Yes, I know, I'm behind.. lol.. But I absolutely LOVE this pic!
Go from
this to
Translatable: Maybe (You need to be able to use Curves)
Difficulty: Intermediate.. You MUST have some basic knowledge of your program!
1.) Crop and Sharpen your image.
2.) Well, it seems a little dark, if you ask me. So, Duplicate your base and set it to screen. Duplicate the screen layer several times. (I did it 3 times)
3.) Saturation Adjustment time! I put mine to +22
4.) Curves! Just play around with them till you think it looks right. I added a little more red, barely a little more green, and hardly any more blue.
5.) Adjust your saturation again. +12 this time.
6.) New Layer. I used #DBCBB8 set to Darken at about 85% of the opacity.
7.) Well, it's starting to look pretty good! This step is really just optional. I thought it made my icon looked better with this step, though. Use the blur tool, set to a VERY low opacity, and blur everything except the eyes and lips. You can leave the hair unblurred if you wish, but I went ahead and blurred mine.
8.) New layer. #C4E8FF set at Color Burn at about 35% of the original opacity.
9.) Now, I'm using a Ripped Page brush (made by ?) on the edge of my icon. Set it to Multiply
10.) Add any text and brushes you want, and you're done!
Remember, I love comments and results!