In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a fantastic illustration of a man in a dark style.
Step 1. Create a new document with a size of 1280 x 800 pixels with a black background. Load the texture of the stone into Photoshop and using Quick selection tool
(Fast selection) (W) select the triangular area, as shown below.
Tip: for quick selection, I used a hard 54px brush to add smaller areas around the edges of the main triangular selection to get rough outlines.
Use soft eraser
(E) to clean the edges and add depths:
Also use Burn tool 
(Dimmer) (O) with exposure (exposure) 20% to darken certain areas of the stone:
Add three adjustment layers to the stone texture and transform them into clipping masks (CTRL + ALT + G):
Black and white (Black and white)
Levels (Levels)
Curves (Curves)
And we get the following result:
Create a new group and move all the layers there, then duplicate it twice and reduce the size. We place copies in the left and right areas of the stone texture.
Step 2. Load the photo of the model in Photoshop, cut it out and paste it onto the working document, adjust the size and place it on the stone created in the previous step:
Use soft eraser (E) to gently correct the lower area of the model and blend it with the texture of the stone:
We use Dodge tool
(Clarifier) (o) with exposure (exposure) 20% to slightly lighten several strands of hair:
Again take Dodge tool (Clarifier) (O), set the brush size to 7-10 px, exposure (impact) by about 30%, and lighten the upper areas of the model, as shown below:
Add three adjustment layers to the model layer and transform them into clipping masks (CTRL + ALT + G):
Black and white (Black and white)
Levels (Levels)
Curves (Curves)
And we get the following result:
Step 3. Now add a water texture using the filter Liquify (Plastic). First create a new layer and use the loaded brush to draw the texture, then activate the filter Filter – Liquify (Filter – Plastic) and deform the texture, as shown below:
In the filter settings, activate the parameter Show backdrop (Show background) and set Use (Use) on Background (Background), so that instead of a transparent background it is black, it will be more convenient to work:
We can also apply another filter. Filter – Distort – Twirl (Filter – Distortion – Twisting):
On the aquatic texture, we should have this effect:
Duplicate (CTRL + J) this texture several times and place copies all over the canvas, as shown below:
Tip: the best option is not to duplicate one texture, but to create a new one. Applying one texture, return to the filter. Liquify (Plastic) and create a new one.
Add smaller water textures with the Water Brush:
You can also draw water streams flowing from a stone to give a surreal atmosphere:
You can create a new layer under the model and draw a soft white brush (B) light source for the girl:
Step 4. Now add additional strands of hair to give dynamics. We use Pen tool
(Pen) (p) to draw the outline:
Then take a tough brush
(B) 3px size:
Return to the tool Pen tool(Pen) (P), click on the contour with the right mouse button and select Stroke path (Outline stroke). From the drop-down menu, select Brush (Brush) and activate Simulate pressure (Simulate pressure):
We get the following result:
Use soft eraser(E) to gently remove the end of the strand and mix it with the rest of the hair:
Duplicate strand (CTRL + J), use Image – Adjustments – Hue / Saturation (Image – Correction – Hue / Saturation) to adjust its brightness:
Duplicate hair a few more times, change the size and position of each copy, then place it on the model’s hair:
Step 5. We are almost done. As a final touch, add a cloud effect using the filter. Filter – Render – Clouds (Filter – Rendering – Clouds):
Tip: use soft eraser(E) to erase some areas of the clouds to give a depth effect:
You can also draw light on your feet with soft white brushes (AT):
I also decided to add some warm colors.
