Painted in Photoshop with Art History brushes and freehand work.

Thanks everyone. Glad you liked the outcome. As requested by Ray (glad you noticed the sign) and Palms, here is a description of the technique used here and on the "return of the cuties (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=51473&d=1192688973)" puppy:

This post basically reiterates the content of this post (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/photo-based-art/13371-2-new-brushes.html) by Steve Lequier. The referenced brushes are available there.

TM Brushes Used:
Layer 2. TM Impressionist Brush No5
Layer 3. TM Brush Spatter 15A (Set Layer Blending Mode to Hard Light)
Layer 4. TM Detail Brush (Blending Mode is Normal)
NOTE: Place these brushes in the Presets/Tools folder of the Photoshop directory in the Program Files folder. To use these brushes you must load them into the Tool Presets menu.

SEE ATTACHED IMAGES:
Step 1. Open the image. Adjust size, color (hue and saturation), etc. (You cannot make any of these adjustments after you start using the art history brush.) Save the image as a tif file. (Under Layer Compression select Discard Layers and save a copy.) Close the image.

Step 2. Re-open the image. Select the Art History brush on the TOOL MENU. Create a new layer and fill the layer with white.

Step 3. Create another new layer, (blending mode Normal.) Paint with the “TM Impressionist Brush” to fill this layer with the image. Works best with a graphics tablet. Use pressure to increase the size or ease up on the pen to decrease the size of the brush tip.

Step 4. Create a new layer and set the blending mode to Hard Light. Use Trimoon’s “Art History Brush Spatter 15A” to paint the entire layer. Increase or decrease the size of the brush as needed. Get as much detail with this large brush as you can. Use a larger brush tip for the background and a smaller tip for the subject itself. Fill the layer with the image.

Step 5. Create another new layer. Set Blending mode to Normal. Use the “TM Detail Brush” for the finest of the detail on the main subject. Adjust the size between one and six pixels. Use this brush on other areas of the image where you want to bring out detail.

Step 6. Select the top most layer and Stamp Visible (ctrl-alt-shift-E) to merge the layers. You can now sharpen and apply a texture and call the painting finished - or you can get really creative. This is where I like to start using Dodge and Burn, selective cloning, smudging, color adjustments and free hand brush work to give the image that extra zip. Example Here (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=51493&d=1192744872).

Try this method and I guarantee you will be delighted with the results and will want to use it again and again. Try experimenting with different brush setting and be sure to save any tool presets that you find useful. Hope this keeps you busy for a few hours.

Thanks to Trimoon (Steve Lequier) for the great brushes and this wonderful technique.

Finished painting from the tutorial shown below. The final embellishments were added on one or more new, blank layers. By experimenting on new, blank layers you can add and erase things until you achieve an effect you like. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT!! What I like to do is select a brush, apply some color and see how it looks. When I am satisfied with the results on one or more of the layers I use Stamp Visible (ctrl-alt-shift-E) to get a new composite image. When you find a brush and effect you like, make a written note of it somewhere. That way you can easily use it again.

When the number of old layers accumulates to 15 or more I start deleting them being sure not to delete the original Background layer. I like to keep it for comparing with the work in progress. Be sure to save your work periodically as a tif file. I do this because every time you save as a jpg file there will be some degradation of the image due to file compression. Oh, and always add texture as your last step. You should also be aware that when you add texture the file size will increase significantly and make it difficult to stay under the 100K file size limit and still maintain image quality for posting. To help with this problem, duplicate your current layer and after applying texture, reduce the layer transparency as much as you can before using Save for Web.

Hi Postmaster,

I'm very impressed with your work, the texture really makes this stand out. I will try this on my flowers pictures.

carb

I Really like this technique. Well done.

A+

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Multiple threads/posts consolidated into this one.

Me, tooooooooo Can't wait to give it a try, have such a difficult time following a tutorial ...some how manage to go off somewhere else.

Love that puppy.. and your first one of the street & store. Did you outline it first??
Thanks you so much for showing us the way....

GoldCoin,

No, I didn't outline. I use the Burn and Pencil tool to bring out the edges. I also like to use the Dodge tool and small brushes or the Pencil with white (on a separate layer) to add highlights. Experimenting with highlights is one of the most important methods you can employ to really make your images look good. Don't hesitate to try new things. The more you try, the more you learn and the more fun you will have.

Sorry it's a bit late Photomaster but thank you for the tutorial I have given it a whirl today in another post
again thank you

Palms

This tutorial is wonderful. The pictures make it even more clear and easy to understand. Thank you.

Janet

Love the photo at the start of this thread. Nice tut also. Thanks for sharing. I've played with the AHB some, but have never used the the Burn and Pencil tool to bring out the edges, or the the Dodge tool and small brushes or the Pencil with white (on a separate layer) to add highlights on a AHB piece. Do you find you use these tools at the very end (after the layers with the 3 different brushes) or throughout your layers?

Thank you.

Love the photo at the start of this thread. Nice tut also. Thanks for sharing. I've played with the AHB some, but have never used the the Burn and Pencil tool to bring out the edges, or the the Dodge tool and small brushes or the Pencil with white (on a separate layer) to add highlights on a AHB piece. Do you find you use these tools at the very end (after the layers with the 3 different brushes) or throughout your layers?

Thank you.

I use these tools at the end of the AHB process to introduce special effects that enhance the artistic appeal of the image. Don't be afraid to let your creativity run wild!