19.
I had a bit of love for this style over at icon_talk, this style is super easy to follow provided you have a good grasp of photoshop and have Topaz installed.
Step one.
to
Desaturate your image.
It doesn't matter how you do this, however just selecting 'desaturate' does provide a paler finish which will come in handy.
Step two.
Lighten your image.
I used a curves layer with these settings, what you need will be dependent on your base image. What you are aiming for is lots of white, distinct outlines and only a small amount of grey for shading (but not details).
Step three.
Topaz and tidy time.
This step is use to tidy up what is left, you should aim to leave a natural painted look. Remember, Topaz done well is where you can't tell Topaz was used at all. Use a cartoon setting set low, I used these settings.
To tidy the image, get out a fine white brush and clean up any artefacts Topaz has left (those faint lines around the lines of your image) and using a smudge tool smudge out the grey areas so it smooths out that weird texture Topaz adds to images. You should then be left with a clean image like that above.
Animation of the difference between only Topaz and Topaz with a quick tidy:
Note how you can see messy lines on the neck and above the eye that Topaz has created, that is a clear indication of Topaz and should be smudged out. Also the lines on the hand were artifacts created by Topaz and should be painted out.
Step four.
Flood the image with colour.
Make two fill layers with whatever colour you like, I used #e7ceb3. Set the bottom one to "screen" and adjust to lighten the black lines, mine is set to 15%. The top layer, set to "multiply" and adjust to flood the whole image with colour, mine is set to 65%.
Step five.
Highlights.
Paint in highlights in with a fine white brush (mine was 1px) on a separate layer where ever you like, with a single white pixel placed on the iris of the eye. If you are using a mouse use a small smudge brush to soften the lines. If you want to thicken or brighten up the lines, duplicate the layer and blur filter it.
Then using a larger soft edge brush paint some light blobs set to a low opacity (mine are set to 21% because I prefer subtle lighting). Then sharpen and you're done!
Any questions, feel free to ask :D
Step one.
to
Desaturate your image.
It doesn't matter how you do this, however just selecting 'desaturate' does provide a paler finish which will come in handy.
Step two.
Lighten your image.
I used a curves layer with these settings, what you need will be dependent on your base image. What you are aiming for is lots of white, distinct outlines and only a small amount of grey for shading (but not details).
Step three.
Topaz and tidy time.
This step is use to tidy up what is left, you should aim to leave a natural painted look. Remember, Topaz done well is where you can't tell Topaz was used at all. Use a cartoon setting set low, I used these settings.
To tidy the image, get out a fine white brush and clean up any artefacts Topaz has left (those faint lines around the lines of your image) and using a smudge tool smudge out the grey areas so it smooths out that weird texture Topaz adds to images. You should then be left with a clean image like that above.
Animation of the difference between only Topaz and Topaz with a quick tidy:
Note how you can see messy lines on the neck and above the eye that Topaz has created, that is a clear indication of Topaz and should be smudged out. Also the lines on the hand were artifacts created by Topaz and should be painted out.
Step four.
Flood the image with colour.
Make two fill layers with whatever colour you like, I used #e7ceb3. Set the bottom one to "screen" and adjust to lighten the black lines, mine is set to 15%. The top layer, set to "multiply" and adjust to flood the whole image with colour, mine is set to 65%.
Step five.
Highlights.
Paint in highlights in with a fine white brush (mine was 1px) on a separate layer where ever you like, with a single white pixel placed on the iris of the eye. If you are using a mouse use a small smudge brush to soften the lines. If you want to thicken or brighten up the lines, duplicate the layer and blur filter it.
Then using a larger soft edge brush paint some light blobs set to a low opacity (mine are set to 21% because I prefer subtle lighting). Then sharpen and you're done!
Any questions, feel free to ask :D