What better way to celebrate ten years of Envato Tuts+, than with a fantastic selection of freebies and resources for our community? Join us as we take a look at how Tuts+ has changed over the last ten years, and share a selection of free courses, templates, eBooks, graphics, and lots more.
Want to jump straight to the freebies? Just click the banner to join our newsletter and get the first item in your inbox!
10 Years of Tuts+
Not many of you will remember when Tuts+ used to look like this! But at its core, Tuts+ remains focused on exactly the same thing we started out doing. We’re teaching technical and creative skills, helping people grow in their careers. In the past decade, we’ve:
Published over 24,000 tutorials (and 15,000 translations)
Published over 1,000 video courses
Grown from one topic (Photoshop) to nine topics
Re-built our entire platform three times (with countless re-designs!)
Grown our team from one, to fourteen, fantastic editors and experts
Worked with over 1,800 talented instructors and translators
10 Days of Freebies
This month, we’re doing something a bit special to celebrate the ten year anniversary of Envato Tuts+. We’ll have a selection of „10” themed content in Design & Illustration, as well as a fantastic promotion featuring ten days of freebies.
What will we be giving away? We don’t want to spoil the surprise, but you can look forward to a selection of:
Free courses and videos
Graphics, backgrounds, icons, and brushes
Presentation templates
Exclusive eBooks
And much more!
Just join our Tuts+ newsletter to get started. You’ll receive a daily email for the next ten days, with a different freebie to download (or watch) every day. The first one will land in your inbox straight away! Here’s a sneak peek at some of what you can expect:
Thank You!
We’ve had an incredible ten years creating tutorials, courses, eBooks, quizzes, learning guides, and so much more. We know it’s had a wonderful impact on many of you, changed lives, and helped further countless careers.
Thank you for reading Tuts+, subscribing to watch our courses, commenting, sharing, and being part of Envato’s incredible community of creators.
We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but what about rainy September days? Usually in September we start to grow the seeds of our new skills.
So let’s start with a tutorial devoted to creating a bunch of ten folk flower elements from Adobe Illustrator’s basic shapes and tools. Our bunch inspired by folkish patterns will consist of many repeating elements so you’ll learn how to construct many interesting elements from a limited quantity of repeating parts. Also, you can use this trick to make elements of any of your designs more connected to each other.
Create a New Document (File > New) following these settings:
Number of Artboards: 1
Width: 800 px
Height: 600 px
Units: Pixels
Color Mode: RGB
Next, make 11 layers by using the Layers panel—one for each flower element and one for a background.
Then, go to the View panel and turn Smart Guides on.
Step 2
Make a 100 x 100 px pink (#f4908a) circle by using the Ellipse Tool (L). Choose the Scissors Tool (C) and click on both right and left anchor points of the circle. Then, delete the upper half and click Unite on the Pathfinder panel.
Add a 100 x 25 px pale pink (#f9c4be) rectangle with the help of the Rectangle Tool (M) and place it on the upper side of the pink base.
Make a small 9 x 18 px pink (#f4908a) oval (also by using the Ellipse Tool (L)) and click on the upper and bottom anchor points with the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C). Place this shape on the pale pink rectangle to the left.
Then Copy it and move the copied piece to the right. Choose the Blend Tool (W) and click on both left and right shapes, and then click twice on the Blend Tool thumbnail. Set up Specified steps and 3, and click OK. Expand the effect by going to Object > Expand.
Step 3
Make a 9 x 9 px bright pink (#ed5a62) circle and place it above the left converted oval. Holding the Alt button on your keyboard, drag the bright pink circle to the right edge, and do the same trick with the Blend Tool (W) as we did in our previous step.
Make a 45 px high bright pink (#ed5a62) line with the help of the Line Segment Tool (\). Go to Window > Stroke and set up Cap: Round cap. Set up Width: 6 pt.
Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-V) the converted oval, recolor it to bright pink (#ed5a62), and change its size to 20 x 40 px. Then rotate it while holding Shift, and place it near the line, on its left side. Copy the leaf and reflect it Vertically by going to Object > Transform > Rotate. Add two additional branches to the left and right sides of the main stem. And place one 15 x 15 px bright pink (#ed5a62) circle on each of these additional branches.
Our first flower is done!
2. How to Make the Second Flower
Step 1
Make a 40 x 40 px cyan (#1a9cb4) circle and a 70 x 70 px blue (#18477b) circle. Place the blue one beneath the cyan and Align them by using the upper Align panel.
Create a 50 x 50 px dark gold (#b55a2d) circle and place it behind the previous two shapes on the upper left side. Copy it and move the copied shape to the upper right side. Then copy both these shapes and move them to the bottom.
Step 2
Copy the stem from the previous flower, and recolor it to blue (#18477b). Also copy the big leaves, make them blue too, and place two copies near the stem and two leaves to the left and right of the flower. Then, make four copies of the small leaves, recolor them to dark gold (#b55a2d), and place them around the flower.
3. How to Make the Third Flower With Hearts
Step 1
Copy the pink semicircle base from the first flower, make a 25 x 25 px circle, and place it on the base. Then, make three copies of this circle and place them in sequence after the first one.
Create a 70 x 70 px dark blue (#1c2949) circle, and place it beneath the pink base. Add three white circles on the dark blue shape: one 15 x 15 px and two 9 x 9 px.
Make two dark blue (#1c2949) lines with these options: 6 pt Stroke and 35 px Height. Rotate these lines while holding Shift and place them on the bottom of the pink base. Add a 40 x 40 px dark blue circle under the pink basic shape.
Step 2
And now we’ll quickly make a perfect heart.
Create two 20 x 20 px pale pink (#f4908a) circles and place them near each other. Then, with help of the Pen Tool (P), make two triangles which unite the both circles. Merge all these shapes with the help of the Pathfinder panel.
Place one heart on the flower and two hearts above it.
4. How to Make a Minimalistic Fourth Flower
Step 1
Create a 60 x 60 px blue (#18477b) circle, cut its upper half with the help of the Scissors Tool (C), and add a 40 x 40 px dark blue (#1c2949) circle on it.
Step 2
Add three bright pink (#ed5a62) 15 x 15 px circles above the flower’s base.
Make a 45 px Height blue stem. And Copy two big leaves and four small ones from the second flower, recoloring the big ones to blue and the small ones to bright pink. Place them around the stem.
5. How to Make the Fifth Flower, Inspired by a Folk Dymkovo Toy
Step 1
Start with a 100 x 100 px pink (#f4908a) circle and a 75 x 75 px bright pink circle (#ed5a62) with 6 pt stroke and no fill. Did you notice that all our elements have the same 6 pt stroke? It makes our design more complex. So add a 50 x 50 px blue (#18477b) circle and three dark blue (#1c2949) lines (with 6 pt weight each) inside the blue circle.
Step 2
Copy any leaf from the previous flowers, scale it to 60 x 30 px, and color it in blue (#18477b). Place two leaves on the left and right sides of the flower. Then, copy a 40 x 20 px leaf from the second flower, recolor it to dark blue (#1c2949), and paste four copies of it around the flower. Also add four 15 x 15 px gold (#d38932) circles and place them between the leaves.
6. How to Make a Sixth Composition of Flowers
Step 1
Create an 80 x 80 px pale pink (#f9c4be) circle and a 55 x 55 px pink (#f4908a) circle shape inside of it. Make a 40 x 40 px dark blue (#1c2949) circle and place it on top of the pale pink circle beneath it. Keeping the dark blue shape selected, choose the Rotate Tool (R) and click in the center of the pink circle while holding the Alt key. Set up Angle: 360/6 (6 is the number of our petals) and click Copy. Then, click Control-D as many times as it needs.
Step 2
Create a dark blue (#1c2949) stem with 100 px Height. Copy the dark blue leaf from the fifth flower and place four copies of it on the left side of the stem and four on the right.
Step 3
Create an 80 x 80 px dark blue (#1c2949) circle. Add a 55 x 55 px blue (#18477b) and a 30 x 30 px cyan (#1a9cb4) circle on it.
Make a 90 px high cyan stem. Also, make two small branches and add a 15 x 15 px cyan circle on each. Move this flower to the left of the dark blue flower.
Step 4
Copy the pale pink heart from the third flower, recolor it to bright pink (#ed5a62), and change its Width to 75 px. Don’t forget to click the Constrain Width and Height Proportions button.
Paste the pale pink heart again and move it to the center of the bright pink shape. Add a 50 pxHeight bright pink stem and two leaves from each side of the stem. Move the flower to the right side of the big dark blue flower.
Then select all these elements and Group(Control-G) them.
7. How to Make the Seventh Flower Composition by Using the Rotate Tool
Step 1
First, make two 45 x 45 px circles. One is pink (#f4908a), and the other is dark blue (#1c2949). Move the pink shape to the top of the dark blue circle behind it.
As we did before, keeping the pink shape selected, choose the Rotate Tool (R) and click in the center of the dark blue circle while holding the Alt key. Set Angle: 360/5 (because we need 5 petals now) and click Copy. Then, click Control-D as many times as it needs. So, you made a perfect flower!
Step 2
Add three 15 x 15 px golden (#d38932) circles between the petals. Make (or copy from our other flowers) a 30 x 15 px blue (#18477b) leaf and move it to the center of the dark blue shape. You can do it with the help of the Smart Guides or by using the Align panel. Also, add eight small white circles around the leaf.
Copy five petals, recolor them to blue (#18477b) and, while keeping the Constrain Width and Height Proportions button selected, change the Width to 50 px. Add a 15 x 15 px dark blue (#1c2949) circle in the center. Then, move this small flower to the left side of the pink flower and place its copy on the right side.
