Megan Fox
The main reason for watching Transformers till the end.
Painting Megan Fox was fun as I tried to portrait her with lots of details, but still keep that sketchy feeling.
Find references
Painting a famous person is always a bit trickier than an unknown person as many know how celebrities look. When the portrait is a bit off, it's easily noticed. It's worth spending time finding references and learning the essence of the model. What makes Megan Fox so recognizable?
I found different elements from different photos, taking the best element and combining them into the portrait I wanted.
Process
From big brushes to finer detail, the process is similar to real paint. I don't mind splatters. In fact, I intentionally go outside the expected area, as it can lead to something good. If it's bad, I go back and paint it over. It's a process I like to call 'Tradigital' (having the same methods as traditional paint, but with the comfort of digital techniques).
In the beginning I went from dark to light. When most of the shapes were defined, I reversed the process and started adding lighter areas. When the general lighting and the rudimentary shapes were set, it was time to add some details. I started with the darker areas like the mouth, eyes and nostrils. From there on I kept adding.
Be sure to lower the opacity of your hard-edged brushes. Go as far as 5% or lower and stroke the skin as if you were sculpting it. This prevents you from adding obvious brush-strokes and keeps the painting from having a soft-blended look. It also represents the layered human skin very well.
Advanced Photoshop Magazine
The painting was published in Advanced Photoshop Magazine (Edition 37) as a 4 page workshop and cover.