I then decided to get away from the dark mood and went for a warmer colour. Adding the sun and lighting the whole scene was done by painting light on different layers, with some set to Dodge. To achieve the glossy look of the stones, I painted sharp highlights, such as on the water's surface. I used a custom brush that scattered the tint depending on the pen pressure, and used a motion-blurred noise layer for most highlights (Fig.11).


I was then able to add all of the really fun details. Finally some more perspective correction of the building was done, without destroying the drama of its alignment in the whole image. Seaweed and water movement was painted around the foreground rocks to get some more variation in the whole piece. The cityscape on the right was added as well, and the background rock besides Big Ben was given a more realistic, hazy look. The stairs of the National History Museum were then broken down into pieces and the lighting was adjusted (Fig.12 and 13).

Final Image

Sometimes it's hard to keep photorealism in photographic parts when colour correcting and painting. Of course, the perfection of those skills comes with time, so I'm always learning and trying to improve. I hope this Making Of was interesting and helpful. I'd like to thank Dave Edwards for providing the photos and hope this Making Of can give others an interesting insight into how an image like this can be created (Fig.14).