So I am not quite there with this one and will likely start my edit over because my layers are a mess and I am having issues with certain things...I want the smoke to be more like breath vapor so I need to do some research on creating that look, nothing I have in my stock files is working for me.

...and I promise eventually there will be other models. I am getting my method developed and refined first. I have to be sure I can replicate this look with success first. Struggling with the second one just reminds me to be patient and be thorough on my edits...I got in a hurry and really sloppy and it isnt quite reaching the mark for me.

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beautiful bird. love the set. thanks!

On second thought, after having watched the following video, it might work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJFYTBsX9Q4&t=0s&list=PLWbPgB-WtnKFh5Jgk3gWhCmh-5ScC-Jxg&index=7

I do not think so. Check out this tattoo removal video on Phlearn, it seems to be a good method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=Fy0UY7Y1rDE

I often do the same but I am not quite as organised as you are at keeping the notes all together. Good idea!

It is nice when all the elements are your own.

Thank you. This was spur of the moment, I did not have any options for my subject other than myself. My main objective here was to try the editing technique, which I was not expecting success on the first try at all but I surprised myself. I do have several of the free apps that set up the FS layers and I have watched Aaron Nace on many videos. I was thinking about it today and something clicked for me so I may have figured out what I was doing wrong. I will do some experimenting and see. I agree on D&B...I am not a painter and I think that would be a benefit in the case of D&B. I should probably be writing the ideas down for the series...they come to me at random and I have had several good ideas after finishing this image.

I like it as is, the clutter elements add interest for me.

great concept, love the colors and the theme. the foggy ambiance really goes well with the image and is done nicely also. the crop feels a tad tight to me, a little more room on the sides might help. there is a site that is called DeviantArt that has stock and models posed for use in composites. You have to read the fine print, each person makes their own rules for the use of their art but I have found and used a great deal from there and often it is png, already cut out.

Diane

Thanks Linda. I created the background with 2 different texture overlays on the original black. Then, I added on smoke overlays, added a color overlay to the smoke, used color picker on the hat to bring it into color harmony with the photo.

Thanks, it was a happy moment. I saved a snap shot, I guess that makes me a "KR" groupie.

A little closer to the painterly whimsical dramatic fantasy I was going for.

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A few good videos on Frequency Separation:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8mnzVNaiD0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfiUuxjwq3Y
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJFYTBsX9Q4&t=0s&list=PLWbPgB-WtnKFh5Jgk3gWhCmh-5ScC-Jxg&index=7

Thank you, I had a lot of fun with the whole process. So I have a small collection of crazy hats and have had this series in my head for a while. Recently discovered Robitaille had put a video collection together walking you through her process and I could not resist. The two, my series idea with the hats and her training videos came together in the image you see here. Model = yours truly. I pre focused my camera set up on a tripod and snapped a dozen images, looking and tweaking until I got something I felt I could work with.

My image lacks proper frequency separation and dodge and burning. I really didnt pull off the painterly part very well. It is a two layer process that preserves details in the texture layer but allows blurring and color corrections on the blur layer? I hope that is correct. It never works for me the way it is supposed to. I also tried to dodge and burn but failed that process as well, it wasnt working the way it was supposed to.

Good eye on the catches! I saw the first spot you mentioned just after uploading. I will go back and see if I can repair. I took a piece of the red collar and blended it over the v-neck of the shirt and missed some clean up. Around the hat is where I brought in texture and changed the background. I think my brush was too soft and I should have used a harder one to allow me to get tight up against the hat.

I need to go back and watch the training videos a few more times to see if I can understand the painting process better. Frequency separation and dodge and burn techniques are covered quite well on youtube, etc.

Thank you! I do think the focus in most if not all of her shots are the eyes and what I really like about her work, I spent a lot of time with the eyes.