The warm time has come and the flower aroma is in the air! Today I invite you to dream together with me and draw a little! The theme of the picture I chose the image of “Fairy of Flowers”.
The main tools that will be used in this work are Lasso
(Lasso Tool) and standard Brushes
(Brush Tool) Adobe Photoshop.
Let’s start!
Part 1. Create a sketch
Step 1
You can create your sketch both on paper and immediately in Photoshop. The sketch may not be very neat – the main thing is to draw the main idea and important details. In this work, spring has become my source of inspiration. I wanted to convey the gentle image of the awakening of nature.
I suggest you not to overload the picture with the background, but create the main focus on the image of the girl and the colors!
Step 2
Activate the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)). Create a new layer, on top of the sketch layer. Draw a contour of the face of the fairy.
Activate the tool Fill
(Paint Bucket Tool (G)). Set the foreground color to pale pink (H = 22; S = 11; B = 96). Fill the active contour drawn earlier. Name the layer with the “Skin” fill.
Step 3
Draw a neck. The drawing method is exactly the same as in the previous step. Using tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)) draw a contour, and then fill it with the color # f4e3d9.
Part 2. Draw the details of the face.
Step 1
On this basis, we will impose additional shades and draw small details. First of all, prepare the necessary brush.
Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)), on the toolbar. Then make a right click on the working canvas – this will help to quickly bring up the brush settings menu. Then, click on the mini icon in the upper right corner of the settings menu. In the end, you will see a list with a choice of a set of brushes. Choose a set Dry brushes (“Dry Media Brushes”). The program prompts you to either add the selected set to the library, or replace brushes from the library with a new set. Select the desired installation option.
Step 2
Select the “Skin” layer. Hold key Alt and click on the mini icon at the bottom of the layers panel “Create New Layer (“New Layer”) – this will allow you to see the new layer settings menu. In this menu, check the box next to the function “Use previous layer to create clipping mask. ” (“Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask”). Then click OK.
This action will greatly facilitate our work. Now all changes made to the new layer will be visible only in the sketch area, which will allow us to work more accurately and not go beyond the edges of the face and body.
Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). In the brush set, select a sample called “Soft Oil Pastel.” Set the brush color to H = 11; S = 19; B = 97. Draw a soft shadow on the character’s neck.
Step 3
Add more shadows. Do not be afraid to use different colors and shades. For example, cold shades such as pale blue or violet are best used for drawing shadows (neck, chin, hands), and warm colors for drawing light areas (shoulders, chest, cheekbones).
Like any other object, the human body reflects light and colors from the environment and objects. Adding color spots makes the picture more interesting and believable.
Continue to draw. Add a gentle blush on the cheeks, paint the eyelid with darker colors and highlight the cheekbones.
Step 4
Now we will focus on the small features of the face. Let’s start with drawing lashes. Activate the tool Pen 
(Pen Tool (P)). Place the starting point in the inner corner of the eye and make a curved line. Press and hold Alt in order to quickly switch to another tool – Angle (Convert Point Tool). Also, pi key pressed Alt You can quickly add a new anchor point. Continue to draw a curved line, moving to the outer corner of the eye.
In order to complete the contour of the eyelashes, you must return to the starting point from which we began to create the contour. When the contour is complete, right-click on the contour and in the appeared submenu select the item “To form a selected area»(Make Selection). Shading radius (Feather Radius) set equal to “0”, then click “OK”, in order to get an active selection along the contour.
To complete the eyelash, activate the tool Fill 
(Paint Bucket Tool (G)). Set the foreground color to brown and fill the selection area.
Step 5
Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). In the tool settings, select the type of brush – round, rigid (from the standard set). Set the same foreground color that you used to fill the contour of the eyelashes. Then draw the outline of the upper eyelid, as shown below. Draw the line several times in order to give the century the necessary shape. Using a smaller brush, paint small details.
Step 6
Draw an eyebrow. For this, we will use the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)) and create an elegant contour. Then, you need to fill the contour using the tool Fill (Paint Bucket Tool (G)).
Step 7
Draw lips. Activate the tool Pen (Pen Tool (P)). In order to draw the contour of the lips, use the technique that is described in step number 4 (drawing eyelashes). Draw two separate contours – for the upper and lower lips. Fill the contour of the upper lip with a dark pink color, and the contour of the lower lip with a light pink color.
Step 8
Add a few more fine lines in the ear. For drawing strokes we will use the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)).
After the work done, our spring fairy looks like this:
Part 3. We draw hair and flower decorations
Step 1
First of all, add a new empty layer and rename it to “Hair” (“Air”). Then using the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)) draw the outline of the hairstyle along the lines of our sketch. Set the foreground color to wheat yellow and using the tool Fill (Paint Bucket Tool (G)), fill the outline with a color.
Step 2
Draw curls. Create a new blank layer under the “Skin” layer. On this layer, we add a strand that is hidden behind the face of the girl. Draw the strand as well as the hair in the previous step. We only change the foreground color to a darker one.
Step 3
Add more accents to the hairstyle. Create a new layer, like a clipping mask for the “Hair” layer (“Hair”). Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Set the brush color to beige (brush type and digital color values are shown below in the image).
Standing on a new layer, paint the back of the character’s head.
Keep working on your hair. Add light and dark areas to create volume hairstyles. Then set a small diameter brush and draw thin strands of dark color.
