A_P_TPC_Vol11_2015_

TURN PHOTOS INTO PAINTINGS

12

START ON THE FLOWERS

Now that the base details for the woman

are done, group the related layers into one group.

On the flower line art layer, make sure the lines are

cleaned up using masks, filters, or erasing. Lock

the transparent pixels of the flower layer (located

under the Layer Settings in the Layer panel), and

brush in a secondary colour. A brighter orange

was used to make the flowers pop. Underneath

the flowers layer, add a new petals layer. With

lower Flow and Transparency settings, create

lighter scattered petals.

11

ADD EVEN MORE INTEREST

To add further interest, pull in some

additional colours. Be sure to have colours that aren’t

too contrasted and work well with your current

palette. In this image the woman has been given a

different look compared to the original stock art,

mostly by using liberal strokes and flatter shades of

colour. Colours from her hair and flowers were also

used on her skin to harmonise these elements.

When satisfied with your colouring, mask off some

of the line art that is no longer needed.

13

ADD CASCADING PETALS

Continue adding in your petals in various

shapes and sizes and create a cascading effect

from the foreground flowers. The goal is a loose

feel of the petals, but make sure to keep them

relatively petal shaped. Make sure they are

blending seamlessly with the foreground flowers.

To help achieve this, further mask some of the

original flower line art and add in the same pop

colour. To help with the cascading effect, more

loose hair was added to the woman’s colour layer.

10

ADD IN INTEREST

Refine your colouring further. The

colouring should ease in well with the image and

not look too smooth or jagged. If you are finding it’s

becoming muddy, try Color Balancing your brush

strokes, or try setting your brush setting to Multiply

or Overlay. Colouring her hair a few different

shades of blue has added more interest to the

image. Be sure to keep the strokes relatively loose

and layered. Afterwards, mask off the colour layer

and creatively mask areas of interest, like where

her hair and the flowers intersect.

09

START TO COLOUR IN

Time to start colouring in our image. Create a new layer over the woman layer but underneath the

line art layer. Using the new reddish colours as a base, brush over the details of her face using the same brush

listed earlier. Keep within the lines with her face and skin, but use artistic licence when colouring her hair.

GET INTO DETAIL

LAY COLOUR AND BRUSH STROKES TO CREATE A PAINTED FEEL

001 KEEP IT LOOSE

Since the idea is for a watercolour look, keep the brush strokes a bit loose with

a textured feel

002 USE REFERENCES

This is a good time to use references of how light and shadow affect a person’s

face for accurate detail

003 ADD COLOURS

Start with a single colour for shading, and continuously pull in different colours for

shading via Eyedropper (I) or Color Picker

001

003

002

The colouring should ease in

well with the image and not

look too smooth or jagged