Making a splash
James Paterson shows how we can use 37 free brushes to transform a portrait into a series of splashes, plus master key Affinity Photo skills
THE MISSION
Make a portrait ink splash effect using our free brush set
Time needed 45 minutes
Skill level Intermediate
Kit needed Affinity Photo
DOWNLOAD PROJECT FILES TO YOUR COMPUTER FROM: http://downloads. photoplusmag.com/pp188.zip
Brushes and layers are two of the most creative features in Affinity Photo, and in this project we’ll combine the two to create a fun portrait paint-splash effect.
While it may look complicated, the technique is actually very easy and makes use of fundamental Affinity Photo tools like masks and blend modes. The technique is broadly split into two stages. In stage one we’ll use a variety of layer skills to prepare our portrait for the splash effect. We’ll convert it to black and white, then use Levels to squeeze the tones so the highlights are blown out and the shadows are black. Then we’ll use a blend mode trick to add an array of colours over the face.