Murree Man - Step By Step Digital Painting

Many people have asked to see the step-by-step progress of my artwork. Above is a portrait of an elderly man from Murree (Pakistan).

There are roughly five steps involved in painting, be it digitally or traditionally with a physical brush, canvas and paints.

1. Background wash - usually a colour with the same tone as a mid-grey; e.g., burnt umber.
2. Blocking in - block in basic shapes in mid-range colours. Use this step to balance your composition or resolve any compositional issues.
3. Blocking in low-key colours - add shadows to determine light sources.
4. Refinements - this step will be the longest. Remember to rotate your canvas regularly to check balance as well as squinting and blurring your vision to check tonal ranges.
5. Highlights - this step adds the final zing to an artwork. Show restraint during this step. Excessive highlights make objects look too glossy.

For the above composition a photo reference was used. It was entirely painted digitally using Photoshop CS and a Wacom palette. Click on the image to see the transitions.