8. How to Create an Eighth Flower Composition
Step 1
As we’ve already made it, start with a pale pink (#f9c4be) 30 x 30 px circle. Copy five petals from the previous flower and change the Width value to 90 px. Move the pale pink shape on the petals to the center. Don’t forget to add a 70 pxHeight dark blue stem.
Step 2
Add a 60 x 30 px dark blue leaf (grab the color from the petals by using the Eyedropper Tool (I)), rotate it by holding Shift, and place it near the stem on the left side.
Then, copy another leaf from the dark blue flower which we made in section 6 and place it above the big leaf. Copy both these leaves, reflect them horizontally, and move them to the right side.
Step 3
Copy the pale pink circle again, and add a 40 px high pale pink stem (Stroke: 6 px) and four equal-sized leaves. Then, add a golden circle, copied from section 7, above the heart-shaped flower. Place one heart-shaped flower on the left side of the dark blue flower and one on the right.
9. How to Quickly Make a Stylish Ninth Composition From Leaves
Let’s copy the big dark blue leaf from the eighth chapter and play around with rotation. Form a cross consisting of four leaves.
Then copy and paste a vertical half of this composition to the left and to the right (see the picture below). Add nine golden circles copied from the eighth part.
10. How to Make a Tenth Flower Composition With Berries
Step 1
First, make a 65 x 65 px pink (#f4908a) circle. Add a white 30 x 30 px circle with a 6 px pale pink (#f9c4be) stroke on the pink shape. Also make a 50 x 50 px dark blue (#1c2949) circle and place it on the top of the pink shape behind it.
Step 2
Keeping the pink shape selected, choose the Rotate Tool (R) and click in the center of the dark blue circle while holding the Alt key. Set up Angle: 360/6 and click Copy. Then, click Control-D as many times as it needs.
Paste two big leaves from the ninth section, recolor them to blue (#18477b), and place them above the flower. Reflect them horizontally and move them to the bottom side of the flower.
Step 3
And the last element—a berry! Make its base from a 35 x 35 px pink circle. Add a small 9 x 9 px dark blue circle in the middle of the left side of the berry and a white circle of the same size as a reflection.
Create a 30 x 30 px circle with dark blue 3 pt stroke and choose the Width Profile 1 brush type. Cut the left side of this shape with the help of the Scissors Tool (C). We’ve made the berry! Now, you just need to rotate the berry and place one on the left side of the flower and another on the right.
Now group the whole composition (Control-G).
Step 4
Finally, add an 800 x 600 px white rectangle (by using the Rectangle Tool (R)) on the Background layer, and Align it to the artboard.
Place on the screen all of our ten flower compositions, and look what beautiful work you’ve done!
So, September Flowers Are Here!
Now you know how many interesting variations you can make even with a limited number of elements. I hope that you also have learned some new tricks from this tutorial.
Don’t forget to share your results in the comments. You can create your own patterns using the elements from our today’s tutorial—all your experiences are welcomed in the comments too!
In this tutorial I’ll show you how to use Adobe Photoshop to create a photo manipulation featuring an elephant and a rat skateboarding together.
First we’ll build the base scene using two stock images. Later we’ll add the road shadows, replace the sky, and import the skateboards. After that, we’ll add the elephant and rat, and we’ll blend them using adjustment layers, masking, and brushes. We’ll import other elements, such as hats, lollipop, and luggage, and we’ll use several adjustment layers to complete the final effect.
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:
Create a new 2000 x 1293 px document in Photoshop with the given settings.
Step 2
Open the background image. Drag the image into the white canvas using the Move Tool (V). Convert this layer to a Smart Object.
Step 3
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 12 px.
On the filter mask, select a soft round brush with black color (soft
black brush) to erase the midground and foreground, leaving the blur
effect visible only on the background.
Step 4
Create
a new layer and set it as Clipping Mask. Activate the Clone Tool (S) to
remove the existing shadows of the objects on the road. We’re aiming to make
the main light come straight across from left to right, so the existing shadow
should be erased or reduced.
Step 5
Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance and change the Midtones settings:
Step 6
Add a Curves adjustment layer and increase the contrast a little. On
this layer mask, use a soft black brush to erase the middle to keep it a bit hazy.
Step 7
Make another Curves adjustment layer to increase the fuzziness of the
middle. On the layer mask, paint on the top and the bottom of the
background.
Step 8
Open
the road image. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to select the road
area only and drag it into our main document using the Move Tool. Place
it over the existing road. Convert this layer to a Smart Object.
Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to remove the sidewalk.
Step 9
Apply a Gaussian Blur of 6 px to the road. On this filter mask, use a
soft black brush to clear the blur effect in the midground (this is
in order to locate the main elements).
Step 10
Use a Color Balance adjustment layer to alter the road’s color.
Step 11
Make a Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the road.
Step 12
Create another Curves adjustment layer to make the road hazier and mistier. Paint on the foreground to reduce the hazy effect there.
2. How to Make the Road Shadows
Step 1
We will now add shadows for the objects on the road.
First, create a new
layer and use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to select the sign with the
letters JCT/181 (no need to be so precise). You should disable the Gaussian Blur filter on the background layer to see more clearly.
Fill this selection with a dark brown color (#1c190c) and flip it
vertically (Edit >Transform> Flip Vertical). Use the Free
Transform Tool (Control-T) to rotate it onto the right of the sign to
fit the light direction. Make it longer and much thinner.
Step 2
Lower the opacity of this layer to 80% and apply a Gaussian Blur of 8 px to this layer.
Step 3
Make shadows for the other objects: signs, bushes, etc. They should be long and thin.
Step 4
Make
another layer and use a soft brush with the same shadow color (#1c190c) to paint random shadows for the small bushes in the distance.
Select all shadow layers and hit Control-G to make a group for them.
Lower the opacity of this group to 30%, and enable the Gaussian Blur
filter on the background one.
3. How to Replace the Sky
Step 1
Open the sky image. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the sky only and place it in the upper half of the canvas.
Use a layer mask to remove the hard edges at the bottom and blend it
with the existing sky. Lower the brush opacity when masking off the sign
area so the integration looks smooth and natural.
Step 2
Apply a Gaussian Blur of 2 px to this layer.
Step 3
Make a Photo Filter adjustment layer and pick the color #ece900.
Step 4
Add a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones and Highlights settings:
Step 5
Use a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the sky.
Step 6
To make the sky blend better with the background, create a new layer
and use a large soft brush with #d6c7b3 color and about 45% opacity to
paint on the middle of the canvas. You can use a layer mask to correct
anything that looks too misty.
4. How to Import the Skateboards
Step 1
Open the skateboard image. Cut out the skateboard from the white
background and place it on the right-hand side of the road. Duplicate it and make
it much smaller, and then place it on the left.
Step 2
Create a group for the skateboards and change the group’s mode to Normal
100%. The light on some wheels of the skateboards doesn’t really suit the
main light source. To fix it, make a new layer and change the mode to Multiply 100%. Use a yellow color for the brush (#b8ab0) and paint on the
indicated details to reduce the light there.
Step 3
Use another layer (Multiply mode) with the color #5e5847. Paint on the
metal details below the deck to make them a bit darker.
Step 4
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the skateboards’ color.
Step 5
Make a Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the skateboards.
Paint on the shadow areas below the deck so they won’t be
affected by this adjustment layer.
Step 6
Add a Levels adjustment layer with the same purpose. The selected areas show where to paint on the layer mask.
Step 7
The main light comes straight from left to right, so the shadows will only
show the griptapes and decks. Create a new layer below the skateboard
group and use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the deck of the big
skateboard and fill it with the color #1c190c. Convert this layer to a Smart Object.
Lower the opacity of this layer to 60% and use Control-T to make the shadow longer below the skateboard.
Add a mask to this layer and remove the left of the shadow. Also decrease its visibility on the right.
Step 8
Apply a Gaussian Blur of 3 px to the shadow layer. On the filter mask,
paint on the left part of the shadow as it
should be harder than the rest.
Step 9
Duplicate this shadow layer and move it below the small skateboard.
Scale it down a lot to fit the size of the skateboard. Use a layer mask
to remove the left and right of the shadow (the lifting parts).
5. How to Retouch the Elephant
Step 1
Open the elephant image. Isolate the one on the right and place him
above the big skateboard. Resize him to fit the skateboard and remember
to convert this layer to a Smart Object.
Step 2
We’re aiming to turn this elephant into a baby one. Searching for references using Google, we can see the top of a baby’s head is rounder, the legs and trunk
shorter and plumper, and the skin smoother and less wrinkled.
First, we’ll
change the pose of the elephant a bit. Select Edit > Puppet Warp and
drag the points on the top of the head downward a bit until it looks rounder. Also lift the trunk and legs a bit.
On the filter mask, use a soft black brush to erase the legs and eye.
Step 3
Add
a mask to the elephant layer and use a medium-hard brush to remove the
trunk and the bottom of the legs a bit so he looks as if he’s standing
on the skateboard.
Step 4
We’ll use the legs from the original image and scale them much less than
the existing ones so they will look shorter and plumper. Select the front
leg from the original image and add it to the same position as the
existing one. Use Control-T to lift this leg a bit higher.
Use a layer mask to blend the legs with the existing body.
Step 5
Add the other legs and the chest part using the same method.
Step 6
Add the trunk to replace the old one. Use Control-T with the Warp mode to make it shorter and raised a bit.
Step 7
It’s time to clone the skin, which will help the skin look smoother. Start
with the least rough area of the skin, and from that, clone over the
elephant’s body. The trick is to reduce the brush’s opacity (about 50-60%)
so that the cloned areas will look smooth, but still show some original details
and textures.
Step 8
Make a group for the elephant layer and related ones. Use a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones values:
Step 9
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the elephant’s color a bit.
Step 10
Create a Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the elephant.
