Paint Effects on Portraits

In my spare time I have been experimenting with using paint brush effects  on portraits.  (Spare time pfft, it took me 3 months to edit 5 photos :D )  
I had photographed and used bits of painted pictures as textured layers, but I had never really utilised the paintly effect brushes already in photoshop.  I also learnt how to create my own paintbrushes.

Here is the other 4 experiment photos.

This was using painted texture layers I had already photographed.

Using a paint brush I created in photoshop.

Textured layers and the paint brushes that are already in photoshop (if you have a look at the cloth by my hand).

Using everything I could throw at it!!

Here is how I created my own brush:

• I took a photo of a painted texture (off an oil painting) and then opened it up in photoshop.
  
• Select - colour range
• tick localised color cluster
• use eye dropper and choose an area of interest and then use the slider - range - to adjust what you want selected.  What is white will be selected.
• Copy selected part.
• Under the brush layer, duplicate the texture (oil painting) layer and fill with white.
• Click on the brush layer and desaturate it, then play around with the levels to get the strength you want.
• Edit - define brush preset - name the brush.

Done, you now have that brush anytime you want.

I started experimenting with this effect because  I found this inspiration on Pinterest:

I am going to be doing a series with ladies representing different colors and I thought this chart will help me set the theme and mood to each session.