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Here is a new tutorial for all the drawing lovers. In this tutorial, we will make a quick sketch, scan the sketch, and convert it into Photoshop. Then the fun will begin. Drawing a portrait is not very simple, but with some knowledge you can achieve a lot. The end result may not look exactly like the person you are trying to draw, but the important thing is to do the best you can and make the eyes, mouth, or nose look similar to your subject.
The end result in this tutorial looks more like me, but to tell you the truth this is just a coincidence. Also, I would like to thank Necula Cezar for throwing a helpful hand in this… I am working hard to produce great quality tutorials for you and help is a must.
Final Image Preview
This is the image you will create. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psdtuts+ PLUS for just $19/month. You can view the final image preview below or view a larger version here.
Step 1
First of all you need to make a rough sketch, scan the image and import it into Photoshop.
Step 2
Next, create a new transparent layer over the sketch (name it "sketch"). Then using a small brush, draw the sketch again, but this time make it more accurate.
Step 3
Create a new layer and place it below the "sketch" layer and name it "color." Using a soft brush draw the color over the face, using this code: #e9b68b.
Step 4
According to the light source angle (which is in the top-left), draw some shading using a soft Brush (B). This time use the same color but give it a slightly darker touch.
Step 5
Reduce the brush opacity and continue to darken the shadows some more.
Step 6
Mix the color and the shadow with the Smudge Tool (R), which results in a nice transition between the face color and shadow.
Step 7
It’s time to add the hair color. Use the same brush that you did for the face, but this time use color #3c210f.
Step 8
It is time to add some details to the hair. Draw thin lines, each in different directions. Use a darker (#9f815d ) and a lighter color (#1e0d05) for this. With the help of the Smudge Tool (R) and the Opacity set to 20, smudge the thin hair you just created. This will help you make the hair more realistic.
Step 9
You need to draw thin lines along all the head part until you get something similar to the image below.
Step 10
For this step you need to start adding the light on the face. Select a soft brush and also lower the Opacity of the brush. This will help you create the light effect gradually. After you are set with the brush, start adding some light using the color #ffdebb.
Step 11
It is time to work on the eyes now. Color the iris of the eye and the white side with these colors: #edddb9 and #797866.
Step 12
Add some more color and details to the eyes.
Step 13
Make the eyes shiny by placing some light on them. Also, create some shadow over them. You need to create the thickness of the eyelid by drawing some shadow on the lower side of the eyelids.
Step 14
Slowly erase the sketch and add some more light on the eyes.
Step 15
Next, work on the mouth.
Step 16
For the lips I used this color #d58b6a.
Step 17
The upper lip is darker then the lower one because the upper lip is where you need to draw the shadow. The color used is: #8f6048
Step 18
To bring more realism to the lips you need to draw some darker lines over the upper lip using a small brush. Also you need to smudge the lines.
Step 19
Same as you did with the upper lip you need to do with the lower lip, but this time use lighter colors to make the lip shiny. Also, you need to make a selection around the upper lip and use the Burn Tool (O) to add some more details.
Step 20
Repeat the burning process over the lower lip. Also, draw some more lines and make the textured lip detail and gradually erase the sketch.
Step 21
Refine the eye wrinkles and eyebrows with a low opacity Burn Tool (O), then smudge them as we did with the hair.
Step 22
Add a little red to the cheeks (#e6986e), to make it more human and some grey for the beard. Start drawing the beard with a soft brush set to a low opacity and then use the Smudge tool to mix the colors. The color for the grey is #908478. Also, as you can see, I have added some more shadow on the face.
Step 23
These last steps are the finalizing steps. Erase the sketch and Smudge the tips of the hair to create some volume.
Step 24
Smudge the skin and the eyebrows.
Step 25
Smudge the forehead skin color over the hair to create the hair roots.
Step 26
Add some light on the nose and the area under the nose. This will make them shine.
Conclusion
You are finished with the face. Place a nice background or maybe fuse your portrait into one of your illustrations. You can view the final image below or view a larger version here.
