Realistic digital portrait workflow: layer structure and skin texture

[Michael_H]

I've been working to improve my digital painting techniques in Photoshop, focusing on creating more realistic skin textures and subsurface scattering for a character portrait, but I'm struggling to move beyond a sort of plastic, airbrushed look despite using textured brushes and studying reference photos. My process feels disjointed, jumping between color blocking, detailing, and adjusting layers without a cohesive workflow, which often leaves the final piece looking overworked in some areas and underdeveloped in others. For artists who specialize in realistic digital portraiture, could you walk me through your typical layer structure and brush workflow from initial sketch to final details? How do you approach color harmony and maintain a sense of life and texture throughout the entire painting process, and what are the most common mistakes you see beginners make when trying to achieve realism?