How i make a background

so people keep asking me to show them how i make the backgrounds for the pictures is upload, well, typically i find a picture on the internet that i like, and then paint it in Photoshop to make it into something usable as a background to some anime.

it normally takes at least an hour

as you can see i start with the original image, then i paint it directly onto a blank canvas, something you cannot see is that for reference i have the actual picture on a separate layer for use as a guide while painting, this makes the picture far more accurate, but still comical and sloppy enough to not overpower the character i then super impose over it.

through a series of back and forth's with colours and the blending i create the gradation's and tones that i like. and fill in the otherwise white space on the canvas.

at the very end i apply a few Filter's such as Crosshatch and Drybrush, because they add a really nice natural feel to the otherwise uninteresting blocks of colour that photoshop leaves. and whalla, the finished result