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By Constantin Potorac
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Excellent tutorial! I’ve been waiting for this!
Very nice indeed!
Oh man! Crazy tut…never knew so in depth possiblities in PSD….
Love the mullet! This is really useful, thank you for taking the time to put this together.
ANjRit!!! (awesome)……
thx a lot, this is very useful and easier than other digital painting tutorials that i’ve ever seen.
You’re Anjrit dude!!!he2
THIS SHOWING THE DEPTH OF PHOTOSHOP
this is really woundful i love tut
Very bad. Dirty… where are ears? its not ears, its stumps xD
Eyes absolutely not live. The upper lip as though is pasted. Already under the sketch it is visible that the author is not able to draw)))))))
sry for my english).
Excellent tut it seems so easy to draw, thanks
this was rubbish
This is cool. Good job on the drawing! You don’t see stuff like this done like photoshop too much, so it’s nice to see!
Anyone remember that board game called Guess Who? This kind of reminds me of one of those faces!
I was thinking the exact same thing about Guess Who? Excellent job, I’ve always been a little afraid of processes such as this, but this tut lays it out beautifully.
woooooowwwwww…
cool..
excelent..
i’ll try it..
great!!
excelent job!!!
thanks for the tut..
Very cool…
but i’m very poor in drawing..
:D LawrencE :D
Some of the guys making negative comments about this tut want to lighten up. Ever heard of artistic license. Personally I think its a nice tut with a terrific outcome. Extremely stylistic!
+1
Good tutorial. You have the basics nailed down well in here. One suggestion is to perhaps include information on texturing the face. When texture is brought in, it add a lot more realism to the image and looks more life like. Using a spackled brush set to a medium opacity, then painting at colours slightly darker and slightly lighter than the skintone can bring some dramatic and exceptional results. Keep up your good work though.
woooooooouuuuuu very interesant
Excellent ….
How to make a transparant layer (step 1)?
that’s a nice work, I’m going to try it.
ok lol
Nice tutorial!
It’s really great how realistic the result is, but sometimes I prefer drawings who look more sketchy so that you can tell that it isn’t a photograph.
greets
cool!
lookin forward to see more from you!
Great work!
Damn!! And I actually PAINT my portraits…… LOL!
Great stuff!
How to draw my portrait.
Great job
I’d really like to know what brushes were used to trace the original sketch because I am a newbie to Photoshop and I am using CS3 and all of my brushes are bad. There is no precision. In order to get smoother brushes, I have to transfer the work to Illustrator.
HATE YOU!
YOU MADE ME WORK IN SCHOOL!!!!
-kills you-
well done
nice
MUy bueno, justo lo que necesitaba!
Real great! Just what I needed!
Note to people who are asking about brushes: Just look at it. He’s using a standard circle brush, nothing special. It is amazing how some people think the key to a good painting/picture is in brushes. In most cases though, depending on other people’s brushes makes your art look like rubbish.
Nice tutorial, a good overview of the steps you take.
really a fantastic tut…!!!
this is very nice &useful to new learner.
this is very nice &useful to new learner.much more i want to learn it.
heres my finished version!
great tut
omg! great!
very well man very well
That was awesome! =p~
great but difficult
fantastic !
super!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
No offense but you rely on the smudge tool wayyyy too much. And it looks like he has blue smooshed all over his chin.
Amazing Work Tutorial (y)
Thanks
Smudgetool is for beginners in my opinion. Never used it, and its way overrated, it also lookes fake.
There are much better tutorials on painting portraits on deviantart so guys, give that site a look.
On the other hand, i like the portrait.
Tip: in real life paintings you dont have a burn, dogde or smudgetool, so if you want to paint digitally, you dont NEED that! Shadows that are created by the burntool are just not colors you want in a portrait.
Another tip for digital painters: Learn the colorscheme, Shadows and hihglights just dont look like this.
Other than that nice portrait.
i agree…there are a lot of tuts on DA better than this , with better results
i realy like the burn and dodge tool so…:)
check out my portraits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/don_grafixote/sets/72157607560311368/show/
Increíble!
I feel speechless..