

Just for the record, this tutorial has already been online for two years.
Updated version now includes :
- tips about blending,
- a detailed schema about facial proportions,
- screenshots of the tools used and tips about these tools
- I fixed some typos.
About blending : NO, there's no specific tool used, I just used the paintbrush as mentionned clearly in the tutorial.
Pretty please guys, READ the tutorial before asking.
I've already received 4 notes about blending yesterday some seconds right after I reposed the tutorial, I know that part was somehow missing in the previous tutorial since I had not explained it in a very detailed way with painted examples (I thought that was clear enough but it apparently wasn't) but it's now fully explained.
Thank you!
I won't reply to any question about things already explained here unless someone has got real trouble figuring them out as I've got way too many other things to do so please read the tut carefully

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Please take a look at it, there is a huge closeup showing all details on the skin, fan and hair!!!

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I've used Photoshop CS3 to paint this, you can download a free trial version on Adobe's website if you don't have it yet! Older versions will work too of course. I'm not sure you can find the Liquify tool in versions older than Photoshop CS though....
Original painting resolution : 9000 x 6714px, 300 dpi. No need to paint such a big image though... I just wanted to be able to print it on a very large size

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I would appreciate if you fav/credit it if you found it useful so it can reach more people. Thank you! I'd love to see what you can do with it, so don't hesitate to link me your creations, I'll take a look at them

You may translate it to share it if you want but PLEASE don't change it adding or removing things. Translation must be as accurate as possible to avoid things being hard to understand for the reader. THANK YOU

©Diane Özdamar - 2008/2010
Not for commercial use.
Daily Deviation
Given 2011-11-07Suggester Says; This is an awesome tutorial with a lot of effort put into it.It explains all the details a picture needs to have.
Digital Painting Tutorial by `Dianae (
Suggested by jo-enchanted and Featured by
Dan-Heffer )

Thank you so much. The step by steps and pictures really helped to understand the techniques better. Too many people do speed painting and then explain it later in the comments.

Well, it looks like DA likes to repeat my posts when I edit them. Sorry about that. Just read the one above this one if you're interested.................

As there are 108 pages of comments (some wasted by spammers and then complaints about spammers), I don't think I'll read through all of that to see whether anyone has bothered to tell those who are unaware, that an .swf file can also be read sort of like a pdf.
So if you play the tutorial as if it's a normal video, all you will get is an image of the finished piece.
I ended up using Irfan View which also opens the file showing the finished piece. However, there is another toolbar above the image; File, View, Control, About. Click on the Control tab and select Open.
The page will now change to the first page of the written tutorial...........
Good luck.
BTW; Irfan View is Freeware - just Google it.........
Edit - looks like I was wrong; I can only view 4 pages this way (and using the arrows on the top toolbar of Irfan View results in my being told to install Flash Player which is already installed). I'll report back if I discover anything more of use.
Edit - I discovered that if I install Flash Player for Internet Explorer, Flash Player works within Irfan View. BUT the problem then is that the .swf file won't pay at all. So currently, I am stuck on page 4 (the 3rd page of "1. Tools"); I am assuming that there are more (pages) but I have no idea how to access them. Hopefully,Dianae will chime in here and let us know more (and apologies if this has already been covered in the 108 pages of comments {WOW!} but that'll take me all day to read through and, as I was a teacher for 25 years, I've done enough reading to last many lifetimes (and I'm lazy).............
So if you play the tutorial as if it's a normal video, all you will get is an image of the finished piece.
I ended up using Irfan View which also opens the file showing the finished piece. However, there is another toolbar above the image; File, View, Control, About. Click on the Control tab and select Open.
The page will now change to the first page of the written tutorial...........
Good luck.
BTW; Irfan View is Freeware - just Google it.........
Edit - looks like I was wrong; I can only view 4 pages this way (and using the arrows on the top toolbar of Irfan View results in my being told to install Flash Player which is already installed). I'll report back if I discover anything more of use.
Edit - I discovered that if I install Flash Player for Internet Explorer, Flash Player works within Irfan View. BUT the problem then is that the .swf file won't pay at all. So currently, I am stuck on page 4 (the 3rd page of "1. Tools"); I am assuming that there are more (pages) but I have no idea how to access them. Hopefully,Dianae will chime in here and let us know more (and apologies if this has already been covered in the 108 pages of comments {WOW!} but that'll take me all day to read through and, as I was a teacher for 25 years, I've done enough reading to last many lifetimes (and I'm lazy).............

