Step-by-step:

Turn a figure into a cursed creature

1

On the left, I start with a human form in the scene to give myself a base with real anatomy to alter for the mutation. On the right is the spider mutant sketch I create with a mix of lassoing elements to copy and free transform them, before painting over them to build out new forms.

2

During the render phase, I add an earring to my figure as an extra touch to show humanity. To make a clean hollow circular shape you can use the Elliptical Marquee tool in Quick Mask mode (press Q). If you mask the area you want selected, a quick invert selection will do the trick.

3

Incorporating the different ways that a creature’s skin pits or shines in the light can help create contrast to the formerly human form. To help add in some of these textures I use a variety of palette knife-style custom brushes made by Kyle Webster ( http://ifxm. ag/k-t-w).