Step 4
We can begin to decorate hair. Create a new blank layer. Activate the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)). Draw a contour-flower of arbitrary shape. Do not try to get a symmetrical figure or perfect petals – just draw the shape-bud. Then fill the selection with blue. Using this method, draw some more colors. Paint each flower on a new layer and paint it with different shades of blue.
Step 5
Continue adding flowers. In this step we will draw pink tulips.
First, repaint the first flower in a wreath in pink. To do this, go to the layer with the desired flower. On the layers panel, click on the mini icon To fasten “Preserve pixel transparency“(Lock” Transparent pixels “). Activating this function will help us repaint the flower, without going beyond the contour boundaries. Set the base color to pink and using a brush, repaint the blue flower.
Add more colors. The more buds you draw, the more diverse and beautiful the fairy wreath will be.
To make the work faster, you can copy (Ctrl + J) ready-made flowers and place (transform) them in various places, creating an ornament on the head. Whatever workspace is not so bulky, place all layers with colors in a single group (Ctrl + G).
Step 6
Add green leaves to decorate the wreath. Under the folder with flowers, create a new empty layer. Activate the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)). Draw a sheet-like oval contour on a new layer. Hold down Shift, create some more contour sheets on the same layer.
Then use the tool Fill (Paint Bucket Tool (G)) and fill the contours with a light green color.
Add another layer under the leaf layer, and draw on it extra dark green leaves (using the Lasso (Lasso Tool (L) and Fill (Paint Bucket Tool (G)).
Step 7
In order for the flowers to look harmoniously with the face and hair, it is necessary to add additional shades to the buds. Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)), view of the brush – Soft Oil Pastel. Next, stand on a layer with leaves. Activate the icon again To fasten “Preserve pixel transparency“(Lock” Transparent pixels “). Set the brush color to yellow or light green and paint the edges of the foliage.
Using this method, color the flowers.
Using the selected brush, gives a beautiful effect of pollen on flowers and leaves. When you are finished with a wreath, you need to add a shadow under the flowers in order to create a transition between the ornament and the hair. To do this, add a new layer under the layer with leaves. Using the previously selected brush, draw a wreath along the contour. Color for drawing, select a dark yellow.
Step 8
We have achieved a good result! But I recommend adding more details to the hair. Using a brush of different colors, draw more light and dark strands.
The image is ready!
Step 9
As you can see in the sketch, initially I thought to create an image with roses. But, in the process I decided to use the same flowers as in the fairy wreath. In my opinion, such small bright flowers will emphasize spring mood much better and give ease to the whole work.
Copy a group with flowers. Flip the contents of the group vertically. If necessary, adjust the size and position of flowers, as well as add individual flowers. Place a new combination so that the flowers are located in the lower part of the fairy body.
Step 10
Duplicate the leaf layer. Using the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)) select the necessary leaves, and then press the key combination Ctrl + T and move the leaves to the desired position, if necessary, also change the size of the selected elements. Place the leaves around the flowers that are at the bottom, as well as around the girl, creating the effect that the leaves fly away from the wind.
Draw extra small leaves and fill them with a dark green color.
Also add small leaves around the head of the fairy.
Step 11
Add the final accessory – a flower-hairpin. Create a new blank layer. Activate the tool Lasso (Lasso Tool (L)) and form the contour of the first petal. Fill the outline with blue.
Duplicate the petal. Standing on the copy layer, press the key combination Ctrl + L, for a quick transition to adjustments Levels (Levels). In the settings menu, move the white slider to the left – this will make the petal a little lighter.
Step 12
Create another copy of the layer with the first petal. Flip a new petal horizontally Editing> Transform> Flip Horizontal (Edit> Transform> Flip Horizontal). Place the new petal as shown below.
Step 13
Add a few more petals, creating a symmetrical lotus flower.
Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)), view of the brush – Soft Oil Pastel. Draw light grainy spots on the petals. Then add shadows from the petals.
Around the main lotus flower, add small blue and blue petals.
Step 14
In order to make the picture look brighter, we will add small berries.
Activate the tool Oval area 
(Elliptical Marquee Tool (M)). Hold key Shift and hold it to draw a small round selection. Then, fill the resulting area with a bright pink color. Additionally, using the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)), decorate the berries with orange and light pink areas.
Step 15
We have come to the final step – adding a background. As you may have noticed in my previous screenshots, I have already added a blue spot on the background layer to emphasize the silhouette of the girl.
Activate the tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)) and create a bright spot on the background layer in order to create an accent on the center of the image. Then, you need to paint the edges of the background layer in a darker color, which creates a semblance of a vignette effect.
Now we can experiment with the overall background color. It’s very easy to do this using a correction layer. Color tone \ Saturation (Hue / Saturation (Ctrl + U)). Move the sliders, experiment and you will get the desired result!
You can also check the box next to the “Toning»(Colorize), if you want the colors to be more uniform.
I chose a primary color for the background – green. So, as it is well combined with foliage and emphasizes the freshness and youth, which I wanted to convey in my work.
Voila! Portrait of a flower fairy ready!
Thanks to simple actions, we got a beautiful portrait that will be associated with the beautiful springtime. I hope you liked the lesson and you will use the techniques that you learned from it.
Good luck and let inspiration help you!
