In this lesson we will draw a pupil, the author wrote that it took him 3 hours.
To complete this lesson, having a Graphics Tablet will make your task a lot easier.
Step 1. Create a new document size 1000x1000 px. Fill it up light gray color, almost white. Then create a new layer (Shift +Ctrl +N). Then click Ctrl +R, To make a ruler appear (to make it easier to divide the image in half, I chose Pixels as the layout), right-click on the ruler, and select pixels in the drop-down window.
Now we need guides. Aim at the ruler and, holding the left mouse button, pull out one guide from there. Vertically, for example. Set on the middle – 500px., do the same horizontally.
* To remove the Guides, click Ctrl +H. The same combination, so that they appear again *
Now take the tool “Oval area” 
(Elliptical Marquee (M)) and draw a circle, so that the center of it would be the intersection of two guides. In order for you to succeed, you need to point the cross at the intersection of the guides and, holding the keys Shift +Alt, start stretching the selection to the desired size.
Step 2. Choose any color for the future iris (blue, brown, green) and fill it with a selection. Deselect Ctrl +D. Call this layer “Iris“. Then create another new layer and, repeating the above, draw a black circle in the middle.
Step 3. Take the tool “Finger” 
(Smudge (R)), and try to draw them, as in the screenshot.
In settings, Intensity Set to your liking. The size of the brush is better to change, start with a big, somewhere 15px., and to finish less than 9 pixels (I drew with the help of a graphic tablet, the brush was perfect here 12px., and for smaller strokes 5 pixels.). Brush need to lead from the middle to the edges.
Apply to this layer Gaussian blur, about 2 pixels.
Step 4. Create a new layer and draw a white circle, more black, as in the screenshot.
Step 5. Now go to Menu – Filter – Noise – Add Noise (Filter – Noise – Add Noise) and set the settings as in the screenshot.
Qty – 130%,
Distribution – Uniform,
Monochrome – check the box.
Step 6. Now apply another filter. Log in Filter – Blur – Radial Blur (Filter – Blur – Radial Blur). Degree put 100 or close to him as well Method select – Linear. You can slightly increase this layer in size using Free Transformation. It should be like this.
Step 7. Place this layer below the black circle layer. Change this layer overlay mode. I stopped at Lightening basics and reduced the layer’s opacity a bit (a on green the color looked better Overlap), you can choose any other, at your discretion.
Now apply a filter to this layer. Plastics (Liquify). Tool “Deformation” (Forward warp) (W)), make a lot of wavy lines, from the center to the edges, it is better to change the size of the brush. You can still tool “Bloating” (Bloat (B)) add some volume.
The result should be something like this:
Step 8. Duplicate the black circle layer, apply to it: Image – Correction – Hue / Saturation (Image – Adjustments – Hue / Saturation) or just click Ctrl + U. Set the settings as in the screenshot.
Put a tick in front of Toning.
Color tone – 189
Saturation – 53
Brightness – +36
Step 9. Being on the same layer, tool “Finger”(Smudge), with a small brush diameter (13px), hardness 0%, intensity put closer to 80%, make as many wavy lines as possible, from the middle to the center. Then reduce the brush and draw small grooves.
What would the result be approximately like this:
Step 10. Place this layer below the black circle layer. Change the blending mode, for example to Lightening (Screen).
Add this layer a layer style:
Shadow (Drop Shadow):
Blend Mode – Multiplication (Multiply), color – the black, opacity 37%.
Angle (Angle) 120 (uncheck Global Lighting)
Bias (Distance) – 3 pixels.
Swipe (Spread) – 1%
The size (Size) – 51pix.
External glow (Outer Glow):
Mode – Multiplication (Multiply), gradient color – light blue opacity 24%
Angle 120 (uncheck Global Lighting)
Swipe (Spread) – 5%
The size (Size) – 9 pixels,
Range (Range) 100
(but all these settings are individual, each time may turn out differently)
Duplicate this layer, in Change layer style, angle of shadow to -54. apply a free transform to this layer Ctrl +T, Reduce a bit in size and turn slightly to the right.
Click on this layer with the right button – Combine with the previous.
Tool “Finger” (Smudge) Add some fibers at the base.
The result should be something like this:
Step 11. You can also draw a highlight on the pupil.
Since the author did not tell about this, I assumed, judging from the layers palette, that he, on a new layer, painted a smooth highlight in white, (I used Pen
(Pen) for this), then duplicated the layer, applied a Gaussian blur to the bottom layer. Then switched to the top layer and soft Eraser
(Eraser) with low opacity, erased, slightly clear edges.
Step 12. Duplicate the layer that was previously applied. Hue / Saturation (about which it was spoken in the 10th step). Change its “Blend Mode” to – Normal.
