There is no friendship like the one you can make with your pet. Therefore, express your love for your dog or cat by turning your pet into a work of art! In this tutorial, we use Adobe Photoshop, as well as a graphics tablet, to draw a portrait of a charming cat. You will learn how to use blending modes and brushes to create a portrait of your pet.
The final result:
Step 1
Let’s get started! Open the photo of the pet in Photoshop. Since the original image shows several cats, then let’s frame one image of a cat that we liked using the tool Frame 
(Crop Tool (C)).
You can zoom in on the photo to better see the original image. To zoom in, go Image – Image Size (Image> Image Size), increase the size of the image. In this case, set the width and height of the image to 600? 635 px.
Step 2
Now create a new document to create a portrait of your pet. Let’s go File – New (File> New), install the following sizes 8? 8 inches (inches), resolution 300 dpi.
Unlock both windows to position them next to each other, as shown in the screenshot below. This will allow you to see the pet image when you create the sketch, and then draw the portrait.
Step 3
Choose a pointed brush from the Photoshop brush set. In this step, you will need a tablet, because pressure sensitivity of the brush will improve the work with the brush. Fill the background layer with a light gray tint (# e4e7e8), to do this, right-click the layer with the background and select the option in the window that appears Options overlay (Blending Options). Next, select a layer style. Overlay gradient (Gradient Overlay). In the settings window of this layer style, set the black and white gradient, Scale (scale) 150%.
Create a new layer to draw a contour sketch of a cat image using a dark gray brush. If necessary, break your drawing into several layers. Draw guides to help you position your pet’s features.
Step 4
First draw one eye. Once you are done, press the keys (Ctrl + J) to duplicate the image of the eye on the new layer. Being on a duplicate layer with the eye, go Editing – Transformation – Flip Horizontal (Edit> Transform> Flip Horizontal). Now move the duplicate of the eye to the right to get a second eye.
Continue to draw the remaining parts of the pet’s face, which can be reflected horizontally. This will save your time and give your drawing a better symmetry.
Step 5
Add details to your pet, for example, stripes and patterns on the fur, which will help you understand the location of the parts in your drawing. When you complete, your drawing should be like in the screenshot below. You can draw a dialogue cloud with a small heart inside for the sake of a cool effect. Merge all layers together.
Step 6
Now, let’s get down to drawing! Create a new layer below the draft layer. Right-click on the layer with the draft and the window that appears select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask), now when painting a pet, we will not enter the outline of the drawing. Choose a brush 
stiffness (Hardness) 100%. Paint over the image of a cat in a soft monotone shade. Change the blending mode to Darkening basics (Color Burn). In this case, the orange tint is well combined with the contour pattern.
Step 7
In the next steps, continue to add new layers as a clipping mask to the layer with the colored fill of the cat. This will help you to fix all the painted fragments in their places, so the brush color will not go beyond the contour of the cat image. Now change the blending mode for the new layer to Multiplication (Multiply) and start painting the base shadows for the cat.
Using tool Pipette 
(Eyedropper Tool (I)), select a color tone sample from the original cat image to draw the shadows. Color will be automatically darkened due to blending mode. Multiplication (Multiply). Continue to draw the shadows using a soft brush with a sensitive touch of the pen, as well as varying the opacity of the brush.
Add a rich green color for the eyes, red undertones for the ears and nose. Also draw a beautiful red heart in the dialog cloud!
Step 8
Now using the standard brush a piece of chalk (Chalk), add texture to the pet’s fur.
Step 9
Now let’s add some highlights! Create a new layer as a clipping mask and with blending mode Linear clarifier (Add) (Linear Dodge (Add)), and then, using white and bright warm colors of the brush, add light highlights to the cat. Do not forget to add light highlights along the outline of the image of the cat to recreate the light coming from the back of the pet.
Step 10
On the same layer or on a new layer with blending mode Linear clarifier (Add) (Linear Dodge (Add)), using the white color of the brush, apply white strokes over the entire image of the cat.
Create a new layer with overlay mode. Normal (Normal) to correct a pet’s fur outline. Use the dark brown color of the brush where there are dark strips of fur.
Step 11
Now create a new layer with blend mode. Multiplication (Multiply) to add some shadows. Using a medium gray tint brush, paint a pet image to make the shading more realistic.
Step 12
In the final step, it remains to add light highlights and draw a mustache. Using a white brush, add light highlights along the outline of the entire cat image, and draw a mustache.
Hope you liked the portrait of your pet. Print it and show it to your pet.
The final result:
Author: blog.123rf.com