Paint on the shadow areas and the part behind the ear to make its shadow
on the body.
Step 11
Use another Curves adjustment layer to strengthen the shadow of the
elephant. The selected areas show where to paint on the layer mask.
Step 12
Create a new layer above the elephant group. Change the mode to Overlay 100%, and fill with 50% gray:
Activate the Dodge and Burn Tool (O) with Midtones Range, Exposure about 15-20% to refine the light and shadow on the elephant. You can see how I
did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode.
Step 13
Make a new layer under the elephant group. Use a soft brush with the
color #1c190c, opacity about 45% to paint the shadow of the elephant’s feet
on the back of the skateboard.
6. How to Retouch the Rat
Step 1
Cut out the rat from the original background and place him above the
small skateboard. Use the Puppet Warp to lift his head a bit.
Step 2
Use a layer mask to remove the bottom of the feet outside the griptape.
Step 3
Change the rat’s color using a Color Balance adjustment layer.
Step 4
Use a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the rat. The selected areas show how to mask off the shadow area of the rat.
Step 5
Add another Curves adjustment layer to increase the shadow of the rat.
Step 6
Make a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100%, and fill with 50%
gray. Use the Dodge and Burn Tool to enhance the light and shadow of the
rat.
Step 7
Create a new layer below the rat one. Hold Control and click the rat thumbnail layer to load his selection.
Fill
this selection with the color #1c190c and flip it vertically. Stretch
it and place it above the top of the small skateboard’s shadow.
Apply a Gaussian Blur of 2 px to this layer. Also use a layer mask to
remove the legs’ shadow and make the rat’s one blend smoothly with that of the
existing skateboard.
7. How to Add the Hats
Step 1
Cut out the hat and place it above the elephant’s head. Duplicate this
layer and make it much smaller. Add it to the head of the rat after
flipping it horizontally.
Step 2
Make a new layer below the hat ones. Use a soft brush with the color #1c190c to paint shadows for the hats.
Step 3
Create a group for the hats and add a Color Balance adjustment layer. Alter the Midtones settings:
Step 4
Make a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the hat. Use a soft black
brush to paint on the shadow area (the right side) of the hats so it
won’t be affected by this adjustment layer.
Step 5
Create
another Curves adjustment layer to increase the shadow of the hats.
Paint on the left side (bright area) to keep their lightness.
8. How to Create the Lollipop
Step 1
Open the lollipop image. First, isolate the stick of the lower one and
add it below the elephant’s trunk. Use Control-T to rotate it to fit the
direction of the trunk.
Cut out the candy part and add it below the stick.
Step 2
Use the Dodge Tool on a new layer (set as Clipping Mask) to brighten the top of the candy.
Step 3
Make a group for the stick and candy layers. Use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and reduce the Saturation value to -55:
Step 4
Create a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones settings:
Step 5
Use a Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the lollipop.
9. How to Import the Luggage
Step 1
Extract the luggage 1 image from the background and place it onto the big skateboard, between the front legs of the elephant.
Use a layer mask to remove its bottom outside the griptape.
Step 2
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and change the Master values:
Step 3
Use
the Dodge and Burn Tool on a new layer to refine the light and shadow
of the suitcase. Also paint the shadow of the handle and some small details
to fit the light sources.
Step 4
Open the luggage 2 image. Take the highest piece of luggage and place it onto the
small skateboard, to the right of the rat, after resizing it down. Use a
layer mask to remove its bottom.
Step 5
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to desaturate the luggage’s color a bit.
Step 6
Use the Dodge Tool to brighten the luggage as it looks too dark at the moment.
Step 7
Make several new layers and use a medium-soft brush with the color
#1c190c to paint the shadow of the handle of the small suitcase, the shadow of
the rat on his luggage and skateboard, and the shadow of the leg of the elephant
on the big suitcase.
10. How to Make the Final Adjustments
Step 1
Create a new Color Fill adjustment layer on top of the layers and fill
with the color #18011c. Change this layer mode to Exclusion 100%.
Step 2
Add a Gradient Map adjustment layer and pick the colors #e10019 and #00601b. Lower the opacity of this layer to 20%.
Step 3
Make a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones and Highlights values:
Step 4
Create a Photo Filter adjustment layer and pick the color #d4a383.
Step 5
Add a Curves adjustment layer to increase the light and contrast of the whole scene.
Step 6
Make another Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the left part of the scene. The right should be erased.
Step 7
Use a Vibrance adjustment layer to enhance the final effect.
Congratulations, You’re Done!
I hope that you’ve enjoyed the tutorial and learned something new for
your own project. Feel free to share your results or leave comments in
the box below. Enjoy Photoshopping!
In celebration of Envato Tuts+’s ten-year anniversary, we’re going to look back even further in time to explore the era-defining trends and styles in graphic design and illustration over the past ten decades.
Studies of design and illustration have always given historians intriguing insights into changing trends in aesthetics, buying patterns, and popular culture, but it’s also invaluable for designers to know what has influenced and continues to influence their work today.
Love vintage design, or simply want to find out more about how designers worked in the past? You’ll want to keep reading!
Make sure to pay a visit to GraphicRiver and Envato Elements to source vintage-inspired photos, illustrations, fonts and templates to channel a bygone time in your own designs.
Design in the 1920s
The 1920s marked one of the most important and exciting decades for the visual arts, and its remarkable influence is still felt across the design industry today.
The ‘Jazz Age’ marked an era of new social freedoms and economic growth, and favored design styles followed suit. At the start of the decade, more fluid, realist styles such as Art Nouveau were still very popular across the commercial arts, but by the middle of the decade this was dramatically replaced by new modernist styles which were gaining traction in Europe.
Travel poster published by Victorian Railways, Australia, which has a very striking Art Deco design.
Art Deco, a style defined by modernist, geometric designs and luxurious materials and colors, first emerged in France but quickly grew in popularity, becoming one of the first international design movements and resulting in some of the most glamorous buildings, interiors and artworks the world has ever seen.
Particularly in New York, the post-war economy was booming, and in this atmosphere of financial excess, advertising design experienced an incredibly creative period. Poster artists embraced the Art Deco style wholeheartedly, focussing on creating strongly graphic layouts, with rich color palettes and geometric type styles. The glamor of flapper girls, exotic travel, and new food and drink dominated billboards, enticing viewers to dance the Charleston or buy Coca-Cola.
You might not know the name A. M. Cassandre, but you’ve surely seen his work. His early 20th century French advertising posters have become iconic images of…
Design in the 1930s
The excesses of the 1920s unfortunately couldn’t last forever. The Great Depression had a sombre influence over design in the 1930s, with a more restrained form of Art Deco which focussed on curved forms replacing the glitter and glamor of the decade before. In poster art, we can see how the rich palette of colors from early Art Deco is replaced with more subdued tones.
Also influential during this decade was the accessibility of modern technology for consumers. Electricity, the automobile, and the telephone made radical changes to daily life, and design increasingly reflected this.
The Futurist art movement emphasized the supremacy of technology, speed and industry in an ever-changing world. Designers and illustrators focussed their efforts on giving a sense of movement and scale to their designs. 3D-style gradients and textures also became popular, helping poster work feel immersive and larger than life.
The best-know movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz is the beloved Judy Garland classic from 1939. In this tutorial we’ll be designing a tribute to the film…
Sweets and chocolates have been around forever! This post takes a look at vintage and retro advertisements of some of our favorite treats, past and present….
Design in the 1940s
With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, fascism began to creep across Europe and threatened to spill over onto a global platform during the early part of the 1940s. This frightening new reality led to the once commercial emphasis of design to be replaced by propaganda and motivational imagery.
Some of the most interesting design to emerge in this period was that of the Soviet propaganda artists, who were inspired by Art Deco and Constructivism (a Russian art movement which emphasized art as having a social purpose) but developed a unique and direct style rendered in sombre shades of red, black and grey.
Stylistically, modernism was becoming a more influential movement, and we can see this in the use of abstract illustration, irregular layouts, and minimal color palettes. At the start of the 1940s, realist illustrations which romanticized battle were very popular, but by the end of the decade, consumers were ready for something very different.
We can see the roots of the Mid-Century Modern movement in design and illustration from the late 1940s. Visible brush strokes, witty designs and rich colors marked the end of the dark days of war and heralded a sunnier Post-War period.
This retro advertisement kit is inspired by the more colorful, optimistic style of the late 1940s
Pick up your broom, we’re going for a ride! Join me in Adobe Illustrator to create a bright and colorful little witch flying high above a city with the Pen…
Design in the 1950s
Designers have looked back to 1950s design time and time again, and with good reason. The era was an incredibly rich, optimistic and exciting time for design. Just as we have today, there were many different trends which found their place in the Fifties design landscape.
In America, a booming economy meant that ordinary homes now had kitchen appliances, motor cars, and televisions, all of which were advertised heavily to the public. Across commercial advertising we see atmospheric, cheerful illustrations and photos in pastel ice-cream shades or technicolor brights. The sense of movement, youth and excitement generated by this style of image is infectious, and still has remarkable influence over advertising design today.
Meanwhile, other designers were exploring modernism’s potential and giving it a fun, playful twist. Flat design was made popular by the Mid-Century Modern movement, which focussed on playful patterns and textures, and used simple, pared-back color palettes in earthy shades.
The Fifties were also a time for boundary-pushing in typography and typeface design. Perhaps the most famous example is designer Paul Rand’s reimagining of the logo for IBM in 1956. With its distinctive jaunty, geometric lettering, this type style influenced the perky, animated character of other typefaces which came to dominate billboards and signage across the last half of the decade.
If you’re a fan of Grease, you simply can’t forget the iconic dance scene, where Sandy and Danny attend a televised dance-off at their high school. In this…
The season of love and warmth is finally upon us! Create a vintage greeting card with lovely mistletoe and learn how to create an old effect on a card.
