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Description
I'm not sure if this would qualify as a tutorial to how to paint a portrait, I just wanted to show a simple visual walk-through of my painting process. As I'm still learning to use digital media, I'm very limited to the the few tools that I have figured out to use. Honestly, I want to show that painting digital is NOT all that difficult, its all in your head (A blank page can be quite intimidating)

In the case of a portrait like this where there's only one subject, I tend to keep layers to a minimum. (3 at max, read on as to why)
Also the numbering doesn't indicate which box I'm referring to. These are just the steps. You can figure out what's happening above while reading the following.

1. Background, obviously on a separate layer, I start sketching quite loose. It's vital that at this point, the placements of the anatomical features are aligned correctly, as fixing them can be quite annoying. Sometimes I do the sketch on one layer or in other cases, if it's a pose that I'm not too familiar with, I do a rough sketch, lower the opacity, and do a clean line work on a new layer. What you're seeing above is the clean sketch where I have removed the rough sketch I had. Tip: to intensify the color of your sketch, duplicate it and merge together.

2. Now on a new layer in BETWEEN the sketch and background layer, I start blocking out the colors. Also make sure the sketch layer is on multiply, it further intensifies the sketch. This is just a preference as I like to show the underlying sketch even in my finished piece. Make sure you have a color scheme already decided, in this case I was using a reference but I always go with slightly saturated colors. Don't go into details, use a large brush. I use a default chalk brush with manual Opacity and Flow control. That is also just a preference, some people like a more smooth look to their paintings.

3. Once the blocking in is done I merge the sketch and color layer together (risky, so duplicate layers to keep as back up). When it comes to detailing I like to start with areas I don't like very much, example; ears. This is helpful as once you actual paint the features that are the most significant in the painting you will most probably start loosing your patience and will not pay as much attention to the rest of face. Also if you think you're spending too much time on one thing and getting bored, jump to another thing. I like working with the cheeks, jawline, neck and everything that is not the eyes or the mouth first. The hair is the last priority for me, as it sometimes can take a longer time than everything else.

4. You might notice a subtle color change. I play around with color balance a lot. Most noticeably I make the cheeks, ears and mouth redder. I use the lasso tool to select those aforementioned areas separately with "feathering" at 50 px. You can change that in the tool properties area (hope that's the right word) as this gives the selected area a fade instead a being jaggy shape with a color difference. At this point it's a lot of repetition of detailing and the occasional color balancing. Once I'm done with the face and body, I start painting the hair. It's all up to as to how long you will spend painting. I see some artists spend twice or maybe even longer time on the hair as it's the most expressive feature of a person (I think...) of a person, especially in a female. Obviously with the hairstyle in this painting, I didn't spend all that much time. In this case the fringe was what I spent the most time on.

5. Finally, I apply a texture for the background. At this point I play around a lot with Selective Color, Color Balance, Levels, Brightness and Contrast. I try to make the mid tones accurate to the skin color and make the highlights and shadows pop out. Also I apply a bit of noise to the painting. There's a couple of tutorials on how to do that. I like it as it gives the painting a more photographic property.

And there you go. I guess the explanation was bit too long but I'm one of those people who goes full in depth with topics that I'm very passionate about. I hope someone finds this helpful, especially to those who are trying to transition from traditional to digital media. Trust me, it's intimidating. All those tools on your screen can be frightening, but approach it like this; it's basically all the ideas and intuition in your mind when painting traditionally, distilled into a computer program. If you can think it, photoshop can probably do it. It's just that all those ideas are broken down into tools that enable you to create them.

I started learning to paint digitally only early this year, and it hasn't been that long. All it takes is time and your dedication.
Learn more from where I'm getting all my education --> ctrl+paint

Really appreciate it if you leave a like on my FB page.
If not Instagram

Description
I'm not sure if this would qualify as a tutorial to how to paint a portrait, I just wanted to show a simple visual walk-through of my painting process. As I'm still learning to use digital media, I'm very limited to the the few tools that I have figured out to use. Honestly, I want to show that painting digital is NOT all that difficult, its all in your head (A blank page can be quite intimidating)

In the case of a portrait like this where there's only one subject, I tend to keep layers to a minimum. (3 at max, read on as to why)
Also the numbering doesn't indicate which box I'm referring to. These are just the steps. You can figure out what's happening above while reading the following.

1. Background, obviously on a separate layer, I start sketching quite loose. It's vital that at this point, the placements of the anatomical features are aligned correctly, as fixing them can be quite annoying. Sometimes I do the sketch on one layer or in other cases, if it's a pose that I'm not too familiar with, I do a rough sketch, lower the opacity, and do a clean line work on a new layer. What you're seeing above is the clean sketch where I have removed the rough sketch I had. Tip: to intensify the color of your sketch, duplicate it and merge together.

2. Now on a new layer in BETWEEN the sketch and background layer, I start blocking out the colors. Also make sure the sketch layer is on multiply, it further intensifies the sketch. This is just a preference as I like to show the underlying sketch even in my finished piece. Make sure you have a color scheme already decided, in this case I was using a reference but I always go with slightly saturated colors. Don't go into details, use a large brush. I use a default chalk brush with manual Opacity and Flow control. That is also just a preference, some people like a more smooth look to their paintings.

3. Once the blocking in is done I merge the sketch and color layer together (risky, so duplicate layers to keep as back up). When it comes to detailing I like to start with areas I don't like very much, example; ears. This is helpful as once you actual paint the features that are the most significant in the painting you will most probably start loosing your patience and will not pay as much attention to the rest of face. Also if you think you're spending too much time on one thing and getting bored, jump to another thing. I like working with the cheeks, jawline, neck and everything that is not the eyes or the mouth first. The hair is the last priority for me, as it sometimes can take a longer time than everything else.

4. You might notice a subtle color change. I play around with color balance a lot. Most noticeably I make the cheeks, ears and mouth redder. I use the lasso tool to select those aforementioned areas separately with "feathering" at 50 px. You can change that in the tool properties area (hope that's the right word) as this gives the selected area a fade instead a being jaggy shape with a color difference. At this point it's a lot of repetition of detailing and the occasional color balancing. Once I'm done with the face and body, I start painting the hair. It's all up to as to how long you will spend painting. I see some artists spend twice or maybe even longer time on the hair as it's the most expressive feature of a person (I think...) of a person, especially in a female. Obviously with the hairstyle in this painting, I didn't spend all that much time. In this case the fringe was what I spent the most time on.

5. Finally, I apply a texture for the background. At this point I play around a lot with Selective Color, Color Balance, Levels, Brightness and Contrast. I try to make the mid tones accurate to the skin color and make the highlights and shadows pop out. Also I apply a bit of noise to the painting. There's a couple of tutorials on how to do that. I like it as it gives the painting a more photographic property.

And there you go. I guess the explanation was bit too long but I'm one of those people who goes full in depth with topics that I'm very passionate about. I hope someone finds this helpful, especially to those who are trying to transition from traditional to digital media. Trust me, it's intimidating. All those tools on your screen can be frightening, but approach it like this; it's basically all the ideas and intuition in your mind when painting traditionally, distilled into a computer program. If you can think it, photoshop can probably do it. It's just that all those ideas are broken down into tools that enable you to create them.

I started learning to paint digitally only early this year, and it hasn't been that long. All it takes is time and your dedication.
Learn more from where I'm getting all my education --> ctrl+paint

Really appreciate it if you leave a like on my FB page.
If not Instagram