As there are 108 pages of comments (some wasted by spammers and then complaints about spammers), I don't think I'll read through all of that to see whether anyone has bothered to tell those who are unaware, that an .swf file can also be read sort of like a pdf.
So if you play the tutorial as if it's a normal video, all you will get is an image of the finished piece.
I ended up using Irfan View which also opens the file showing the finished piece. However, there is another toolbar above the image; File, View, Control, About. Click on the Control tab and select Open.
The page will now change to the first page of the written tutorial...........
Good luck.
BTW; Irfan View is Freeware - just Google it.........
Edit - looks like I was wrong; I can only view 4 pages this way (and using the arrows on the top toolbar of Irfan View results in my being told to install Flash Player which is already installed). I'll report back if I discover anything more of use.
So if you play the tutorial as if it's a normal video, all you will get is an image of the finished piece.
I ended up using Irfan View which also opens the file showing the finished piece. However, there is another toolbar above the image; File, View, Control, About. Click on the Control tab and select Open.
The page will now change to the first page of the written tutorial...........
Good luck.
BTW; Irfan View is Freeware - just Google it.........
Edit - looks like I was wrong; I can only view 4 pages this way (and using the arrows on the top toolbar of Irfan View results in my being told to install Flash Player which is already installed). I'll report back if I discover anything more of use.

As there are 108 pages of comments (some wasted by spammers and then complaints about spammers), I don't think I'll read through all of that to see whether anyone has bothered to tell those who are unaware, that an .swf file can also be read sort of like a pdf.
So if you play the tutorial as if it's a normal video, all you will get is an image of the finished piece.
I ended up using Irfan View which also opens the file showing the finished piece. However, there is another toolbar above the image; File, View, Control, About. Click on the Control tab and select Open.
The page will now change to the first page of the written tutorial...........
Good luck.
BTW; Irfan View is Freeware - just Google it.........
So if you play the tutorial as if it's a normal video, all you will get is an image of the finished piece.
I ended up using Irfan View which also opens the file showing the finished piece. However, there is another toolbar above the image; File, View, Control, About. Click on the Control tab and select Open.
The page will now change to the first page of the written tutorial...........
Good luck.
BTW; Irfan View is Freeware - just Google it.........

Love this tutorial, can you teach me how to be a pro like you in digital painting, ^^, I wanna learn how to paint especially using Photoshop(not Corel Painter), I search a lot for digital painting courses on google , but it's seem to be that it's not helpful much. Many guys on youtube trying to show their painting methods, but it's doesn't help for beginners like me, but your tutorial did! In my opinion, digital painting not just for how to draw only, but how to master the tool you are using (in this case is photoshop) to paint also, that's what your tutorial achieved. If you have any more course whatever paid or frees, please let us(beginners) know, i'm willing to subscribe for it. ^^^^

I found this very helpful! I've been trying to do digital painting for a while not really doing so great, but this tutorial really helped me with some of the important basics
Thank you~


Hello.. the only thing i'm very curious is, about the free-transforming a part of the image. anyone here know how to do it?
i saw in your video a few years ago, and it's still clear in my mind, that for some part for the proportion of the eye, you do some kind of 'tweaks' pulling in some certain direction so that the particularly selected area is expanding according to your will.
what is this technique called, and how to do that in photoshop.
i'm sorry if someone had posted my question before.
i saw in your video a few years ago, and it's still clear in my mind, that for some part for the proportion of the eye, you do some kind of 'tweaks' pulling in some certain direction so that the particularly selected area is expanding according to your will.
what is this technique called, and how to do that in photoshop.
i'm sorry if someone had posted my question before.

Just saying, this has been in my art tips folder here for a couple of years, and now that I'm getting back into digital drawing, I still find it helpful. Thanks for making it. 


I enjoyed how you emphasize the use of tools in achieving multi-faceted shapes, shadow, and skin detail. The use of yellow, pink, and blue to explain shadowing technique also has helped me understand technique variation from a non-linear view. Thank you so much for taking the time to create and upload this!


en Attente de la version française, encore un peu de mal avec l'anglais. Mais beau boulot! hâte de pouvoir apprendre avec ça 


Bonjour ça fait longtemps que la version française n'est pas terminée --' quand sera-t-elle finie?

How do I get to the written part of this tutorial? I assume the text "ENGLISH VERSION FULLY REDONE." is supposed to be a link but it isn't. What am I missing?
Thanks.
Thanks.

Thank you for this tutorial! I've begun practicing digital painting more and I've been seeking a good tutorial. Yours is one which I'll follow. : ) So far the tips in here have been helpful!

Very kind on your part sharing Such a wonderful tutorial!!
i´d like to download your tutorial however don´t know
how to save it after clicking the download button? Please excuse my the ignorance...
Thank you so much

Wow!! This was a really detailed explanation, I love how you showed us off your techniques, it was really helpful ;w;
Thank you so much!!!
I am in anime/manga style drawing but recently I feel like I want to try digital painting, so I have searched tutorials. This is one of the most awesome tutorials


(PS. I accidentally added it to favourites from my raishinplz account lol Sorry for that T.T)
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