ADD HANDDRAWN EFFECTS TO FONTS
FINISHING TOUCHES
ADD THE ADJUSTMENTS TO FINISH OFF YOUR MASTERPIECEQUICK TIP
Sometimes you just want to work on one layer
without the distraction of all the others. Instead
of hiding each layer manually, simply hold
down Alt and click the eye symbol on the layer
that you want to work on and all the other
layers will be hidden.ADJUSTMENT LAYERS
I never used to be a fan of ‘non-destructive’ editing- life is too short to be tentative! However, since
being introduced to adjustment layers, I am now
almost evangelical about them. The edits made
with an adjustment layer usually affect all the
layers beneath it. To apply edits to only the layer
directly underneath the adjustment layer, simply
select the adjustment layer in the Layers panel and
then click the Clip icon at the bottom of the
Properties panel. To affect multiple layers, place
these layers into a Group (Cmd/Ctrl+G), place the
Group directly under the adjustment layer and the
effect will be applied to the whole Group.
17
ADD AN EXTRA SOMETHING
It is always good to hide a little something in
your designs to give your work a bit of an edge, it can
be something obvious, or something more cryptic
but they all serve to add another level of interest to
the image. For this image, we added an Egyptian
mau at the top. Create the illustration with the Pen
tool (P) on a new layer like Step 8. Right-click on the
layer and select Rasterize Layer. Change the blend
mode to Subtract. The illustration will appear to have
been burnt into the timber.16
ADJUST THE VIBRANCY
With two paint textures on top, the
colours on the lettering may start to look a little
muted. To bring back some of the vibrancy of
these jewel-bright colours, create a Brightness/
Contrast adjustment layer and place it directly
on top of the lettering layer. Increase the
Brightness setting until the colours look correct
(approximately 15 in this case). The effect is very
subtle but it’s the cumulative effect of all of
these subtleties that bring this image to life and
make it convincing.18
TIME TO ADMIRE YOUR DESIGN
Zoom out using Cmd/Ctrl+0 so that entire
image fits onto your screen and check that you are
happy with the overall composition of the image. The
image should look balanced and the lettering should
be easy to read. There should also be a natural flow
from the start of the sentence to the very end without
any distractions. Finally, make sure that the colours
in the lettering are not too overwhelming and that
none of the illustrations compete with the text.