Photoshop Tutorials

How to Create a Surreal Gothic Artwork in Photoshop

step22
Your room should look like this now.
step23
I darkened the sky very little bit.
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Step 16

Open the model image and select her with the marquee tool. Press Ctrl + C to copy. Don't select the legs as she is going to be a creepy doll and people without legs intensify the "freaky" feeling. Paste the model on top of all the other layers (Ctrl + V). Fun fact: the model is my best friend Birgitta, wearing my graduation dress in an abandoned machine factory.
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Step 17

Grab the Pen Tool (P) and make sure these settings are used. Carefully go over the outlines of the model. I prefer the Pen Tool because it gives you effortless and fast selecting - and if you misclick, you can just press Ctrl + Z and continue (unlike the Lasso Tool).
step26
Leave the veil as is, it's almost humanly impossible to cut it out (and it's not the point of this tutorial either).
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Step 18

Here the ends meet - click on the first point to complete the path.
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You will have a nice line that indicates your path is closed. Now right click anywhere on the image and choose "Make Selection" from the drop-down menu. Make sure you use the settings shown for the feather radius.
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This is your selection now; hit Ctrl + Shift + I and then Delete. I usually press Delete twice.
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Step 19

This is how it looks when cut out.
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Step 20

Take the dress form and place it on a new layer under the model.
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Step 21

Now select models head (since it's an unimportant selection, you can use Lasso Tool - you don't have to worry about the exact edges etc). Then right click and choose "Layer via Cut" to behead the model... for a few minutes. After that, press Ctrl + D to release the selection.
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Step 22

Press Ctrl + T to enter Transform and make her head larger by stretching from the corners.
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Step 23

Go to Filter > Liquify and enlarge her eyes with the Bloat Tool.
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Add more doll features - tiny nose, small and full lips, pointy jaw.
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Step 24

Retouch skin with the Healing Brush. A slight plastic-perfect look is even good here.
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Step 25

Now go to the neck part and erase the sharp corners to make her neck really slender.
step39
Neck looks like this now.
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Step 26

Paint the gap by picking colours from the skin areas around the gap. You don't have to be precise, just make sure the lighting is right.
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Merge the head and body layers together and use the healing brush to blend everything.
step42
The cheeks looked strange so I went back to Liquify and fixed them.
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Step 27

Looks like this...
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Step 28

Time to colour correct the doll. Move the Vibrance slider to left (-50). Then go to Image > Adjustment > Hue/Saturation and choose "Reds" from the drop down menu. Move the sliders to make the skin more pale.
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Step 29

The eyes have too little contrast. Use the Dodge Tool on Midtones and low Exposure (10-20%) to lighten the areas painted blue; and the Burn Tool (also set to Midtones and low Exposure) to darken the red areas. You should use a small brush, something around 5-15 px. Make sure it's soft rounded.
step46
Makeup enchanced!
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Step 30

Looks like this so far.
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Step 31

Create a new layer on top of the model layer and grab a soft round brush. Paint the red areas with a greyish blue colour (#567190 is good, for example). Set the layer mode to Overlay.

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30 comments on “How to Create a Surreal Gothic Artwork in Photoshop”

  13. Nice tuto very useful and well detailled. Thanks a lot. Hope you 'll post a new one to enhance our skill !!

    Reply

    1. Click on the alternative link.

      But please stop using deviantart and unrepeatable websites for stock. I especially hate deviantart because of the outlandish rules some providers set.

  20. Hi
    little unsure on how to achieve final step 50, I'm not sure if it is because i am using CS5 or anything??? what should i be doing to change the colour to the blue ?? where can i find it ? it was the part i was looking forward to doing :( awesome tutorial tho :)

    Reply

  22. Bonjour ;Merci beaucoup pour votre tutoriel qui me plait
    Mes un peu difficile pour moi.Je compte prendre toute ou une parti du tutoriel pour me faire la main et surtout pour mon inspiration !! Un grand MERCI pour votre Aide.

    Je vous souhaite une bonne journée .

    Dan

    Reply

  26. Amazing tutorial Siiri! Thanks for he share. Oh and link to dress for is dead any alternative for that?

    Reply

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