Change it again color (Ctrl +U), on – brown or peach. Change the blending mode to something else (I liked Colortone (Hue) or Chromaticity (Color), and on the green iris came up – Replacing the main one).
You can increase or decrease the size of this layer, rotate it slightly to the left, using Transformation, and also change the layer opacity.
It is also possible to use tools. “Dimmer”
(Burn) and “Clarifier”
(Dodge), to increase the number of colors. AND “Finger”(Smudge) to finish drawing some more fibers.
The author did this:
Step 13. We return to the second layer “Iris“. Apply to it Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur). Set the radius is not large 6px.
Step 14. In order to give volume to the iris, we, remaining on the same layer of the “iris”.
Apply to it Layer Style – Shadow (Layer Style – Drop Shadow)
Bias (Distance) – 0 pix.
Swipe (Spread) – 0 or very small%
The size (Size) adjust in their own discretion.
You can also reduce the layer opacity and change the blending mode (I left it on Multiplication, and on the green pupil I changed it to – Replacing with the main one).
Layer Style – Exterior Glow (Layer Style – Outer glow)
In the External Glow settings, the author has changed gradient color on light blue, overlay mode Multiplication (Multiply), and The size (Size) set 10px.
Step 15. Create a new layer. Take Brush
by size 1 pix. and draw along the edge of the thread, similar to the fibers. First in blue, then green. Once painted. Zoom in and out either brush, or “Finger” draw branches in different directions to create the effect of fibers.
Apply to this layer Layer Style – Shadow (Layer Style – Drop Shadow)
Bias (Distance) – 0 pix.
Swipe (Spread) – zoom in, about 50 pixels
The size (Size) – 1%
Opacity down to 20%
Step 16. Create a new layer. Holding the key Ctrl, click on the layer thumbnail “Iris“So that we have a large circle selection. Press the key D, so that the primary colors change to – black and white.
Go to Filter – Rendering – Obloka (Filter – Rendering – Clouds) Ctrl +D, deselect. Now go to Filters – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur), set the radius 3 pixels. Repeat this several times by pressing the keys. Ctrl +F. Change this layer overlay mode, for example, to Lightening basics (Color Dodge), and lower the opacity of the layer.
Step 17. Create a new layer. Grab the Oval Area tool (Elliptical Marquee) and hold the keys Shift +Alt, draw a circle. Then right-click on the selection and in the appeared window select – Perform a stroke (Stroke)
Width (Width) – 15px.
Colour (color) – black
Position relative to the border (Location) – Center
Opacity (Opacity) 100%
It should turn out like this:
Step 18. Go to Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur), set the radius 20px.
Step 19. Reduce this layer in size with Free Transform (Ctrl +T), bringing it closer to the center, thus giving depth.
Step 20. This step is not in the lesson of the author, but in my work I added something.
Duplicate the layer mentioned in steps 8-10, swap these layers. AT Layer style, in settings Shadows, reduce a bit the size and opacity. The middle erase “Eraser”
Step 21. It is possible that in the previous steps you could have somehow managed to do without the Graphics Tablet, but in this step, it would not be very good without it, since the veins have a feature to narrow in places or, on the contrary, to expand. This can be achieved by pressing the pen on the tablet, or loosening the pressure.
Create a new layer, above the “Iris” layer. Enlarge the image. Take Brushdiameter 1 pix., opacity, somewhere 20-30% Colour Orange Red. And draw a few capillaries from the iris. Then take Brush diameter 3 pixels., scarlet color and draw some more capillaries.
Step 22. Create a new layer, take Brush diameter five and
9px., increase the brush’s opacity a bit, set the stiffness to 0% and add more capillaries of different sizes.
If you draw with the help of a graphic tablet, then in the process of maintaining one line, change the pressure of the pen, this will give more naturalness, since there are no perfectly smooth lines in nature.
Step 23. Create a new layer. Take Brushwith large diameter, Opacity 20%, Hardness 0%, Color, eg E9520F. And shade a little around the edges as in the screenshot.
Step 24 Create a new layer, slightly reduce the size and opacity of the one Brushes, which you painted in the previous step. Draw two red specks around the edges of the iris. Then take 9 pixel brush., 50% opacity, Hardness 0%. And draw in these places a lot more small capillaries.
Step 25. Here is the final result. The author writes that, no need to worry about the red color, he argues that this redness will disappear when you put this work in the eye itself.
But you can always reduce the opacity of the layer, if the color was very rich.
The increased option that all details were well visible.
Good luck in doing this lesson.
PSD file of this lesson you can download here.
Performed Irina Rubanova (translator of this lesson)
File weight – 6.5 MB
