To begin this picture I needed a basic outline with the primary features in their correct place. Owing to my difficulties with proportion, the first thing I did was draw a grid over the reference photograph (an A4 sized picture in a glossy magazine) using a pencil and ruler. The grid consisted of 12 squares across and 9 down, each one measuring 1.5cm squared.
Getting started
I then created a transparent layer on Photoshop and (after enabling the ruler view) created a relative sized grid - 12 squares across and 9 down. I renamed this to GRID. But as I wanted the resolution of this image to be 640x480, I cropped the full grid down to size.
Having done this, I opened another page with a white background. I added a layer over this and named it SKETCH, before pasting the GRID layer over the top, like so:
Airbrush: Most used in normal mode for loose shading and in color mode for applying colour.
Smudge: My favourite tool, used for smoothing brush strokes, shaping, fine details and hair.
Dodge: Used for adding highlights, lightening areas and for stippling.
Burn: Used for shadows, darkening areas and for stippling.
Soft Brushes: Most used for loose shading, smoothing and blurring.
Hard Brushes: Used for all details, textures and hair.
Spatter Brushes: Used rarely, only for textures and stippling.
Smudge: My favourite tool, used for smoothing brush strokes, shaping, fine details and hair.
Dodge: Used for adding highlights, lightening areas and for stippling.
Burn: Used for shadows, darkening areas and for stippling.
Soft Brushes: Most used for loose shading, smoothing and blurring.
Hard Brushes: Used for all details, textures and hair.
Spatter Brushes: Used rarely, only for textures and stippling.
Commonly used tools
On the SKETCH layer, I began to sketch the basic outline using the line tool on medium pressure, with the grid acting as a proportion guide. Behind this sketch, on the white background layer, I began to add some very loose shading with the airbrush:
You can see here how the grid assists proportion. The woman’s face, for example, occupies approx 15 squares, and there is 1 square between the tip of the man’s nose and the woman’s cheek.
Still working on the background layer (with the SKETCH and GRID layers in the foreground), I started to shade the image in grey, using the airbrush and smudge tool with various soft brushes varying between 60-80% pressure.
Basic Shading
For the tighter areas, like the nose, I added small blobs and dashes, which I then smeared into shape with the smudge tool.
Using the same tools, I then started to shade the male face, touch up a few areas and add basic definition to the woman’s arm, until I finished with the following stage:
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