Applying brushes for creative effect

With the real-world brush marks now converted to Photoshop brushes, it’s time to put them to use, creating an abstract painterly effect that is based on a source photo:

1. Go to File → Open, browse to the 10-Brushes folder, and select Portrait.jpg. Click Open.
2. Go to the Layers panel and click on the New Layer icon. Name the new layer Paint and ensure it is active.
3. Switch to the History Brush tool by pressing the Y key. From the Brushes panel, left-click on the Acrylic-Large brush to make it active. You won’t need to edit the tool settings, as they were captured with the brush preset.
4. Starting from the outer edges of the image, left-click and drag in short bursts around the image until the edges have been transformed into brush marks.

Figure 10.16: Painting from the edges of the image up to the face

How the Art History Brush tool works

By default, the Art History Brush tool...