Free Photoshop Brushes of Dynamic Watercolor to Create Digital Watercolour using negative space

Free Photoshop Brushes of Dynamic Watercolor

Free Photoshop Brushes of Dynamic Watercolor to Create Digital Watercolour using negative space

In this tutorial we will create an illustration using a Digital Watercolour technique and Free Photoshop Brushes, compositionally we use negative space, we highlight the background and thus we can highlight the figure creating an attractive illustrated effect. You can also follow this tutorial in the Create Watercolour with Negative Space and Free Photoshop Brushes video

Resources

Creating the Composition

Start by creating an A4 document from the templates available in the formats in New Document window.

Import the watercolour textured paper that you made in the tutorial 15 Free Photoshop Watercolor Brushes to turn your images into a Creative Watercolour (download the final file or follow the steps of the tutorial to create the background), open the file and select the LINE layer and Background Layer found in the BACKGROUND Group, right-click on the name of either of the layers and select Duplicate, in Document select Untitled-1.

Select a stain, copy and paste it in Untitled-1. Using Ctrl / Cmd + T to transform and frame it.

The paper layer (Background Copy Layer) is also transformed to fit the canvas after which merge the 2 Background Layers.

Merge it into Multiply mode.

Add a Levels Adjustment Layer onto the stain (layer 1), Create Clipping Mask, so the adjustment only affects the stain layer to burn off the background grey and make the border disappear.

Also apply a Levels Adjustment Layer above the background to lighten it.

Copy the image of the model and transform it to frame it in relation to the stain, to help you can momentarily merging it in Multiply mode. To crop and keep only the face, make a rectangular selection of the face and run Ctrl / Cmd + J or Layer> New> Layer to Copy and delete the one that contains the entire image.

High contrast in model image

Blend Layer 3 back in Normal mode and create the Smart Object right-clicking while hovering over the layer name and selecting Convert to Smart Object.

Copy the effects of the LINE layer to the model. Drag the icon, of the two circles to the right of the layer, to the model’s Layer (Layer 3). Remove the LINE layer (we had only needed it to make a copy of the effects).

In addition, go to Filter> Stylize> Oil Paint set the following values Stylization: 10, Cleanliness: 10, Scale: 0.1, Bristle Detail: 0, check Lighting, Angle: 0, Shine: 0) in the model Layer (Layer 3). Drag and position this filter at the bottom of the filter effects.

Edit the Smart Object of the model by double clicking on the Layer 3 thumbnail and divide the screen into two parts so that the changes can be viewed in real-time, go to Window> Arrange> menu 2-Up Vertical.

To add contrast the model. Add a Black and White Adjustment layer and regulate reds, yellows and magentas which are the colours that make up the image and save it Ctrl / Cmd + S.

Integrating the Watercolor stain with the High contrast image

Back in the composition edit Filter Gallery, select Accented Edge and create a new one from the New option (bottom right-hand side. Apply Sketch> Stamp, the mustard colour it generates is from the previous document. Adjust the filters until achieving the desired effect, their values are:

1.- Sketch> Stamp (Light / Dark Balance: 27, Smoothness: 8).
2.- Brush Strokes> Accented Edges (Edge Width: 4, Edge Brightness: 25, Smoothness’: 2).
3.- Artistic> Paint Daubs (Brush Size: 10, Sharpness: 0, Brush Type: Wide Sharp).
4.- Artistic> Poster Edges (Edge Thickness: 3, Edge Intensity: 2, Posterization: 6).

To bring the mustard colour to black, go to Image> Adjustments> Black & White menu and drag the yellow and red sliders towards the black area.

Define the model’s features in the Smart Object more by using the Dodge and Burn tools, make sure to set Range: Mid-tones and save to update the image in the composition file, at the end close the Smart Object file.

In the composition file, blend the model Layer (Layer 3) in Screen mode to Layer 1, making the black disappear. Add a Layer Mask and with the Free Dynamic Watercolour Brushes, paint in the mask the part of the background of the model showing the stain.

Blending the paper into the white areas

To show the background paper through the white areas of the model, create a group with the stain Layer (Layer 1) and its Levels Adjustment Layer, select them and group them by clicking on the folder icon at the bottom of the Layers Window, give it the name WATERCOLOR and blend it in Multiply mode.

Now with right-click on the name of the model layer select Create Clipping Mask and blend it in Multiply mode, the white disappears and the image integrates with the background paper

Using coloured brushes black and white paint in the Layer Mask blending the stain with the model’s features.

How to install Free Photoshop Brushes

Rasterize the model Layer (Layer 3) right-clicking on the name of the layer and selecting Rasterize Layer, so you can modify the blacks and whites to create a watercolour effect on the edges, use the Smudge tool with a Free Dynamic Watercolour Brushes (Download Free Watercolor Photoshop Brushes Pack. To install it, double click on the file); adjust to a small size and in the properties select (Mode: Normal, Strength: 83%, Uncheck Sample All Layers and Finger Painting).

 

Smuding with Free Photoshop Brushes

Smudging with black colour selected the stain appears since it is the black that reveals the watercolour stain. Press D key to set the default colors and keep the Alt key pressed to paint with the finger tool, it’s like having automatically activated the option Finger Painting that converts the tool on a brush, and it does so temporarily. Press X to change between the black and white paint. If you work with a tablet, activate the Always Use Pressure for Size option.

Review the edge and generate some dripping, to better define you can use the tools of overexpose and underexpose using the Dodge and Burn Tools respectively.

Free Photoshop Brushes of watercolor

Select another stain and take it within the WATERCOLOR group.

After that, highlight underexposed areas to darken stain colours and scale the stain for better fit.

Free Photoshop Brushes of watercolor. Stain watercolor to integrate with high contast image

Vídeo tutorial Create Digital Watercolour using negative space and Free Photoshop Brushes.

Translate the captions to any language. Activate Captions. In the configuration icon, Captions> Automatically Translate and select your language.

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