Digital Fantasy Portraits with Photoshop

Meet Karmen and her passion for portrait illustration, find out how she started out as a concept character artist and pursued her dream to become an independent artist. She reveals the artists that have inspired her the most, along with other influences that move her.

Get started with photoshop and your graphics tablet, go through each tool, understanding how Karmen uses them in a fantasy context. Learn how to create shadows and light with tools such as the smudge tool.

See how she uses brushes for her illustrations, and how to configure them, using the same brushes that Karmen uses to create her art. Understand how to use and adjust color in your portrait, learning her blending techniques to seamlessly add color to your work.

Discover the importance of creating a mood board, based on the concept of your fantasy portrait, to inspire you in developing the elements of your illustration even further. See how to collect your references and how Karmen searches for inspiration.

Go on to sketching your portrait, adding fantasy elements to your composition. See how Karmen adds color and renders her portrait, and work her techniques into your portrait, adding makeup and adjusting the colors to give more life to your character.

Add the finishing touches to your portrait, working in highlights and sparkles to make your artwork pop. Sharpen your portrait by using Karmen’s tips and tricks, to give your portrait more definition. Once you are finished, see how to export your project and compress your final piece for digital media and printing.