Photo Painting

I recently spent some time learning a new (to me) Photoshop digital painting technique. I’ve been searching for something to present some of my work in a way that is more akin to painting. I don’t like results of Actions, Presets and Filters as the image appears to be obviously post processed using these techniques. While many of these techniques produce stunning dramatic results, they are simply not something that interests me. Prior to digital photography and Photoshop we had film and made prints in the darkroom to produce desired results. The old school methods were tactile where we had our hands in and on the work. I would suggest that this Photoshop technique is digitally tactile as it is a true painting technique. The results are achieved through choices of brushes and digital painting techniques. It does require a pen tablet or pen based screen. Doing it with a mouse is nearly impossible. I’ve worked through five or six images so far and still consider myself a beginner. It is something that takes time and practice to achieve quality results. The image below is the best result I’ve been able to achieve so far. It is a selection from Reverie which was inspired by paintings.

Model Credit: Cat Hedlund