Step-by-step: Gradually breaking the mirror down

1

Creating an initial sketch using values is a great way to begin your piece, but you can run the risk of introducing too much muddy black if you use it as a base unaltered. I like to play with gradient maps on my value sketches to introduce colour into the shadows, and create colour schemes I may not have thought of initially.

2

When tackling the broken glass of the mirror, I make use of the Lasso tool to create guides for the sharp cuts in the glass. I alternate between dark and light lines to show the catch of the light in the seams. I make sure to add a level of thickness to the glass edges, so the broken pieces can read as flipping through space.

3

Broken glass flying from the mirror can give some compelling action to the scene, but has the potential of distracting from the main focus of the image. I use motion blurs on some of the shards to imply a direction of force as well as to soften them up, leaving harder edges for areas closer to the focal point.