Software: Ulead PhotoImpact 6 and 7
Author: Hillary Sadur
Home Page: EwaNevaland
PI Projects:  www.reflectionshawaii.com/pi

Skill Level: All

Featured Tools: Airbrush, paintbrush.  Wacom or other graphire tablet is preferable

Description:  This is a fun way to try out your artistic ability.  

This tutorial is a step-by-step process for painting hair.  If you don't feel all that artistic, I suggest you turn on the grid and try to follow the initial steps regarding the actual form.

I would like to acknowledge my gratitude and inspiration to Don Seegmiller, who was kind and generous  enough to give me his permission to attempt to translate his Painter tutorial on how to paint hair for Photo Impact.  He is a renowned artist and I am deeply honored, yet know that this is just a feeble attempt compared to his ability.  Thank you so much, Don!

2.  Select All (CTL A) then open the Easy Palette and choose Effect Gallery; Magic.  

3.  Choose L14, but right hand click on the picture and go to "Modify Properties and Apply and use the settings shown here. For purposes of this tutorial I chose a medium aqua blue as the color.   You may vary colors, depending on what is complimentary to the color hair you are painting.

Please note that I have reduced the pictures for display purposes only and you can right hand click and they will be saved to your hard drive as the actual size.

Note:  Let me also remind you to save your image as a UFO file often.   

4.  Choose the Airbrush, and a setting between 65% and 85%, size=5.   Note that both size, transparency will vary as you progress.  Also, at a later point you will change to the Paintbrush, varying the transparency as you work on the detail.

5.  Choose a color similar to the subject's skin color.  Most hair is simply variations of the subject's skin colors.  You should be able to move up and down the palette for your colors, as you begin to add detail.

NOTE: You might want to duplicate the colored canvas a few times, in case you want to start over completely!!!

It's important to be loose in your drawing to just position the forms.  Also, if using the Wacom graphire tablet, use just slight pressure in the initial sketching.  As you progress, draw quick, short strokes (just as you would with a pencil).

Begin by using the size=5 for the initial outlining; however, you will find that for blocking in the major masses of color, you may use brush settings up to size=30.  Of course, as you begin to put more detail into your painting, the size will decrease.

Start establishing the major light and dark areas and fill in the hair area.  You will note that some of the background blues begin to influence the hair color.

Continue working and adding more color into the major light and dark areas.  DO NOT concern yourself with individual hair strands at this point.  Paint loosely to indicate the hair without being overly fussy.

Continue to add your colors, keeping the lights primarily on the right side and darks on the left.

This is a good time to use your bristle brush to assist in blending if necessary.

Continue adding more detail to the hair, as well as adding some body color to the rest of the back and into the bottom of the hair.

Continue adding color detail and refining some of the secondary shapes within the hair.

Continue adding detail while reestablishing the darks and lightening the highlights.  You can also add a little reflected light into the shadow side of the hair

Now is the time to bring a little of the background color into the shadow side of the hair with the Paintbrush.  Continue adding detail and/or blending where necessary, but keeping away from putting the lights into the darks or any darks into the lights.