Tutorial #7 (repost)

[goodbyebird]

A couple of images missing from the first one - this is why I'm re-uploading everything! - but you should be able to understand what I did =)

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First I started with Derek's cap, using the pen tool I cropped him out nice and easy, pasted him into an empty 100x100 canvas. I then dropped a mm3butterfly texture underneath him, knowing I was going for a light, pale look.
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I might have been a bit too easy breezy with the pen tool, so used the blur tool(low setting) on his sides to smooth out the sharper edges of his torso.


I knew I wanted the focus on his tattoo, and was lucky enough to find a texture that did just that. Setting it to screen, the borders bring your eyes to the tattoo nicely. No idea who the maker is, sorry.
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Made a second copy of the texture and set it to soft light 26%. This further lightens the colors of the icon.


Made a peach colored fill layer, #f9ad81, set it to multiply 26%.


Duplicated Derek's cap twice and dragged them to the top, set the first to screen 14% and the second to soft light 30%. This helps bring back the yummy highlights on his back.
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Copy merged and set it to soft light 17%. Et voilà!



So this is the icon I made right after the first one. They're both pale colorings, but I went about making them in vastly different ways. Goes to show that I don't have a clue what I'm up to when I open photoshop; I basically hit a daze and come out the other side remembering the first and last two or three layers, tops. But I guess that's why I find it so relaxing ;)

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To find the crop I wanted here, I wound up rotating the cap, which left me with an ugly gap in the upper left corner. Naturally, I couldn't just leave it, but fortunately it was just Allison's hair, so using the close tool or picking out the color with the eyedropper, I covered it easily enough.
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I didn't care for all the red tones, added a color fill layer in very light beige,#c7b299, set to color 48%.


Slapped a simple curves layer on there to brighten things up.


Still fiddling with the color, I added a second color fill layer in light brown, #8c6239, set to multiply 16%.


Copy merged and set it to soft light 25%, to get some contrast back in.


Threw a gradient fill layer on there, set to soft light 31%, adding some focus to Allison's cheek and eyes eyes.


Added a texture by fouroux, set to color 10%, fighting those reds a bit more. (lord knows why I keep removing red and then using beige color fills. Like I said, really not conscious of my process at all.)
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Vibrance layer, -34. I think this is where I decided to go pale with the coloring. At least my process makes some kind of sense from here on out? *g*


Levels layer to brighten it a bit, 0 | 1 | 209.


Added a texture, set to screen 72%.
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Painted some white blobs over areas I wanted brightened, used gaussian blur on them and set the layer to normal 43%. (minus the black background; it's only there so you can see the blobs)
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Added two mm3butterfly textures, flipped the first horizontally and set them both to screen
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Another copy merge, set to soft light 71%.


A color balance layer to get a more blueish tint to the highlights.


Vibrancy +25, and you're done. Also, I probably used smart sharpen on one of the copy+merge layers set to soft light. Ask away if you have any questions :)

Comments

[impala_chick]

Thanks so much for this! Adding a vibrance layer was a totally new thing for me. Also gaussian blur! What a game changer. I wasn't sure how you made that layer since when I drew shapes it wouldn't let me use the blur, so I just created a black fill layer, then drew white shapes and merged them down into the black fill layer and added the gaussian blur and I think it worked.

[goodbyebird]

Vibrancy and Gaussian blur are super heroes 💪💪💪

I wasn't sure how you made that layer since when I drew shapes it wouldn't let me use the blur, so I just created a black fill layer, then drew white shapes and merged them down into the black fill layer

Huh. If you made a new layer and drew on it, you should have been able to gaussian blur it... 🤔

[impala_chick]

I must be using the wrong tool to draw? I tried using pen, free pen, and then rectangle on a new layer. But then when I click on gaussian blur it says, "Layer is not editable." The work-around with merging down into a black layer is worth it for the same effect, though.

[goodbyebird]

oh right, ok. I just use the brush to draw on a new layer. But right-clicking on a selection should give you a menu that has Gaussian blur, I believe.

[impala_chick]

OH, brush tool!! That clears it up, thanks :)