A Work in Progress: Hope is Never Out of Style

This guide was made for entry:
Hope is Never Out of Style
In Contest:
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step 1 of 9

First I desaturated the image just a smidge and brought out the details. (Hue and Saturation + Topaz Labs)

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 1

sources used for this step:

: source

step 2 of 9

In the next step (we're skipping the wings I tried to add and gave up on), I took a second photograph of the same model and stole her shoulder.

I erased her original shoulder, and replaced the new one with the eraser tool. I followed the same procedure in Step 1 to achieve the same color.

I also changed the canvas size for more room.

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 2

sources used for this step:

1: source 1
2: source 2

step 3 of 9

Next, I cut out the pipes/wires for her back.

I did this using the pen tool.

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 3

sources used for this step:

3: source 3
4: source 4

step 4 of 9

Next, I cut out a brass globe, erased the top of her head, and then faded the globe with a feathered eraser.

And then I warped the pipes/wires to fit her shoulder. I did this a few times, but it's not too difficult and you should catch the changes.

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 4

sources used for this step:

5: source 5

step 5 of 9

I added two more textures to the globe and the top of her forehead to create a nice blended effect.

Ignore the shirt at the bottom of the image, I ended up deleting this in the next few steps.

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 5

sources used for this step:

6: source 6
7: source 7

step 6 of 9

I did a major resize in this step, (6000 pixels in width to 2000)

I also used a metal texture and set the layer to multiply to create a nice metal/fabric look. (I know, I know.)

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 6

sources used for this step:

8: source 8

step 7 of 9

The blood and wounds I digitally painted. (See the tutorial listed for help.)

Very simple lasso tool and dodge and burn tools.

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 7

sources used for this step:

9: source 9

step 8 of 9

This is a closeup of the face.

I simplified the skin with Topaz Labs, I rarely do this, but this manipulation called for extremely smooth skin to create an unearthly look.

I also erased the right eyebrow to create a rounder shape.

Creation of Hope is Never Out of Style: Step 8

step 9 of 9

The background was very simple.

I cropped out the sky, added a texture overlay (soft light), merged the layers over a copy of the original.

Then, I rendered a lighting effect, set my eraser to a low opacity and flow and erased the darker sections of the foreground.