Oops...Did I double-up and post one I'd already posted?
Sorry about that... so many pictures, so little time.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
I post this one
not as an act of "Look at this! Isn't this cool!" (it isn't), but to illustrate that sometimes no matter how hard you try things just don't come out the way you hope they would. But you just keep on trying again another day and hope for something better.
34 layers of trial and mostly error. Here are details on
a few layers...
* Isolated subject using a layer mask, merged with a layer filled with white and flattened
* Copied background and applied Virtual Painter Drawing filter
* Set foreground color to black
* Select > Color Range > Selected Color
* Ctrl + J to isolate the black, arty strokes to their own layer
* Deleted the layer rendered by Virtual Painter
* Repeated above using Virtual Painter Drawing filter. Different strokes
* Duplicated BG again & desaturated
* Blur > Smart Blur/Edge Only, Ctrl + I (to invert), Stylize > Diffuse > Anisotropic (to smooth edges a bit)
* Duplicated BG again & desaturated
* Stylize > Find Edges
* Image > Adjustments > Levels. Adjust controls to get rid of the midtone grays
* Duplicated BG again
* Press D to set foreground/background colors
* Sketch > Photocopy
* Duplicated BG again
* Image > Adjustments > Desaturate
....then I started experimenting blending "the best" from each layer using layer masks, levels or curves adjustment layers and blend modes.
26 or so layers later I got tired of experimenting. It was going nowhere, so I merged visible into a new layer and duplicated that one. To the duplicate I applied Virtual Painter Oil Painting filter, added a layer mask and airbrushed black in a few areas to restore some detail from the layer below.
~Danny~