Surprise 2

To make an image that looks like a drawing colored in with watercolor, I started with a photo, redrew and repainted it in the Sketches Pro app, and then edited it in iColorama.

I started with this photo from the Sktchy app. This was a very small file, so I upsized it twice in BigPhoto.

I opened the photo in Sketches Pro, and on a new layer, I traced over the figures using colored pens.

Then I reduced the opacity of the photo layer to zero.

Then on another layer in Multiply blending mode, I painted with the watercolor brush.

Then I used the smudge tool on the watercolor layer to smudge the background. I saved the image to my camera roll.

I opened the image in iColorama and used Adjust/Tonelab and Adjust/Levels to increase contrast and tonal separation. Using Brush/Paint, at low opacity, I painted some shadows on the boots.

I applied one of the presets under Style/Water at low opacity and I used Effect/Scrape at low intensity and low opacity, to try to enhance the watercolor effect.

I used Texture/Organic to add some textures in the background, using a brush mask to keep the textures from the figures. Then I inverted the mask and applied Effect/Raise at low opacity, to give more emphasis to the figures.

I decided I didn't like the forest background. So I decided to use this Pixabay photo instead, which felt more consistent with the feeling of the girls. Pixabay is a source of copyright-free images.

I blended the graffiti photo over the image of the girls, in Hue blending mode. I used a brush mask to keep the graffiti from the girls. The blend preserved some of the interesting textures of the background.

I increased contrast using Adjust/Levels, as the blend step had reduced the contrast a bit. Then, Using Brush/Paint, I painted a few shadows under the chair. I used the color picker to match the lavender to the lavender shadow on the chair, then I varied the darkness of each stroke, painting with low opacity.

Then with a soft round brush, I again matched the lavender gray using the color picker, and I painted shadows around the right sides of the figures, at low opacity.

I used Preset/Border Preset 7 to give a more illustration-like feel to the image.

Finally, I opened the image in Elasticam. Using a very small size and low strength with the Hand tool, I widened the eyes to get more of the surprised expression of the original photo.