This is a step-by-step tutorial on how to design a stunning watercolor vintage artwork with an old newspaper background.
Note: The Photoshop tutorial is done in CS6 – therefore some screenshot may have slighting different layout as in the earlier version.
Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)
OK Let’s get started!
To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:
Watercolour Brushes (choose one from the list)
Paper Texture
Model
Newspaper
Step 1
Create a new document sized 700px * 1020px with white background, use the watercolour brush you download, paint some texture over the background:
Hint: set brush flow and opacity to around 40% for a subtle effect.
Load the paper texture into Photoshop, select a portion as shown below:
Copy and paste the selection over our document, set blending mode to “overlay” for this new layer:
Add the following 2 adjustment layers on top:
Levels
Curves
and you will have the following effect so far:
Step 2
Load the model image into Photoshop, cut out the model and place it to the position shown below:
Apply the following Watercolour Filter to this new layer:
Add a layer mask to this model layer, and use the watercolour brush as eraser to remove some parts of the model, as shown below:
Apply the following “Reduce Noise” filter to this model layer (Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise):
and you will have the following effect so far:
Step 3
Add the following adjustment layers as clipping mask to this model layer:
Black and White
Layer mask on black and white adjustment layer:
Levels
Layer mask on levels adjustment layer:
Curves
and you will have the following effect so far:
Step 4
Load the Newspaper image into Photoshop, use Lasso Tool with a 10px feather to select a portion of it:
Copy and paste the selection below the model layer, duplicate this layer a few times, rotate and resize them, then place them around the model as shown below:
Also place a copy above the model layer to the position shown below:
Use a soft eraser to remove the edge of the newspaper texture to fade it into the background:
Paint some more watercolour texture on the model as shown below:
I further adjusted the colour balance a bit to give it a bit of old paper feel, and here is my final effect:
That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Till next time, have a great day!