Creating Artistic Playing Cards in Photoshop
In this Photoshop tutorial, we'll learn how to create playing cards in Photoshop. Software required: Photoshop CC (2014), Painter 2015.
What you'll learn
In this Photoshop tutorial, we'll learn how to create playing cards in Photoshop. We'll use photo manipulation, digital painting techniques, and will add special effects with some new brushes in Painter to complete our digital artwork. We'll also learn basic graphic design techniques for creating card ornaments before using Illustrator to create the back of the card and print the template file. Some of the key takeaways from this tutorial include learning how to blend photographs with digital painting; working with mirrored compositions to create double-sided, poster-sized playing-card artwork; and organizing files to create various overlapping details. By the end of the Photoshop training, you'll be familiar with controlling lights and shadows, adjusting colors with color blends, as well as the various layouts and artistic possibilities in creating playing cards. Software required: Photoshop CC (2014), Painter 2015.
Table of contents
- Setting up Our Photoshop Project 10m
- Choosing Assets for Our Project 11m
- Establishing the Mirrored Composition 11m
- Clipping Techniques 12m
- Preparing the Background for Our Artwork 12m
- Lighting Our Models 11m
- Balancing Colors and Creating Our Vampire Character 9m
- Continuing the Vampire Character 9m
- Detailing the Skin 10m
- Advancing the Skin Details 11m
- Painting Trees 8m
- Texturing Birch Trees 10m
- Applying an Ivy Pattern 11m
- Creating Lighting Effects 10m
- Painting Our Lighting Effects 11m
- Producing Floral Details Around the Character 9m
- Continuing the Floral Elements 11m
- Designing Magic Effects in Painter 11m
- Continuing with Magic Effects in Painter 10m
- Adding Special Effects 12m
- Completing Special Effects 12m
- Adjusting Colors with Color Balance 11m
- Designing Card Ornaments 12m
- Finalizing Our Project 10m
- Creating the Deck Template File 11m
About the author
Valp Maciej Hajnrich is graphic illusionist, full time freelance digital artist, art director, illustrator, concept artist and digital painter based in Katowice, Poland. Valp’s artwork is characterized by bright colors and a vibrant energy. The creations of the self-styled ‘Graphic Illusionist’ are unlike anything his contemporaries are doing, and have been featured on websites, album covers, TV advertisements and London buses. Valp's work has received considerable recognition, featured in Digit... more