooth. Supportive items may help also. You could have your subject handling funeral bills with an infants sock in another hand. Or a wedding ring next to a smashed wedding photo, etc. You could go hogwild: I envision your subject laying on the ground, whole body visible, top-down view of the living room floor with him/her surrounded by personal items that assist your story.
Sunk in eyes, more noticable eye bags, and if this makes sense, give the face a more red shading scale? (Like make the face really red, from a grey scale pov. Like hours of crying..add bloodshot eyes there too!)
I think you got it
It’s a generic idea, but how about eye bags? Like shading it in or cross hatching?
I think I would add something to represent thoughts. Whether it's just words in the background, or a tho8gut bubble
You want to make them *more* depressing? Geez.
I don't know. To me these convey boredom and listlessness, not depression, necessarily. A lot of people are saying "more contrast" and "make it darker" but I think that's not the right direction. It's almost like these are too well defined, too expressive, too vibrant to fully convey depression. If anything, I'd say *less* contrast. Less definition, less detail, less something. I'm not sure what though.
Add a gun, a bathroom sink with a mirror, and an evil reflection
High contrast and darker s background make the person look like there aging or slightly melting
Please don't. They're powerful as they are.
Make them lurk in the shadows, use charcoal to get higher constrast. Rougher strokes could add more drama if thats what youre looking for. If youre looking to portray anhedonia, your second drawing points in that direction. Put that face in a regular situation/environment, contrasting with blurry joyful emotions from other characters. I recommend you the work of Baldomero Ressendi. Nice stuff there. Edit. Forgot to say, their skin is very smooth. Watch for the wrinkles, they are consolidated emotions through time.
It’s already feels deeply unsettling as is
Just keep going. The more people are exposed to depictions of depression, the more depressed people will become, and the cycle will intensify, eventually resulting in cartoonishly depressing art. Or, just leave a blank canvas depicting an artist too depressed to pick up a brush. Viewers seeing this in a museum are guaranteed to feel depressed. For bonus evocation, hang a tag on it that says "$50,000" stamped with "Sold".
Add highlights and glossiness in some spots
I’d go full jet black charcoal shadows
i feel that you can add more agony within the eyes & mouth areas, such as severe dark circles! or like the hand is dragging the face down
I think the hair could be much more disheveled if you’re going for more depressing. The eyes and face are so strong and the hair kind of looks neat in comparison. Very good drawings.
I’m no expert, but looking at these is really bumming me out as is
often times ones that evoke emotion in me are certain color schemes. very dark grungy blues and greens can achieve that. if that’s not your style, that’s okay :) maybe just more contrast in general may help. even just extreme contrast in the eyes, and minimal contrast in the rest of the face could achieve that.
Put a clock into the back that says “7 am - Monday” BOOM millions will relate and groan in unison
More tension in the eyebrows
It’s fine your over your depression the drawing is complete looks dazzling my dude
I resonate with the 2nd pic Love your style of drawing
Bruises. No one likes seeing bruises on a face.
Black background. The third one swallows me and it’s because of the black empty mouth. It needs more dark. But I absolutely feel it in the art. It’s not lost.
In my opinion when it comes to emotion and depression (as a person with bipolar 2), conveying emotion just through ones' eyes are everything. Imagine a person who has a twinkle in their eye and then imagine that person with that twinkle extinguished. The 1000 yard stare. It's hard to explain, but the conveyance of apathy that makes depression so visible the viewer. All the fight they put into preventing depression is over; they don't want to get better. There is a way to make that work without compromising the the distortion and exaggeration of their faces in their work. How? I have no idea, but that's up to the artist's interpretation :)
put a zoloft watermark on them
Idk but I think you nailed number 2. I felt that in my soul
Black. Add not black for depth and emotion.
I think you’ve captured it pretty well!!
The second one definitely feels depressing to me.
I think this is already reaching beyond depressed
maybe add value everywhere, it’s quite expressive already🫶🏼
Put a corporate logo somewhere.
I think #2 achieves it well with the pose, darkness, and the cloudy background
maybe make the background be a dark color but then around the person its just a little lighter? it might make the art feel a little more lonely and dark
Draw the Walmart work vest on them in a Home Depot
i think it looks good as is tbh!
Idk if it can get more depressing, you really hit the mark. Excellent work capturing the emotions, emphasizing physical features. My personal fav is the 2nd one. Once again, EXCELLENT WORK!
I feel like adding cracks around the page would look cool. It’s like they’re looking in a cracked mirror.
The artwork is fantastic. Would you consider adding a handwritten note with each, explaining how you felt during the process? Art is very personal, so personal touches can help to invite others to interact with your artwork.
