amazing colour strands created in Photoshop

[zoran]

Does anyone have a clue how this effect can be achieved using Photoshop? Those colour strands look awesome, each have their own gradation, subtle shadow and highlight... but i cant figure out how they can be created in Photoshop!

 

[zoran]

Im wondering... can this be created by a brush in Photoshop perhaps?

 

[ZMacintosh]

do you have the full size image? there are different effects and layering techniques that could achieve this

 

[zoran]

No I don’t have the full size image. What kind of effects and layering techniques are you referring to?

 

[AngerDanger]

Huh, this one has me sort of stumped.

This is the best I can manage, but I can't figure out how to make the angle of the brush follow the direction I'm painting—in other words, I can't figure out how to make it look like all of the strands are parallel to each other and just curving in the same direction.

This person seems to make a lot of artwork similar to the image in your OP. Maybe reach out to them?