Tiger Eyes
To make this image, I created the woman in SketchClub using gradient-filled shapes, and a pen to draw features and outlines, as well as a soft brush to paint highlights and shadows. Then I used iColorama to add dramatic effects.
I opened a reference photo in SketchClub. I reduced the opacity of the photo layer so I could still see it as I painted, but it would not be so dark that I couldn’t see what I was I was painting. I kept this layer as the top layer throughout the rest of the painting process, turning visibility on and off to check my work as I went along. When I no longer need the photo reference, I will turn off visibility for the photo layer, so that nothing of the photo remains in the final image. On a new layer below the photo layer, I started by painting a skin-toned shape for the head and neck, using the Vector tool. Then I created a new layer above the skin tone layer, and I continued using the Vector tool to create a red shape for her dress. On another new layer above the dress layer, I used the Vector tool to create a shape for her hair. (You'll notice that part of the edge of the hair shape is blurred. That is because in a much later step, I used the blur tool to go back and blur the visible edges of the hair shapes on their various layers to make a smoother look to the transition from hair to face.)
Next I went to the bottom-most layer and used Color-Fill to fill the layer with a green color.
On a new layer above the skin tone layer (but below the hair layer), I used the Vector tool to create shapes for her lips. I used a red that was close to the red of her dress.
On a new layer above the previous layer, I used the Vector tool to create black shapes that will later Form black outlines of her irises.
On a new layer above the previous layer, I used a pen to draw lines for her eyes and another pen to draw her eyebrows. I used a soft round brush to paint shadows and highlights on her face and body.
On a new layer above the previous layer, I used the Vector tool to create round amber-colored shapes for her irises. I used a small soft round brush to paint a darker brown color around the edges of the irises. Then on a new layer below the lips layer, I used the Vector tool to create light gray shapes for her teeth. On a new layer below that later, I used the Vector tool to create a dark gray shape for the shadow behind her teeth.
On a new layer above the layer with the amber irises, I used the Vector tool to create small round black shapes for the pupils. Then I used a small soft round brush to paint reflections on her pupils.
On a new layer above the previous layer, I used a soft round brush to paint lighter amber areas on the lower parts of her irises.
On a new layer above the previous layer, I used a pen to draw eyelashes. I also used the Vector tool to create a dark shape for her nostril. I also went back to the shadows and highlights layer and added a shadow for her smile line. On a new layer above the lips layer, I used a soft round brush to paint shadows and highlights onto her lips.
On a new layer above the hair shape layer, I used the Vector tool to create dark shapes for sections of her hair. (Later I used the blur tool to go back and blur the visible edges of the hair shapes to make a smoother look to the transition from hair to face.)
On a new layer above the previous layer, I used a pen to draw curves of various colors onto her hair. I also used the Vector tool to create a dark shape for her nostril.
On a new layer below the hair layers, I used a pen to draw outlines of her clothes, and I used a pen to draw the edge of her nose. I went back to the shadows and highlights layer and used a soft round brush to paint a shadow above her lip and a dark dimple at the corner of her mouth.
On a new layer above the dress shape layer, I used a textured brush to paint texture onto her dress. On a new layer above all the hair layers, I used a soft round brush to paint a glowing edge around her face and hair, as well as the bridge of her nose.
On a new layer above the green background layer, I used the potato brush to paint a yellow area across the background.
On a new layer below the previous layer, I used a soft round brush to paint a blue sky.
On a new layer below the previous layer, I used the Vector tool, with the gradient switch set, to create a darker green gradient-filled shape over the green background. The gradient makes the tones uneven across the green area.
On a new layer above all the background layers, I used a flat brush to paint lines suggesting grasses in the background. Then I used the potato brush in erase mode at medium opacity to partially erase some of the grasses. I wanted to mimic a photographic effect where closer grasses would be out of focus and creating a blur that obscures some of the grasses farther away.
On a new layer above all the other layers, I used a large soft round brush to paint sunbeams coming from the upper left.
I went back to the layer with the white glow around the edge of her body, and I fixed an area where I had neglected to continue the glow all the way to the edge of the canvas. I saved the image to my camera roll.
I opened the image in iColorama. I used a preset in Adjust/Tonelab at low opacity for a bit more tonal separation, as well as Adjust/Levels, to increase contrast.
I used Form/Ray2 and tried several different options, and picked one of them. Then I used Adjust/Exposure to brighten the image.
I used Effect/Blend to blend the previous version onto the Ray2 version.
I used Effect/Blend to blend the above image with the pre-Ray2 image, this time enlarging and rotating the top image and using the gray slider under Set. I tried several blending modes and slider settings.
I used Effect/Blend to blend the above version onto the pre-Ray2 version to make a ghost image. I used a brush mask to preserve areas of the pre-Ray2 image. I used the Feature and Opacity sliders to make the ghost image somewhat lighter and a bit transparent.
I used Form/Warp to drag the top of the ghost woman to the upper edge of the canvas. I also used Form/Warp to pull the hair of the main woman to the right, widening her face a bit.
I used Effect/Raise at low opacity for emphasis. I used Adjust/Exposure with an inverted brush mask to darken the light part of the red dress.
I used Adjust/Levels to increase contrast a bit. Then I used Preset/Border preset 7 at low opacity to create a border effect.
