So, I’ve seen a lot of fan produced media, and even professionally produced media that gets freckles all wrong so I thought, as a collector of freckles I might try to lend a helping hand
So I guess we should first start off with is, what are freckles and how do you get them?
Freckles are natural skin damage from the sun. Everyone gets sun damage to some degree, even if you bathe in sunscreen everyday. Now of course, not everyone in the world has freckles. That’s because people with paler skin are more likely to get them, but even in that case not all pale people produce freckles and people with darker skin may also produce freckles but are less likely too. I read an article once that severe freckling is the cause of the body’s inability to produce a tan, so instead of getting a nice even color you get spots. I don’t know how much truth there is to that but it makes sense.
Anyways, I’m rambling. The point is that’s what causes freckles. Now I’ll move on to the points of correction:
incorrect freckle fact #1: babies aren’t born with freckles
As stated above, freckles are the cause of exposure to sun. Drawing a baby with freckles makes about as much sense as drawing a baby with a tan. Just because one of the parents has freckles doesn’t mean the baby grew spots in the womb. Which leads to me to my second point
Now of course, the physical tributes that cause freckles are passed on to you by your dna but the freckles themselves are not. Basically what I’m trying to say is I’m tired of seeing family members who have the same exact pattern of freckles that’s not how freckles work! They can be simililar but are not the same. Think of freckles as tiny tons of birthmarks. Do you and your mom have all the exact same size, shape, color, and position of birthmarks? No, of course not.
Incorrect freckle fact#3: Your freckle patterns will never change
I see this a lot in series with some sort of time skip. You see characters with freckles as a kid or teenager, then skip ahead ten years and find they have the same group of clusters on their cheeks that people all seem to find so endearing but nothing else. Now, while I can’t speak for anyone who has had freckles, I can speak for myself, my family, and my friends when I say YOU GET MORE FRECKLES. I can look back at pictures of myself as a child and noticeably seeing myself acquire more freckles as I get older. That being said, freckles can also fade, so it’s very believable for a character who had noticeable freckles when they were young to grow up to have ones that were so faded you didn’t really recognize them anymore.
Incorrect freckle fact#4: If it’s never seen the light of day, it doesn’t need a freckle
This is something I’ve noticed quite a bit in nsfw media where a character is at least partially nude. Now remember that in order to acquire freckles you need sun damage. So if said character isn’t known as a fan of being nude for sunbathing, there shouldn’t be freckles there. Just remember that freckles are like a tan.
Now, all that being said I can offer you some ideas on where freckles can and should be placed:
Shoulders: If someone has a lot freckles, a lot of them are concentrated in this area. It’s the area that people most often leave uncovered, and it’s directly underneath the sunlight most of the day as opposed to other areas which are sort of concealed under your own shadow
Collar Bone: This is another area of cluster freckles, especially on women considering often it is the only part of the chest that is exposed. With women, and with men to a lesser degree you will see a half circle of freckles. Imagine your character wearing a tank top and the half circle of freckles should follow that neckline. Unless your character is the type to never expose even that much in which case just remember that freckles are like a tan.
Legs: Another great place for freckle placement, they’re more likely to be less freckled then the other areas unless your character wears nothing but shorts.
Arms: Another area that can be heavily freckled. Unless your character wears nothing but long sleeve shirts
Face: Another area that can be heavily freckled, freckles on the face are most common across the cheeks and nose. They also occur often above the brow and the forehead if it isn’t covered by hair. They don’t occur very often around the mouth or the chin but it isn’t unheard of, and they’re often seen on the upper lip but usually less freckled
Miscellaneous: Freckles can occur in strange places. I have some on my eyelids, as well as the knuckles of my toe. Remember that freckles are like a tan (Have I said that enough yet to annoy you?) And with that in mind some of the things I might have suggested against in placement may work for your character, so you’ll have to make a judgement call.
Also remember freckles come in a large variety! Some peoples are big or small noticeable or faint, a lot or a little, more brown or more reddish so look around, do a little research!
You might just catch freckle fever~!
Paranorman hits way to close to home. I will admit that I cried.
Me and probably most on this site know what it feels like to be the outcast and want to make people hurt.
But the moral of it is that you will never be truly alone and sometimes you should forgive people not for their sake but for yours.
It is a really good movie.
There is a lovely charm to stop motion.
Also, why was there a ghost in the living room? That is a room for living.
I am Silver Tongue, I am an artist. I have many characters and you can check out my art in the art tag. I occasionally practice witchcraft though I don't do anything too complicated. I am girl 2 and don't know what else to put here.
