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Description
Download for full resolution if you want! I post more quick and dirty stuff like this on my Facebook, so follow along over there if you are into that: www.facebook.com/vader.beowulf
Copy/paste below:

1 -- Basic block-in done way zoomed out. Define large relationships. Don't get carried away, son.
2 -- Roughly define smaller forms with a larger value range. Pay no attention to detail or rendering, just relationships of light and dark, shapes and getting a sense of the light. It's ugly, and it is glorious.
3 -- Smudge brush! Smooth it all out. Don't lose your hard edges (jaw, back of the hair, shoulder), but smooth all the internal forms out. Make sure your blends look relatively correct -- don't go too crazy. Remember, if you are way sloppy now, you will have to paint over to fix it later. (I use Anthony Jones's soft blend smudge preset. John Silva has a similar brush. It's basically a regular round brush, 71% hardness, transfer on, size controlled by pen pressure (30% minimum), 22% size jitter).
4 -- Smaller value relationships, defining the features, looking more at capturing the likeness now. Keep getting more and more subtle and accurate with your values. Keep working big to small. Keep your shadow side and light side separate and discernable.
5 -- Entering the finishing stage. Focus on hard and soft edges, smaller and smaller value patches. Starting to really get particular in areas like her close cheekbone and temple. Subtlety is important in human faces! Liquify if you must, you cheater.
6 -- Artistic smudge comes into play. Choose a smudge that has some cool properties and breathe some life into it. Also keep painting. This is where I added/invented some specular highlights to help show more form.
7 -- Finish her up. I add softness and bloom to lit edges, like the forehead and cheekbone. More smudge, careful painting, and finish off with vignette, noise layer, sharpening, colour grading or anything else you need to do. Sign that bad boy with a classy signature.

Good luck!

Description
Download for full resolution if you want! I post more quick and dirty stuff like this on my Facebook, so follow along over there if you are into that: www.facebook.com/vader.beowulf
Copy/paste below:

1 -- Basic block-in done way zoomed out. Define large relationships. Don't get carried away, son.
2 -- Roughly define smaller forms with a larger value range. Pay no attention to detail or rendering, just relationships of light and dark, shapes and getting a sense of the light. It's ugly, and it is glorious.
3 -- Smudge brush! Smooth it all out. Don't lose your hard edges (jaw, back of the hair, shoulder), but smooth all the internal forms out. Make sure your blends look relatively correct -- don't go too crazy. Remember, if you are way sloppy now, you will have to paint over to fix it later. (I use Anthony Jones's soft blend smudge preset. John Silva has a similar brush. It's basically a regular round brush, 71% hardness, transfer on, size controlled by pen pressure (30% minimum), 22% size jitter).
4 -- Smaller value relationships, defining the features, looking more at capturing the likeness now. Keep getting more and more subtle and accurate with your values. Keep working big to small. Keep your shadow side and light side separate and discernable.
5 -- Entering the finishing stage. Focus on hard and soft edges, smaller and smaller value patches. Starting to really get particular in areas like her close cheekbone and temple. Subtlety is important in human faces! Liquify if you must, you cheater.
6 -- Artistic smudge comes into play. Choose a smudge that has some cool properties and breathe some life into it. Also keep painting. This is where I added/invented some specular highlights to help show more form.
7 -- Finish her up. I add softness and bloom to lit edges, like the forehead and cheekbone. More smudge, careful painting, and finish off with vignette, noise layer, sharpening, colour grading or anything else you need to do. Sign that bad boy with a classy signature.

Good luck!