How I Made: Geisha

Thanks go out to Ashley Guyot for this Photoshop CC and Corel Painter 13 How I Made. See more of her work at www.behance.net/ashguyot.

 

01: Initial Sketch

I started by doing a monochromatic value sketch of the composition, making sure it was very close to what the final image would look like.
 

02: Add in Colour

I duplicated the value sketch layer, locked the transparent pixels (magic!), and added some colour to the values. I wanted to give her a rusty, patinated vibe.
 

03: Deeper Shades

I then added a layer under the value layer and painted in some colours for her skin and kimono, while adding deeper shades to the value sketch.
 

04: Switching Programs

Jumping back and forth between Photoshop and Corel, I refined the painting a bit more, blending and adding colours and detail.
 

05: Reference Photo

I chose another reference photo to add some visual interest to the background, enlarging and blurring it until it was only indistinct light and dark shapes. I painted it in using a layer mask.
 

06: Blended Background

I went back into Corel Painter and blended the background further to give it a more painted look.
 

07: Texture Play

I played with the background a bit more until I was satisfied, then used a layer mask and blending modes to add texture to the model’s kimono and gas mask.
 

08: Final Details

At this stage, I added the final details to the artwork and the digital painting was done.