Design in the 1960s
Graphic design in the Sixties tended to split into two main stylistic groups. Some designers continued to evolve the simple, modernist style favored during the 1950s, and many were influenced by the Swiss Style, which came to have a huge influence over layout design and typography during the decade.
The Sixties were also a wonderful time for modernist illustration, with artists like Charley Harper exploring geometric shapes, stylized design and grainy textures in their drawings. Their simple, striking work had commercial appeal, making them a perfect fit for advertising work and textile prints during the period.
Charley Harper’s 1963 book plate illustration of finches is a lovely example of Sixties modernist illustration at its most whimsical and charming.
The other popular design movement in the Sixties was a reaction to the restrictions of minimal, modernist design. Psychedelic design was influenced by the free love movement, rock ‘n’ roll, and hallucinogenic drugs.
Graphic design merged with art, as designers and illustrators became more experimental and threw out the traditional rule books preaching grid structures and ordered layouts. A rainbow of acid colors, fluid lines, and trippy patterns came to define the look of the pop culture scene of the Sixties, and it’s still much more evocative of the Sixties in popular culture today than its modernist counterpart.
This cover of the San Francisco Oracle, January 1967, has an Art Nouveau-inspired psychadelic design
In today’s tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create a vintage vector scooter illustration. I’ll show you how to create simplified line art without…
Giving a nod to the golden era of French cinema, this New Wave-inspired poster picks up on the graphic elements and je-ne-sais-quoi charm of 1960s…
Design in the 1970s
1970s design has enjoyed a recent revival in design, fashion, and illustration, and perhaps this is in part because it’s such a rich resource for retro design in so many forms. The decade was defined by a diverse range of pop culture and social movements, which allowed individuals to express who they were more extrovertly through fashion, music, and art. Punk, Disco and the hippy movement were just a few of the cultural trends which defined the decade, and their influence spilled over into the world of design.
Flyer template inspired by the music-centric design styles of the 1970s.
In graphic design, we start to see photography becoming more dominant during this period, with illustration taking a more supportive role in magazine and ad design. Photography, as with everything in the Seventies, explored extremes—it was either moody greyscale or disco-bright technicolor. Magazines like Rolling Stone embellished photos with anarchic collage touches, bright color, and ‘look at me’ typography.
Developments in typesetting technology also helped the Seventies to become the decade that is defined by jaw-dropping typography, which is at turns both garish and revolutionary. Three-dimensional effects, curved lettering and cartoonish proportions make for type that pushes the limits of good taste, and has become the defining characteristic of 'retro’ design.
Summer is here, and festival season is in full swing. If you’re promoting a festival event this year, you can give your publicity a vintage twist with this…
If you’re into retro tech as much as I am, well buckle in since today we’re having a treat, and boy is it sweet. In the following moments, we will recreate…
Design in the 1980s
In the decade of boom and excess, there’s also nothing subtle about Eighties design. Topping the Seventies for sheer ‘look at me’ value, this decade carried over the more brash elements of Seventies design, such as disco typography, and exaggerated them even more.
Punk still had a huge influence on popular culture in the early 1980s, and an anarchic use of color was used by designers to contrast against newspaper-clipping text and moody silhouetted photography. Anti-establishment British bands like The Smiths and The Clash used traditional design elements like serif typefaces and reimagined them with a neon color palette and jumpy grids, creating engaging, confrontational album art in the process.
Album cover for London Calling by The Clash (Released in 1979 in the UK, and 1980 in the US) Album cover for The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead (1986)
In the latter part of the decade, garish, neon-saturated styles came to dominate commercial design and spilled over into music and the arts. Some of the most recognisable design traits of the Eighties can be sourced from the inescapable type styles that were developed from the mid-Eighties onwards. Sharply italicized lettering fonts in neon pinks and purples adorned album covers and advertising billboards alike.
While not all Eighties design is considered to be indeed ‘good’ at all, let alone tasteful, thankfully some designers were still creating amazing work, some of which has come to be recognized as iconic and well-loved as examples of ‘nostalgia art’ decades later. Some of the most incredible design during the 1980s appeared on movie posters, with complex collage designs, super-bright colors and highly detailed layouts. Illustrations were hyper-realistic and dramatic, with exaggerated light and shadows.
The promotional artwork for movie Labyrinth (1986) is a beautiful example of the highly detailed, illustrated collage style favored by poster designers in the 1980s
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a TV silhouette scene inspired by the 80s horror movie, Poltergeist, in Adobe Illustrator.
Design in the 1990s
The designs that defined the 1990s take a little longer to come to mind than the visual culture of the hippy 70s and brash 80s, but it’s actually an incredibly significant decade for the development of graphic design as we know it today. Digital design technology had evolved and become more accessible (remember Microsoft Paint?), which meant that the days of creating layouts by hand were fast disappearing. As a result, layouts took on a more polished, clean appearance.
While design may have cleaned up its act, its influences were altogether much rougher around the edges. Grunge was a significant influence across pop culture, fashion and design over the early part of the decade, and in many ways this clashed with the clean, tech-forward focus of designers who were embracing digital design wholeheartedly.
You can’t mention Nineties graphic design without paying homage to American art director David Carson, who founded alternative music magazine Ray Gun in 1992. A world away from the measured minimalism of digital design, he ‘broke the grid’, experimenting with collage-style type and edgy photography. It remains the most evocative design example of the grunge era.
Towards the middle and later part of the decade, minimalism became the order of the day, which felt completely refreshing after the scruffy grunge years. Calvin Klein pioneered minimal graphic design in his adverts featuring a waif-like Kate Moss posing next to an ultra-simple, watermarked logo design. It marked a new era for advertising design in which less became more, setting the benchmark for the pared-back fashion advertising we see in print today.
Nineties grunge was an explosive era in American culture, filled with the sounds of punk rock, heavy metal, and electric guitars. In this tutorial, learn how…
Use Photoshop’s 3D tools and settings, shapes, and filters, to create a retro 80s/90s text effect inspired by sitcom title art.
Design in the 2000s
While the 90s marked the first venture into digital design for many designers, it was inescapable during the 2000s. No longer was computer-aided design simply an option, it became a necessity, with designers needing to craft layouts that would work just as well on computer screens as they would on handheld devices like mobile phones.
Logos had been around for decades, but the 2000s were the boom years for branding, with some of the most iconic tech brands like Google, Twitter and Facebook creating and honing their brand identities during this decade. Logo design became a consuming area of focus for many graphic designers during this decade, with many judging the future success or failure of a business from the quality of their brand design.
The original Facebook logo, which has since been redesigned to make the type appear less rounded.
The 2000s were a decade of great political and social change across the world stage, and design followed was often employed to raise awareness of causes such as environmental change and the impact of events like the financial crisis of 2007.
One of the most memorable examples of design as a political tool was Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” poster for the 2008 US presidential campaign. Stylistically, it referenced older street art styles, a hallmark of 2000s design, but the strong sans serif type and ultra-realistic portrait of Barack Obama made it feel fresh and relevant, and ultimately was a significant contributing factor to the success of Obama’s campaign.
In our new course, Mastering Logo Design in Adobe Illustrator, you’ll learn all the technical skills you need to start designing fantastic logos.
Design in the 2010s
Sure, we’re only seven years into the decade, but the 2010s have already seen plenty of incredible work and look to be an exciting decade for graphic design and illustration. While it can be difficult to assess the dominant trends of the decade without hindsight (and still with three promising years to go!), we can already look back on a few styles that have proved to be almost universally popular in the early and middle part of the decade.
Vintage mania hit the graphic design world at the start of the decade and still remains very dominant in design. With the internet becoming an all-encompassing influence in people’s lives, vintage, folk and ‘hipster’ styles can be seen as reactions to a technology-mad world, even if antique-style textures and vintage logos are used to brand tech products!
When you’re asked to give a design or image a ‘vintage’ look, what does that actually mean? ‘Vintage’ encompasses a whole range of styles, which span decades…
Design an Ireland travel poster in a vintage style for St. Patrick’s Day, using Illustrator for vector illustrations and Photoshop for textures.
Illustration has also experienced a welcome revival this decade, with flat design revisiting some of the modernist traits of mid-century design and vectorized and digital illustration evolving as an art form. We’re starting to see more explicitly tech-inspired design gradually creep back into illustration now too, with low-poly and line art taking their cues from the ever-evolving world of web and app design.
Looking to learn Cinema 4D quickly and easily by creating a 3D Mini Planet? You can do it in this simple and fun tutorial, where we will go through how to…
In this tutorial we’ll create six different animal portraits from one and the same circle! Let’s have fun making a set of trendy flat elements using basic…
Conclusion
A lot can change in a century! Design and illustration offer amazing insights into the social and cultural trends and changes that defined decades, and I hope you’ve found this trip back in time interesting and perhaps inspiring for your own creative work.
No designer can truly work in a vacuum, so it’s fantastic to be able to see what visual culture would have been a constant presence in the lives of your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and beyond.
Do you have a favorite decade for design? Let us know which eras get your creative juices flowing in the comments below.
Head over to GraphicRiver and Envato Elements to find vintage-inspired design elements to take a trip back in time in your own creative work.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you an easy and quick way to sketch with graphite pencils. We’ll also learn to apply different types of hatching to achieve impressive results.
You don’t need anything fancy to complete this tutorial; just two pencils, an eraser, several sheets of drawing paper, and, of course, a desire for experimenting with your art supplies and creativity!
A background in drawing is desirable but not obligatory. To understand and repeat the steps, you just need to become familiar with the hatching techniques and observe my illustrations closely.
Nothing benefits an artist more than thoughtful observation and daily practice!
