Clipping masks are a great way to add colour
and texture and they give you full control of
where they show up. Clipping masks literally
clip to the layer below them, following the shape
of it. Try applying a clipping mask over a big
brushstroke for a really creative effect.A POWERFUL WAY TO ADD
COLOUR AND TEXTURECLIPPING MASKS
TECHNIQUES HOW I MADE
06
USE THE CLIPPING MASK
Once the file is in Photoshop, each group of colours is on a different layer. I imported a custom
watercolour texture into the file, put the texture above the layer, held Alt and waited for the icon to appear.
I click and the texture will be clipped in the shape of the layer below. I repeat the process with the other
layers until they’re all filled with the textures.04
GROUP THE COLOURS
I decompose the layer where I used Live Paint, ungrouped it twice, deleted (or hid) the lines, and
started grouping (Cmd/Ctrl+G) shapes with the same colour, and put each group on a different layer.05
EXPORT TO PHOTOSHOP
Now I go to File>Export>Photoshop and
choose either CMYK or grayscale, 300 dpi, mark
Write Layers with all boxes checked and hit OK.07
MORE COLOURS
I start playing around with colours in many
ways. The way I like most is selecting a layer and
hitting Cmd/Ctrl+U to go to Hue/Saturation. I change
values without too much thinking, this phase is
experimental and will make you go back and forth
until you find the right tones.08
ADD THE DETAILS
Once everything is done, I add some details to enhance the image. On this one I added a paper
texture by simply putting it above all layers and changing the blending mode to Multiply. I also added a
splatter texture below all layers and that’s it!