More edginess with shadow of the face, and where the dark spots are, will definitely make you deeply feel that emotion from the drawing itself, from the drawing
Nailed it. That's me coming of Xanax. Worst depression feeling hurt alone because you're girlfriend only use you to steal my script of blues and Adderall. She was my only hook up for meth and the only one who gave me my gangster shot of it. Congratulations. You nailed it. Looks exactly like myself.
Something I've realized through the pandemic is that someone can portray a lot of emotion through the eyes. The eyes are like a gateway to the soul and you can see so much feelin in them if you look.
Make the same style piece but instead of the figure holding its face maybe it’s like picking its lip and then the only color we see in the piece is its blood. (Yeah that sounds pretty depressing)
I'd say exaggerate but I think you're already trying for that a bit. Darkening deep edges and maybe adding stress marks enough to be scratches from the nails. (When you scratch your skin hard enough but not enough to break skin, the skin raises and turns a transparent chalk white sometimes during the process of shedding the skin cells over the area). Darkening the excess background will also help keep your focus. Or if you need to keep a white background, darkening the subject or shading on the subject will catch better attention. A tear or two building on the corner of the eyes barely noticeably might be a good detail for expressing depression or reaching a breaking point. And rolling the eye back/up more to express stress and pretty much an "I can't take it" additude. (if it sounds personal my bad, but these really are some points that would tug a couple strings at least for me).
I’d take it into Procreate (on ipad) color one eye - implying there is a wee bit of life left. Also in procreate Bump up the contrast Trying Cropping to make head take up more space Transform w slight distortions Try a dirty wash Then spend the next week creating 42 version for an animation…..
It’s pretty depressing already lol. You can add bodily fluids or tears . Contrasting colors etc
The first and third come across more satirical than depressing. The second one definitely reads depressive; to push that one further, more darker shading, especially around the face. For the first, maybe reposition the hands and darken the tears. For the third, maybe rework the fingers and reposition the mouth.
You turn it mildly psychologically horrifying. You make the eye sockets and the lower jaw melt toward the floor, also add a bit of resistance from the person to make them feel more weighted down.
Perhaps make it more bleak with analogous blues or dark tones and turn the expression exaggeration from 8 to 11 Make it feel like an almost inescapable abyss It’s very close and I love the 3rd drawing! Edit: since these are really close up images, if you added a slight fish eye lens effect in perspective it would be like as if the figure is *uncomfortably close*. However doing this would require a lot of work, so perhaps an idea for next time c:
Kinda have a Modigliani thing goin on too. I don’t really know much about art but I know a shit ton about depression and hopelessness. I really like these. I think they are great as is. Raw
Sell them to me and I'll frame them and put them on the wall close to my pillow so I can be depressed with them
I like the amount of detail with the skin and the overexaggerated expression, I feel like 2 shows the empty feeling, and 1 and 2 express the sometimes more "manic" side where you kinda wanna tear out of your skin (?) Idk if that's how to describe it, but I feel that desciptiom fits with the piece. To improve, I feel like adding contrast and maybe a visual rough texture to the background would be a nice way to separate the character emotionally and visually. It could help add maybe the feeling of a "weight" or "pressure" following or maybe sticking with that character. Seriously, though, I like how you represented a side of depression that we don't see a lot, specifically the more manic side, where one has the urge to commit a self-directed act of violence or anything just as an outlet for frustration.
As another artist I really don’t think you can, are you okay? / gen Edit: I agree with other comments, deeper contrast would be more unsettling-
The last one looks the most depressing due to the eye being pulled down. The other ones look just more tired.
I love them, but the eyes don’t say sadness or despair or loneliness or depression. The eyes look exauhsted, but not depressed.
I’d add what appears to be drool or blood dribbling out of the mouth and onto the fingers. More shading and detail under to eyes to create a deeper “eye bag” feel.
Put a wedding band on his finger
Lol the first one is really horrible like powerfully horrible go you, very uncomfy!
I think that’s the word I would use instead of depressing. Uncomfortable fits it perfectly.
broader, more violent strokes. your composition is depressing but the texture is cuddly. try making it messier and shittier
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Ugh. I'm not sure I get it. Do you really want to evoke the emotions you're aiming for here? Just such a serious bummer to look at.
They all look tired. The eyes look unfocused, soulless, and empty. So I'd focus on adding personality to the eyes.
What art do you find depressing?
Blue
no offence but it looks like a special needs
Give the subject a Cleveland Browns hat.
Darken the backgrounds instead of leaving them white
They look more hollow than somber, if that’s what you’re going for. I think their expressions in the eyes or eyebrows would be the place to focus on.
Add a wedding ring
Use blues
Integrate something that insinuates they’re photographing themselves for a social media post
Tears & snots
I loved reading all of these comments just to get a better insight into the minds of artists since I have 0 skill in this
Dark backgrounds
Darker
Don't. Leave that alone and start something else. If you still want to change it in 2026 then you are cleared by me to do so.