What You Will Need
In order to complete this tutorial, you’ll need the following equipment:
an HB graphite pencil
a 3B graphite pencil
an eraser
drawing paper
1. How to Draw With a Graphite Pencil
Step 1
This part of the tutorial is devoted to the tips and tricks of using graphite pencils. We’ll observe different ways of applying strokes and provide a starting point for developing your skill set.
The first type of hatching is a group of straight lines that have the same direction and approximately equal length.
Step 2
Another important technique for creating an illusion of three-dimensionality is contour hatching.
As you can see in the image below, the lines are slightly bent, as if they are repeating the contours of an object.
Step 3
Let’s compare the possibilities of our pencils. We have two types: an HB and a 3B.
Create two samples of simple parallel hatching, just to observe how they look next to each other. In my image, the HB sample is on the left, and the 3B is on the right.
The HB pencil leaves lighter marks on the paper, and we’ll use it mostly for creating the initial contours and designing the drawing.
The lines made with the 3B pencil are darker and more intense, so this tool is the optimal choice for shading.
Step 4
Let’s create a beautiful, velvety-looking texture. I’m making lines with soft rubbing strokes, holding my 3B pencil at an angle.
Try to vary the pressure and layer the graphite strokes; you can get a dark surface which will seem almost black.
Step 5
Sometimes it’s great to smooth over the look of the graphite strokes, making them blurry. To do that, I use my finger, gently rubbing the end of the hatching sample.
Please be sure that your hands are clean and dry before you make anything like this. Human skin has natural oils, so your drawing may get dirty.
If you don’t like using your own hand, you can get a blending stump or an ordinary cotton bud.
2. How to Draw a Strawberry
Step 1
Technically, a strawberry is not a berry—it’s an aggregate fruit. However, for the sake of this tutorial, let’s close our eyes to this fact.
With an HB pencil, I draw the rough shape of the strawberry. Then I add the shapes of the leaves and the stem.
Step 2
I refine the shape of the strawberry and the contours of the leaves.
I also add the subsidiary lines; they will help us to allocate small seeds on the fruit’s body. Our goal is to make an illusion of volume, so the lines should be slightly bent.
Step 3
I soften the subsidiary lines with an eraser, so that they are barely visible, and draw the seeds. They arrange themselves in a staggered order.
Step 4
It’s time to apply the hatching, using a 3B pencil. I accentuate the sides of the strawberry, leaving the thin lines of the reflected light, and darken the leaves.
I also emphasize the small hollows (where the seeds are located) and then add the drop shadow. Please be sure to leave a highlight on the upper part of the strawberry.
This drawing already looks as if we’ve worked on it for a long time!
3. How to Draw a Cherry
Step 1
I draw the shape of the cherry, using the HB pencil. This shape resembles a circle with a narrowed bottom part.
Then I add a curved line for the stem.
Step 2
I add a small hollow to the upper part of the cherry and refine the stem.
Step 3
With the 3B pencil, I add the shadows.
I accentuate the hollow and the sides of the cherry with the contour hatching. Then I add some graphite strokes to the stem and mark the drop shadow.
It’s important to leave the highlights because a cherry is a smooth, glossy object.
4. How to Draw a Blackberry
Step 1
With an HB pencil, I draw a rough shape of the blackberry; then I add the parallel, slightly curved subsidiary lines.
Berries like blackberries are composed of a cluster of small drupes around a central stem. The reference lines are helpful for adding the rows of the drupes.
Step 2
Just imagine that the center of each drupe is sitting on the line you drew in the previous step. The rows are fitting closely to each other.
I noticed that it’s much easier to fill the shape of the blackberry with the small elements, starting with the bottom row.
Step 3
With the 3B pencil, I darken the borders between the drupes. I also add a shadow to each small element, leaving a highlight and a thin stripe of the reflexed light.
I’ve drawn a separate drupe just for your reference—you can see it in the image below.
As a finishing touch, I add a drop shadow.
5. How to Draw a Raspberry
Step 1
With the HB pencil, I draw the shape of the raspberry and then add the opening of the berry.
I sketch the subsidiary lines, just as we did with the blackberry drawing.
Step 2
I draw the rows of drupes, starting with the upper one. The principles of perspective are important here; the side drupes are less visible to the viewer.
Step 3
I add the shadows, making a soft texture with the 3B pencil. A raspberry doesn’t look glossy, so we don’t have to create deep shadows and contrasting highlights.
I’ve also added a sample of an individual drupe, just for your reference.
6. How to Draw a Blueberry
Step 1
With the HB pencil, I draw two oval shapes of the berries and add the small openings. To make this composition more interesting, I place a small leaf between the berries.
Step 2
I refine the upper part of each blueberry, adding a flared crown with the uneven edges.
I also add a drop shadow, using the 3B pencil.
Step 3
With the 3B pencil, I add smooth graphite strokes to the sides of the berries. It’s important to accentuate the borders between the objects and darken the openings.
If you wish to make your drawing more credible, you can add the groups of short hatches to create a beautiful spotty texture.
7. How to Draw Grapes
Now we are getting to some things you may not think of as berries. But grapes, tomatoes, and even bananas are berries according to the scientific definition. So let’s keep going!
Step 1
Drawing grapes can seem intimidating—there are so many elements to keep in mind! But don’t worry, we’ll find an easy way to design a small bunch of grapes.
I start with a framework, drawing a vertical core line and adding the shorter divergent lines. The grapes can grow singly or in a small group.
Step 2
I add some thickness to the stem and draw the elongated shapes of the grapes.
To make this process easier, let’s draw the elements that are closer to the viewer first. Some grapes overlap the vertical twig and other grapes.
Step 3
I add the remaining grapes. The initial sketch is complete!
Step 4
With the 3B pencil, I apply the shading. Basically, it’s just a layer of the contour hatching at the sides of each grape. Please be sure to leave the small highlights!
8. How to Draw a Tomato
Step 1
I draw a round shape of the tomato, using the HB pencil. I also mark the hollow in the upper part of the shape.
Step 2
I draw the stem and long shapes resembling leaves.
Step 3
I add the contour hatching, using the HB pencil. It’s important to accentuate the area of the hollow and the sides of the tomato.
Step 4
I darken the shape even more, using the 3B pencil. The strokes should be smooth and soft; you can shade them with your finger or a blending stump.
As usual, I check that the highlight and reflexes are in place, and add a drop shadow.
9. How to Draw a Banana
Step 1
I sketch a rough shape of the banana, using the HB pencil. This form consists of two elements: a long, wide shape for the banana’s body, and a thinner, shorter one for its upper part.
Step 2
I refine the contours of the banana, making this drawing more realistic.
A banana’s body has several sides (and we see two of them), so don’t forget to mark the border between these sides.
Step 3
I apply the contour hatching, using the 3B pencil. It’s important to darken the underside of the banana and accentuate the border between its sides.
I leave a strip of reflected light at the bottom side of the banana and create a drop shadow.
10. How to Draw an Eggplant (Aubergine)
Step 1
With the HB pencil, I draw the shape of the eggplant. It is an oval, with a prominent curve. I add the rough shape of the stem.
Step 2
I refine the upper part of the eggplant, adding the leaf-like elements.
Step 3
With the 3B pencil, I start shading the drawing; contour hatching is the best choice to give this sketch more volume.
The body of an eggplant is dark and glossy, so I apply a thick layer of the graphite strokes to its bottom part.
Step 4
I add more hatching to the sides of the eggplant, making it dark and contrasting.
I leave a bright highlight on the object’s body and add a drop shadow. With an eraser, I make the line of the reflected light at the bottom part of the eggplant.
11. How to Draw an Avocado
Step 1
With the HB pencil, I outline the shape of the avocado. It resembles a pear: a thinner upper part proceeds smoothly to a wider circular base.
I also add a stem and a leaf; these elements will help us to balance the composition.
Step 2
I add a pattern of the small semicircles and wavy lines to create the beautiful texture of the avocado.
Step 3
I add the contour hatching to the sketch, using the HB graphite pencil. I accentuate the sides of the avocado with an additional layer of strokes.
I also add a drop shadow, using the 3B pencil.
Step 4
With the 3B pencil, I work on the texture of the avocado and make my drawing more three-dimensional.
I apply the soft graphite strokes to emphasize the small surface imperfections, accentuating the dents and bumps. I also darken the sides of the avocado and blend the strokes with my finger.
Your Drawings Are Complete
Congratulations—we’ve created ten beautiful graphite pencil sketches! I hope you were inspired by the berries and enjoyed the process of drawing.
For practice, I recommend that you try getting some real berries (or other objects) and making your own sketches. It will help you to develop your observation skills and understand the principles of shading with graphite pencils much better.
Let your creative journey be successful and full of joy!
And if you are interested in other simple, step-by-step drawing tutorials, please check out these:
To celebrate ten years of Envato Tuts+, we’re giving away this essential pack of Photoshop brushes! Learn how to create your own, and find more inspiration from our trusted tutorials.
10 Essential Brushes You Should Own
Do you love Photoshop brushes? So do we! Create magical paintings and manipulations with incredible, high-resolution brushes. In this collection of essentials, I’ll show you various basic and texture-based brushes every designer should own.
How to Create Custom Photoshop Brushes
To build the ultimate toolkit, you’ll need amazing Photoshop brushes. They’re super easy to make, and you’ll be glad you made them in the long run.
Here is the method I’ll be using to create most of these brushes. Feel free to leave any questions for more clarification.
I’ll try not to play favorites here, but after painting for nearly ten years, I generally stick with a basic round brush. Here’s the reason:
1 Round Brush = Many, Many Brushes
You see, the Round Brush stands alone. It’s the first brush you’ll get to know and the one you’ll never put down. But you also won’t want to! You can use it for photo editing, painting, calligraphy, and so many other cool projects.
