Master the Airbrush

Create a stunning portrait using one of Photoshop’s most exciting painting tools. Taken from Issue 1 of Creative Photoshop

Let’s draw a fashion portrait using the Airbrush function of Photoshop. Because you pick up the colour using the Eyedropper tool from the photo image, you can create a convincing figurative drawing quicker than you could produce a normal drawing from scratch.

Facial features are one of the most difficult aspects to master of any airbrush drawing. Luckily, you can exploit the photographic details, and even emphasize details such as catchlights and smoothness with the Hard Edge airbrush. This tutorial teaches you how to master fashion portraiture, finished off with a shiny, glowing effect. The technique can be used for an everyday photo-retouching job, but let’s practise with this more substantial project to produce an artistic creation.

After some practice you’ll be able to apply these techniques to any portrait. The face can be altered with any slight change of colour, line and shade. Once you finish the foundation of the face, save it and put the make-up freely on it. When you’re playing with line and colours, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to bring out various lively elements from a single photo. You’ll learn how to create a smooth surface, and how to pick colours with the Eyedropper tool from a photo. We’ll also teach you how to apply a hard edge to the portrait and show you how to create catchlights to give eyes a ‘shiny’ or ‘moist’ effect.

We’re using a photo from talented photographer Aldra, who has kindly given us permission to share it with you for the purposes of this tutorial. For more of her work head over to www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=439280.

01 Prepare the image

Open the start image. Copy the layer and paint the background area white. Now go back to the original layer. Use the Lasso tool to select the bits of the hair and background you want to keep then hit Delete. You’ll be left with the face and hair.

02 Adjust the contrast

It’s easier to paint if the photo image is a higher contrast, so go to Image>Mode and change the whole file from 8 bit to 16 bit. Go to Image>Adjustments> Curves and create a gentle S-shape. You don’t want to darken the eye area unnecessarily, so use the Lasso tool to draw around the eyes. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to create a new layer for this area only. Later, you can use this Lasso selection to highlight the eye colour separately. Now change back to 8 bit.

03 Filling in gaps

The photo surface is irregular due to the thin hair on the top of the brow. Add a new layer above the Photo layer by clicking the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Select the Airbrush (or choose the Clone Stamp tool if you prefer). Now pick a skin colour using the Eyedropper in the toolbar. Reconstruct the forehead by painting onto this new layer above the main image in the Layers palette. Alternate darker and lighter colours for a realistic effect.

04 Create skin tone for the whole face

Create a new layer and pick up the colour using the Eyedropper. Now repaint the skin surface using the Brush tool with the Airbrush setting checked. For a soft edge, choose Other Dynamics, Airbrush and Smoothing from the Brushes palette, around 50% Flow and 100% Transparency. Paint flat surfaces like the forehead and cheeks with a 300px brush. When finished, merge this with the layer you created in step 3.

05 Eye texture

Add a new layer and pick up the eye colour with the Eyedropper tool, using the photo as a reference. Open the Color Picker and choose a slightly lighter green. Paint this shade on the coloured part of the eye to brighten it. Choose 100% Black and widen the pupil using the Paintbrush (a harder brush may be best), drawing the pupil a bit bigger and darker than in the original photo. Paint the outer edges of the green area a slightly darker colour. Use 80% Transparency and 50% Flow.

06 Create the whites of the eyes

Pick the colour by using the Eyedropper and make the whites of the eyes a bit whiter than the photo, again using the Brush tool. Remove any blotches. Smooth the area, yet maintain a rounded surface by varying the white shades a little. Create a hard edge on the border between the eyeball and skin (usually blurred in photos, but it needs to be defined in our artwork). This creates the look of a drawing rather than a photo.

07 Attractive catchlights

When you finish the foundation of the eye area, add another transparent layer, and using the Fine airbrush draw the catchlights in the eye at 100% White, 100% Flow and 100% Transparency. You can pick up the catchlights from the photo and emphasize them to create a wetter-looking surface – but be careful not to overdo it, or it will look unnatural.

08 Eye make-up

Add a layer for the eye colour, and use the Airbrush set at Opacity 30%, Flow 30%. Choose Plum in the Color panel and brush around the edge of the eyes. Also make light gradations around the eyelids by adding another transparent layer. This time pick Yellow. Use the colour as if you were applying real eyeshadow, blending in the colour. Vary shades and strokes – a solid colour would look unnatural. When done, the layers can be controlled with Color Transparency, and Color and Brightness in the Adjustment Layer palette at the base of the Layers palette. Yellow will enhance the sparkle of the eyes. You can also use this technique for cheeks and forehead layers.

09 Preparing for eyelashes

Eyelashes are important for attractive eyes, so it’s better to create the eyelashes rather than use the photo’s eyelashes, which can be blotchy and irregular. So pick up a skin colour, and using the Brush tool, paint out 80 per cent of the eyelashes in the original photo. This brightens the eye area. The process works better if you use the darker colour first and then add lighter skin shade over it.