Step 13

Draw around other features which produce hard lines such as the bottom lip. Draw the Shadows in the same manner.

Step 14

Create a selection from the “Face” layer by Command-clicking the layer thumbnail. Draw all the shadows in…

Step 15

…Changing the Brush size to suit size of the area you’re treating. Around the lip for example, use a small brush.

Step 16

Turn the “Bark” layers off to see the key areas of shadow. You can still work on the Mask with the face showing. I flick between working with the “Bark” visible and invisible.

Step 17

In order to soften or erase any shadows that you’re not happy with, change the brush color to black and draw on the mask in the same way as before. Keep working on the Mask until you get it right.

Step 18

Whilst drawing on the Mask, you should be changing your brush size and the opacity to suit the shadow. For a big gradual shadow you’ll want around a 300 pixel brush set to 16% Opacity, all the way down to 18 pixels and increasing the opacity to suit. Finally, apply a 0.6 pixel Gaussian Blur to the Adjustment Curve Layer Mask to soften the hard edges.

Step 19

Duplicate the “Bark” Layer that sits beneath the “Face” Layer. Set them up so they are the same as the top Bark layers, one Normal at 40% opacity, one Multiply at 100%. Then under those two layers create a new layer and fill it with C=61%, M=66%, Y=66%, and K=62%.

Step 20

Create a selection from the “Face” Layer (Command-click the Layer thumbnail) and go to Select > Inverse. Then go to Select > Modify > Expand. Give it a 1 pixel expansion. Select the Curves Adjustment Layer Mask and Fill the selection with 20% black.

Step 21

Create a selection from the Eyes/Mouth Path you made earlier. Add some shadows by drawing on the Curves Adjustment Layer Mask.

Step 22

To further fuse the elements together, and to grade the image, add a Curves and a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer to the top of the Layers hierarchy.

Step 23

Flatten the image and go to Filter > Liquify. Select the Bloat tool and set up roughly how it is in the image below. We want to add a 3D quality to the areas such as cheeks, nose, and forehead. Select an appropriate Brush size for each of these areas and click on each a few times rather than dragging the brush around.

Conclusion

You can always add some real world effects such as leaves and bugs to the final image – go nuts. This technique works for applying any texture to any surface, for example you could make a brand new Mercedes SLK rusty and riveted, or make a house out of skin. Go have fun whilst you perfect your craft. You can view the final image below or view a larger version here.