Here are a few examples of the type of magic you can make with a round brush:
The standard Round Brush features 100% Hardness, which usually stumps people in the beginning. It can feel very reminiscent of Microsoft Paint (RIP), but it doesn’t have to.
Instead, take advantage of learning about Brush Opacity and pen pressure sensitivity. If you have a graphics tablet, you’ll be blown away by the amount of options and flexibility available.
I, for example, like to have at least one Photoshop Round Brush with 100% Hardness and no extra pressure settings. A blunt brush that reminds me to think about crisp details often.
Simple brushes like this are made using the Create New Brush option.
But like many people, I like having choices.
So I’ll show you two examples of how to work with this brush with different settings. Bring up the Brush panel (F5). Now go to Shape Dynamics. Change the brush Control to Pen Pressure.
For sketches, comics, and general inking, use this brush.
For soft, atmospheric effects, and general blending, you can try this brush below. All you have to do is lower the Hardness to 0% and set the Transfer to Pen Pressure.
Don’t worry, you won’t have to remember these settings—I’ve included them as bonuses with our pack!
Still having trouble with the basics? Here are a few more tips!
Vary the Brush Opacity often.
Use 50–100% Hardness to create crisp, clean details.
Use 0–50%Hardness for general blending and shading.
If you’re pressing too hard on the tablet, then the Opacity is too low.
2. Grunge Brushes
Despite all of the minimalism we see, grunge brushes are here to stay. Just like round brushes, they hold an important place in our essential brush kit.
So what can you use them for?
Just about anything. Grunge brushes are so varied in texture, style, and overall complexity that you can use them for a variety of projects. Check these out, for instance:
Grunge brushes are usually made from texture stocks. Some of the more common ones come from paper, stone, and glass images.
So for the next brush in our pack, I’ll create one using this paper image. Feel free to play with Adjustment Layers for more variation.
Subtle textures are more flexible, so a simple grain like this is multipurpose for any creative need. You can also try out more images for incredible effects.
Though still considered grunge, drip and splatter brushes are next up on the list for basic Photoshop essentials.
Horror, retro, and antique design are all amazing styles creatives love. And although these brushes seem mostly gruesome, drip and splatter textures are actually a natural part of weather and erosion.
Here are two completely different results using drip and splatter elements:
This splatter was created using the bristles of a paint brush to flick paint onto paper. If you need some ideas for how to use this brush, consider trying it out on an explosive effect. Or add more debris to a post-apocalyptic scene with just a few clicks.
Learn how to create Gothic photo manipulations with blood and splatter. Give this fun tutorial a try:
Great for designers, matte painters, and photo manipulators, smoke and fire brushes create realistic, fiery details with fantastic atmosphere.
To create a Smoke Brush specifically, you’ll need a high-resolution image first. I’ll be using this smoke image from Envato Elements. Hold Control-I to Invert the image.
Then use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and go to Edit > Define Brush Preset to create your new brush.
It’s that simple! Gather dozens of smoke images to create your own smoke brush set!
6. Geometric Brushes
Going all the way back to the Egyptians, geometric design has always been a huge part of art and creativity. And you can explore elegant designs with various minimal shapes.
Get started with a photo effect for more experience with geometric elements. Try out this fun Photoshop tutorial to learn how:
When it comes to creating the actual brush, keep it simple sweetheart! Here I used Photoshop’s ShapeTool to create a multipurpose circular brush.
This brush can be used to create awesome tube designs or texture for clothing and metal. Keep the Brush Opacity between 70–100% to accentuate the pattern, or at low levels like 1–20% for a bit of grunge.
7. Art Brushes
Whenever you want to feel like Da Vinci, just open Adobe Photoshop. You too can feel like your favorite traditional artists, even with digital software.
Art brushes are used to create beautiful artistic effects. They simulate traditional art strokes and are used in collaboration with normal round brushes. Check out these tutorials for more painting inspiration:
The best way to create these brushes is to go back to the basics.
Use a simple brush along with acrylic paint to paint several brush strokes. Scan them into your computer or just take a quick picture with an iPhone.
Here I’ve created two different brushes made from the same paint stroke. The first is the original paint texture, and the second mimics the actual art form. Experiment with both to find the style you like.
8. Star Brushes
Another popular trend highlights the spectacular outer space. Star brushes allow artists to paint dozens of tiny star dots in fewer steps.
Want to see them in effect? Master beautiful star and flare light effects with these tutorials:
Select the Brush Tool (B) and use a Hard Round Brush at 100% Opacity to create many small dots on your canvas. Then use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to follow the same steps as before to create your custom brush.
Add small clusters of stars to your landscape paintings for realistic night-time environments.
9. Realistic Hair Brushes
Google recently told me that our hair contains 100,000 hair follicles. 100,000!
Will you be painting them all by hand? I certainly won’t!
Use hair brushes to make the process easier! Yes, it’s true! You can paint dozens of hair strands with a single brush stroke. Learn how to paint realistic hair from these tutorials:
To create a Photoshop hair brush, the process is pretty simple. Use the Brush Tool (B) again, at full Hardness and Opacity.
Paint four black dots in a row. Capture these dots as a custom brush. Then enable Pen Pressure under the Shape Dynamics and Transfer settings for a fluid result.
Use this efficient hair brush to save valuable time!
10. Nature Brushes
Build a forest without ever drawing a single tree. Nature brushes are essential for a fast painting workflow.
And the best types of brushes are usually in the form of a silhouette. These brushes can be used to paint background bushes, flowers, and more. Learn how to work with natural brushes with these tutorials:
For this brush, I used this 3D object from Envato Elements. After downloading the tree at the angle you prefer, pass it through the Threshold filter at a high level. Enjoy a clean silhouette effect that can help you overcome depth of field issues.
Nature brushes can also be made from high-quality stocks! Check out this video to create a custom leaf brush set:
In today’s tutorial we’re going to learn how to create a set of messenger stickers to share on our chat apps. We will use basic Adobe Illustratorgeometric
shapes and tools, grasping some quick, useful tips along the way.
I have roughly sketched out the concept that we will be creating: the numbers from 10 to 1 in various balloon forms and fireworks. If you’re looking to speed up your workflow or buy similar illustrations, you can always head over to GraphicRiver to buy graphics to decorate the pack.
Let’s start popping with our balloon countdown!
Tutorial Assets
In order to complete this tutorial, you’ll need the following:
Let’s set up
a New Document (File > New or Command-N)
using the following settings:
Name: Celebration_Countdown
Width: 512
px
Height: 512
px
Units: Pixels
Number
of Artboards: 11
Color Mode: RGB
Click Create
2. How to Illustrate the Balloon Shapes & Numbers
Step 1
Begin by typing in the countdown numbers, 10 to 1.
Open the Character panel: Window > Type > Character (Command-T). Select the Type Tool from the Tools panel. Choose a bubble-like font; for example, I usedSniglet. Set
the stroke color to null, with black fill color.
From the Character panel, set the font size to 215 pt, and type onto each Artboard the corresponding countdown number, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and leave the last artboard empty.
Step 2
Let’s begin drawing our balloon shapes.
First you need to transform all the type into objects. To do so, Select > All (Command-A), to select all the numbers. Next, Type > Create Outline, to turn the numbers into objects.
Step 3
From the Tools panel, select the Pen Tool (P), and set
the stroke color to black, with no fill color. Draw in all the balloon shapes freehand except the circular ones, for which you can use the Ellipse Tool (L).
Then from each artboard select the elements, expand them gradually to fit within the artboard space, and rotate them slightly to create a floating illusion.
Step 4
Next, take the Selection Tool (V), select all the black filled numbers, and Shift-X as a shortcut to swap fill with stroke color.
Then select the balloon shapes and Object > Path > Offset Path. Set Offset at -13px and Joins: Round, then OK.
Object > Ungroup (Command-Shift-G),to ungroup them from one another.
Step 5
Select the Pen Tool (P), from the Tools panel, keeping
the black stroke color, with no fill. Draw the inner balloon highlight and shadow areas.
Step 6
We need to put in the balloon strings.
Start by opening the Brushes panel: Window > Brushes. Then from the panel menu: Open Brush Library > Show Calligraphic Brushes > Artistic > Artistic_Calligraphic library.
Choose the 10pt Calligraphic Brush, from the Artistic_Calligraphic library. Then select the Paintbrush Tool (B), with a black stroke, no fill, and draw the balloon strings for each balloon.
File > Save (Command-S).
3. How to Color & Add Effects
Step 1
Let’s color!
First, give the following colors to the inner, outer and balloon knots:
Make sure to change the stacking arrangement of your objects as you move along.
To Arrange top or bottom in position: Object >
Arrange > Bring to Front(Shift-Command-]) or Object > Arrange >
Send to Back(Shift-Command-[).
To Arrange one step front or back: Object > Arrange > Send Backward(Command-[) or Forward
(Command‑]). Object > Arrange > Bring Forward.
Give the fireworks red and yellow colors.
Step 2
Next, let’s add gradient color to the numbers.
Open the Gradient panel: Window > Gradient. Apply the following gradients:
Yellow: #FFDC0D to #FFBC00 set at -90° angle
Red: #F63536 to #E01C1D set at -90° angle
Green: #71BA0B to #5F9B00 set at -90° angle
Step 3
Next, let’s add some highlights.
Open the Transparency panel: Window > Transparency. Take the Selection Tool (V) and select all the balloon highlights. Remove the black stroke color, and select Fill (X).
Then from the Transparency panel, set Blending Mode to Screen. On the Gradient panel, choose a white fill for the left gradient slider, and set an Opacity of 80%, fixed at a -45° angle.
