Combining Painter and Photoshop.
Step 1
We'll start with a simple brushstroke in Painter Classic. I used the Big Coarse Hair because I like the way the Intuos Pen lets me go from a thin stroke to a nice, fat brush. (I like the name, too-- Big Coarse Hair sounds like a trailer park garage band.)
Steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11