Afterwards, choose a white fill on the right gradient slider, and set its Opacity to 0%.
Step 4
Then move on to placing the shadow gradients.
Start with the shadow area of the pink: Take the Selection Tool (V) and select all the balloon shadow areas. Remove the black stroke color, and select Fill (X). Choose Blending Mode: Multiply,from the Transparency panel.
Then on the Gradient panel, choose a dark pink color fill on the left gradient slider, and set Opacity: 80%, at a 120° angle. On the right gradient slider, keep it white and set Opacity at 8%.
Repeat the same steps for the other shadows, except match the dark color gradient slider with the respective colors, so dark red slider with red, dark green on green balloons, etc.
Step 5
After, with the Selection Tool (V), select each balloon string and give it a stroke color of your choice. Make sure all are sent back: Object > Arrange >
Send to Back(Shift-Command-[).
Step 6
Let’s add some shine.
From the Tools panel, under the PaintbrushTool (B) dropdown, select the Blob BrushTool (Shift-B). Select a white fill.
Then choose a Blob Brush Tool size by holding the left square bracket key ([) to decrease and the right square bracket (]) to enlarge the brush size, to draw some shine blobs on the balloons.
Step 7
Afterwards, add highlights to the numbers.
Use the Blob BrushTool (Shift-B), but instead of a white fill use light color tones, and apply Screen: Blending Mode from the Transparency panel.
Step 8
Let’s draw some confetti!
Draw the confetti using the Paintbrush Tool (B). Use the 5pt Oval brushfrom the Artistic_Calligraphic library and use a 2-3pt Stroke Weight.
Try drawing confetti swirls with different colors and stroke weights.
Step 9
Add more confetti using the EllipseTool (L), StarTool and RectangleTool (M), and use different colors and shape sizes. Note: Don’t draw tiny elements.
Then Arrange to the front or back: Object >
Arrange > Bring to Front(Shift-Command-]) or Object > Arrange >
Send to Back(Shift-Command-[).
Looking colorful!
Step 10
Next, we need the numbers to pop out a bit.
Use the SelectionTool (V) to select the numbers inside the balloons: 10, 9, 7, 5, 4, 3, and 1. Duplicate the selection by Shift-Option-Dragging slightly lower.
Give the selection a yellowish gold color #CCB842. Then set the Blending mode to Multiply, from the Transparency panel.
You will need to Arrange one step back: Object > Arrange > Send Backward(Command-[.
Step 11
Finally, use the SelectionTool (V) to Group (Command-G) each balloon with its respective parts, center it on the artboard, scale it, and modify anything you find misfitting.
File > Save (Command-S).
4. How to Export & Share
Step 1
Once you’ve finalized the artwork, you need to Export your files.
File > Export > Export As, and select a location for the file. Make sure to choose a PNG format, and select Use Artboardsto Export.
Set the PNG Options settings:
Resolution: Screen (72 ppi)
Background Color: Transparent
OK
Step 2
Now that you have created your sticker set, it’s time to upload it.
Head over to Sticker Market, and Register yourself a Creators Account, and wait to get verified. This is a relatively quick process, compared to other sites. Once you are verified, fill in your details.
Follow the sticker upload Guidelines. Upload the set, fill in the description, price and tags, and Save.
Step 3
On the next page, select the type of Action and Emotion for each sticker. Fill in the details and Save for submission.
Wait for approval, and your stickers will be ready for the public to purchase.
Design assets are the lifeblood of any creative process. Images inspire, typefaces communicate, icons clarify. Whatever the scope of your project, assets are the building blocks of your design. Any fresh source of stock assets is a boon to the design community, and the latest treasure trove of resources is stockio.com. Stockio is a collection of […]
Learning Photoshop takes time, and there are so many things I wish I knew when I first started. So today, I’m bringing you ten helpful tips to make designing with Photoshop a whole lot easier! Learn about essential tools and tricks any beginner can master.
Begin your journey with a template! Sign up to Envato Elements to unlock thousands of premium templates, photos, and more.
1. Discover Your Favorite Tools
This is Photoshop’s Tools panel.
Press on the double arrow to view the toolbar at one or two-rowed view.
Did you know you can customize it?
Though many of its greatest tools are in plain sight, if you only stay on the toolbar’s surface, you may miss out on the extras hidden beneath the lower right triangles.
So customize the toolbar as a helpful reminder to try out new tools!
Go to Edit > Toolbar to drag and drop your tools. Group them according to different priority levels dedicated to learning or actual use.
Don’t overload your panel with unused tools. Customize it with your favorites!
Establish Your Core Set
You won’t need every tool for every situation. So it’s important to build a strong foundation with a few flexible tools that work in a variety of scenarios.
While the first project is solely an illustration, the second still depends heavily on my illustrative skills. So don’t panic if you don’t know these tools yet! Your core set should reflect your own design, photo, or illustrative interests.
Keep in mind that many of Photoshop’s tools also serve more than one purpose. You can use the same Pen Tool to extract your friend from a photo that you would use for a vector illustration.
There are other tools that you’ll need too, but think of them as secondary. The Pan and MoveTools, for instance, may not seem as creative as brushes, but they’re needed (often a lot more) for a better workflow.
What are your core tools?
In the beginning, you’ll always have a favorite. But as you progress, challenge yourself to try out new tools with creative experiments.
The Layers panel is efficient and helpful. It’ll change the way you
think about design by showing you endless results in Photoshop.
But how does it do it?
Well, the panel gives you control over several options. Opacity, Fill, and Color are just a few. You can use these settings to modify your layers for many awesome effects.
Text effects, for instance, often use brilliant Layer Styles to achieve their result.
At first, you’ll probably use the Layers panel for its basic function, to hold your artwork in separate layers, but I really recommend studying it further. Explore the panel as much as you can and discover new ways to make detailed designs.
Having trouble with color? Study Layer Blend Modes.
It’s time we had the talk—the talk about Layer Masks.
Though often confusing for beginners, layer masksare essential for smart editing.
To use a Layer Mask:
Here I painted a circle in the center of the mask to reveal the white background underneath.
Go to the Layers panel and select a layer.
Then click on the Layer Mask button.
Using the tool of your choice, apply white or black to the layer mask to hide or reveal parts of that layer. In this case, I used the Selection and Paint Bucket Tools.
Use layer masks for any project! Incorporate them into your routine for non-destructive editing.
Most of the time, the struggle with this option comes from not understanding when to use it. Beginners will often reach for the Eraser Tool instead for a quick solution.
So learn the difference between the Layer Mask and the Eraser Tool:
Quality matters. So before you save and close, consider a few things first:
What do I need this file for?
Where can I store it?
Which format do I need it in?
How should I save it for the best quality?
Side-by-side comparison of different quality levels. 83% versus 1% quality. Image from Envato Elements.
What and Where
Whether or not your design will be used online is a huge part of the answer to the first question. Visuals for online posts can sacrifice some quality, while printed materials require high-resolution files. Research printing guidelines to understand important settings like Color Modes to learn how to navigate these scenarios.
Store your files in a location on your computer that you can access easily. Photoshop may
display an error if a file is missing certain elements (like fonts), so try your best to keep everything together.
Format and Quality
Now that you know what the design is needed for, you can proceed by saving it at the right format and size. Many designers will save their work in several formats for more flexibility.
To Save for Web:
Go to File > Export > Save for Web.
Explore how your work looks under different compression settings. Avoid quality loss! Learn how to manage jpeg compression for social media posts:
Another big reason you should save your work in several formats is to understand print quality. If you paint, design, or edit with bright neon colors, for instance, you may be disappointed by the physical result.
Minimalist design is a huge trend, partly because of its versatility for
printing. Clean designs are often easier to print and therefore more
widely prevalent in the industry.
What looks great online doesn’t always look great on paper. There are many reasons for this, but one great factor is how the ink actually prints onto the paper. And knowing the difference between RGB and CYMK Color Modes will be crucial to this step.
Not sure where to begin? Learn more about Color Modes in this quick video:
In the real world, there are tight deadlines and frustrating creative blocks. So save valuable time by using one of Photoshop’s built-in presets!
Presets are available for brushes, shapes, patterns, and more. Add a quick filter to a photo, or create a brochure with abstract elements.
To view them all, go to Edit > Presets > Preset Manager.
Each category will display a new list of presets, but you can access even more by going to the drop-down option in the upper right corner.
Some of my favorite presets to use are the Brushes. Brush packs from your favorite artists are great too, but take advantage of the ones you already have!
These presets include varying textures, beautiful gradients, and more.
Here is an example of the Wet Media Brushes preset pack.
Use presets for incredible effects! They’re already organized for your convenience, so all you have to do is load them and go.
Need some inspiration? Try out these tutorials below:
Create magical lighting schemes with a few short clicks!
Adjustment Layers are perfect for beginners to Photoshop. They allow you to change so many visual aspects of your work without all the fuss.
Need to save the original photo? No problem. Non-destructive tools like Adjustment Layers and more help you create incredible effects without any quality loss.
To use a Color LookupAdjustment Layer:
Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup. Select a preset from the drop-down list for the 3DLUT File. Click OK to enjoy the result.
As one of my favorite tools, I love that adjustment layers work great for digital illustrations too!
Digital artists use these adjustments to try out different color palettes before committing to a final decision. Explore different lighting arrangements and more with incredible tools like Curves.
Learn more about Adjustment Layers with these tutorials:
Chefs love clean kitchens. It adds to their overall cleanliness and productivity. So why not create a clean workspace for yourself in Photoshop?
Organization is conducive to a healthy work environment. And even when it feels very artistic to be messy, an organized workspace can help improve your work.
First,close out of all those extra tabs!
After that, there are many ways you can make things even tidier. Dock and undock your favorite toolbars and panels to get started.
Then go to Window > Arrange.
Choose from the different list options to help display your Photoshop documents neatly. Keep inspiration nearby for easier access.
The standard is to Consolidate All to Tabs,but you can also use options like 2-up Vertical to display references next to illustrations.
Need to reset your workspace? Go to Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
Every artist’s workspace is different. Some may want to see more panels than others. I typically like less to minimize clutter. But no matter your preference, you can create the environment you need for successful design.
9. Conquer the Pen Tool
The Pen Tool (P) can be quite intimidating, but you can master it completely with time.
First, study the tool itself. The Path setting is great for creating selections while the Shape setting allows you to create custom shapes.
Then get to know the Path Operations, Alignment, and Arrangement options. Designers who are more experienced with Adobe Illustrator may have an easier time with this.
In fact, our very own Yulia Sokolova creates brilliant flat designs using this tool. Check out one of her tutorials below:
The best way to master anything is to experiment! Create tons of lines and swirls and play around with different settings under Blending Options. The possibilities are truly limitless! Remember to use the Pen Tool to create awesome text effects, illustrations, and more!
But designers still have trouble remembering them. Want to learn a quick trick to improve your memory of keyboard shortcuts?
Try this ancient mind trick to help think of the tools. When you think of a keyboard shortcut, think of a visual that explains what it is or how it’s used.
Hitting the letter B, for the Brush Tool, automatically makes me imagine this:
Memorize keyboard shortcuts according to priority level. Just like our first tip, it’s important to establish which shortcuts you’ll need the most. You’ll also need to memorize additional shortcuts pertaining to your favorite tools.
To increase Brush Size, for instance, hold the left or right brackets: [ or ].
Your favorite keyboard shortcuts will be easy to memorize because you’ll use them often, but you should also explore new options.
Want to create things a lot faster? Study these keyboard shortcuts to improve speed and creativity:
Whether clipped to the top of your resume or handed out at a networking event, the humble business card is an absolutely essential tool for reaching out to potential new clients. Compared to an email, a printed card is visible for longer, acting as a visual cue to the client to get in touch. With this in mind, the design of this tiny piece of paper needs to be spot-on—attention-grabbing, stylish, and instantly clear about what services you offer.
Creating a gorgeous-looking business card can be really quick and simple. Here we’ll put together a flexible template in Adobe InDesign which you can customize with your own color, graphics, and text. We’ll also look at some cool ideas for adapting your design to your career, whether you’re a vector artist, coder, or graphic designer.
We’ll look at the whole process of setting up the artwork for your cards in InDesign, how to customize your design, and finally how to export it ready for printing. Ready to get started? Awesome, let’s dive in…
1. How to Create Your Business Card in InDesign
Step 1
Open up Adobe InDesign and go to File > New > Document.
Under Intent choose Print, set the Number of Pages to 1 and uncheck Facing Pages. From the Page Size menu, choose US Business Card*, or manually set the Width to 3.5 in and Height to 2 in.
Add Margins of 0.1875 in, and a Bleed on all the edges of 0.125 in.
Then head up and click OK.
* Here we’re setting up the card to a standard US size, 3.5 by 2 inches, but you can set up the card to a different size if you prefer.
Step 2
Expand the Layers panel (Window > Layers), and double-click on the default Layer 1 name in the panel to open up the Layer Options window. Rename the layer YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR HERE and click OK.
Click on the Create New Layer button at the bottom of the panel to create a second new layer. Double-click to rename as YOUR IMAGE HERE.
Create a further two new layers, first YOUR BORDER COLOR HERE, and at the top of the pile, YOUR TEXT HERE.
Click in the blank space to the left of each layer’s name to lock all the top layers, leaving only YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR HERE unlocked and active at the bottom.
Step 3
With your layers set up, you can now start to think about the color you’d like to use on your cards. Creating a simple two-color palette is a good place to start, and you can always tweak or switch up the colors as you work.
Expand the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) and choose New Color Swatch from the panel’s drop-down menu (accessible at the top-right of the panel). To recreate the swatches used here, name the swatch Deep Yellow and set the CMYK levels to C=4 M=13 Y=91 K=0. Click Add and then OK.
Repeat the process to create a second new swatch. Name it Salmon Pink and set the levels to C=0 M=41 Y=28 K=0.
Step 4
Remaining on the YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR HERE layer, take the Rectangle Tool (M) and drag across the page, extending it up to the edge of the bleed on all sides.
From the Swatches panel, set the Fill of the rectangle to one of your new swatches, here Salmon Pink.
Then lock YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR HERE, and unlock the layer above, YOUR IMAGE HERE. To make your card template flexible, we can add an image frame on this layer so you can swap plain color for a photo or illustration if you prefer. Select the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) and drag across the page, matching the dimensions of the colored rectangle on the layer below.
Step 5
Lock the YOUR IMAGE HERE layer and unlock the next layer up, YOUR BORDER COLOR HERE.
Select the Rectangle Tool (M) and drag onto the page, nesting the rectangle shape against the margin line. From the Swatches panel, set the Stroke Color of the shape to your other swatch, here Deep Yellow, and set the Fill to [None].
Go to Window > Stroke. From here, you can adjust the thickness of the border by increasing or decreasing the Weight of the stroke. Here, I’ve set the Weight to 0.353 mm.
With the border selected, head up to Object > Corner Options. Choose Rounded for the Shape and set the Size to 0.01 in, to just very slightly soften the edges of the border. Then click OK to exit the window.
Step 6
Lock the YOUR BORDER COLOR LAYER HERE layer and unlock the top layer, YOUR TEXT HERE.
Use the Type Tool (T) to create a text frame across the center of the card, typing in your name or the name of the business.
From either the Controls panel running along the top of the workspace or the Character and Paragraph panels (Window > Type & Tables > Character or Paragraph), you can adjust the Font, Font Size, Tracking (space between characters, here it’s set to a generous 250), and Alignment (set the text to Align Center). Here I’ve used Portico as the font, a clean and stylish sans serif.
From the Swatches panel, you can set the Font Color to one of your two swatches, here Deep Yellow.
Step 7
Lock the YOUR TEXT HERE layer and unlock the bottom layer, YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR HERE.
Now it’s time to put together the reverse side of your card. To do this, go to the Pages panel (Window > Pages) and click on the Create New Page button at the bottom of the panel.
Working on Page 2 of the document, take the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a shape across the whole page, setting the Fill to one of your swatches, here Deep Yellow.
Step 8
Lock YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR HERE and unlock YOUR BORDER COLOR HERE.
Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a border along the margin lines, setting the Stroke Color to your other swatch and the Fill to [None].
In the Stroke panel, click on the Align Stroke to Outside button from the Align Stroke options.
Then head up to Object > Corner Options, setting the Size to 0.01 in and Shape to Rounded, before clicking OK.
Then head back to the Stroke panel and increase the Weight of the stroke to 12 mm, pushing the border past the edge of the page and up to the edge of the bleed.
Step 9
If you’ve used bright or unconventional colors for your card design so far, it can be a good idea to choose more standard or dark colors to set the text of your contact details, making them more legible for the reader.
Here, I’ve created two new swatches: Charcoal, C=54 M=50 Y=54 K=47, and Putty, C=25 M=25 Y=46 K=26.
Unlock the YOUR TEXT HERE layer and use the Type Tool (T) to create a series of text frames across the page. Keep the font and styling consistent for your name or the business name, to maintain a logo-like look.
For the rest of the text, choose an easy-to-read font which works well set at a small size. Simple sans serifs tend to work the best. Here I’ve used Pier Sans Regular.
Vary the Font Color through the text, setting the title in a slightly darker swatch, like Charcoal, and setting the other text in a related but slightly paler tone, such as Putty.
Step 10
The artwork for your business card is finished—great work! If you want to customize your card with a different pattern or image, read on to the next section to pick up some tips for how to make the design unique to you.
Otherwise, you’re ready to File > Save your artwork and export it for printing. Go to File > Export and choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format drop-down menu at the bottom of the window. Name your file and then click Save.
In the window that opens, choose [Press Quality] from the Adobe PDF Preset menu at the top.
Click on Marks and Bleeds in the left-hand menu, and check All Printer’s Marks. You may not need to include all marks, such as Color Bars and Registration Marks, so check with your printer to find out what they require. It is important to check Use Document Bleed Settings at the bottom of the window.
Go ahead and click Export to create your ready-to-print PDF!
2. How to Customize Your Business Card With an Image
A simple duo-color design can be slick and stylish, but you might want to add extra personality to your business card with an image or pattern that relates to your career or personal taste. This is super easy to do!
Step 1
Unlock the YOUR IMAGE HERE layer in your prepared template, and make sure all the other layers are locked.
Click on the image frame sitting on this layer and go to File > Place. Choose an image you’ve downloaded from a stock site, such as PhotoDune or Envato Elements, and click Open. Click on the Fill Frame Proportionally button on the top Controls panel to allow the image to fill the frame completely.
This tropical leaf image would be a great fit for an illustrator or fashion designer.
Step 2
If you want to use a very busy image on your cards, which is making the title appear less clear to read, you can adjust the format of the border to suit it better.
Unlock the YOUR BORDER COLOR HERE layer and pull in the sides of the border until it sits close around the edge of the text. Switch the Stroke Color to [Paper] (white) and choose a contrasting color for the Fill.
For this design, I’ve used an abstract paper background, which would work really well if you were a game developer.
Some Inspiration for Your Card Designs
Let’s look at a few other fun options for images and patterns depending on your career…
Looking to grab a few more clients for your web design business? A geometric low-poly background makes an abstract nod to your digital profession.
If you’re a photographer, a business card is the perfect opportunity to showcase some of your best work. Alternatively, opt for a simple portrait photo to make it clear what you do.
