How to Create a Comic Illustration in Photoshop

How to Create a Comic Illustration in Photoshop
How to Create a Comic Illustration in Photoshop

In this tutorial you will learn how to create comic style characters in Photoshop. This tutorial will require extensive use of the pen tool.

Preview of Final Results

clip_image003

Download the PSD

Comic Illustration.zip | 15.36 MB
Download from Website

Comic Illustration Photoshop Tutorial


Tutorial Resources

· Texture - Tofurious


Step 1

First, I started off drawing my illustration on paper and scanned it into my computer. Open up Photoshop and create a new document. File>New. The size of my document is 3900px x 3000px with a resolution of 300. Just in case I want to use it later in another project.

clip_image005

Step 2

Fill the background (paint bucket tool) with any color you like, for this tutorial I will be using a brownish/red color #9d1313.

clip_image007

Step 3

Apply the texture from your Resources. Open the texture up in Photoshop and Drag and Drop into your image. Then change the layer style to Linear Burn with an Opacity of 47%.

clip_image009

Step 4

Now we will create some background lines to help us with the placement of the peanuts. Create a new layer below your texture layer. Before grabbing your pen tool change your paint brush tool to these settings.

clip_image011

Step 5

Take your pen tool and create the path. Make sure your Foreground and Background colors are set to black and white. Right click the path and select Stroke Path. Make sure the 'Tool' is set to brush.

clip_image013
clip_image015

Step 6

Repeat the last steps to create the other path.

clip_image017

Step 7

Change the Opacity of this line layer to 13%.

clip_image019

Step 8

Now we will start with the peanut jar. Note: it is always a good idea to place your layers into their own folders. Ex. background, jar, peanut etc. Create a new layer and name it jar (place this in a folder). Use your pen tool and create the shape of a jar.

clip_image021

Step 9

Right click the path and select 'Make Selection'. Fill the selection with any color, we will be changing it in the next step.

clip_image023

Step 10

Apply these layer styles to this layer. Starting with Color Overlay. To bring up the Layer Styles Dialog box just double click the jar layer. The color I'm using is #D6A559 but choose whatever color suits your image

clip_image025

Stroke: #A87540

clip_image027

Step 11

Now we will create the label. Create a new layer and grab your pen tool and start making your label.

clip_image029

Step 12

Right click the path and select 'Make Selection'. And fill the selection with #A87540

clip_image031

Step 13

Use the pen tool or your favorite font to create the name. For this tutorial I will be using the letters "PB" for peanut butter. I created my letters by using the pen tool and the color #FFFFFF.

clip_image033

Step 14

Create a new layer and use the Elliptical Marquee tool to create the top of the inside of the jar and fill it with #A87540.

clip_image035

Step 15

Create a new layer and with your pen tool create the shadow. Make a selection of it and fill it with #432305

clip_image037

Step 16

Change the Opacity to 18%.

clip_image039

Step 17

Before using your pen tool change the settings of your Paint brush tool to a 17px Hard round brush. Use your pen tool to create the path at the top of the jar. Change the foreground color to #A87540. Create your path and right click the path and select 'Stroke Path'. Make another line.

clip_image041

Step 18

Time to create the peanut butter. Create a new layer and make some peanut butter on the outside edge of the jar. Fill the selection with #C6912A

clip_image043


Step 19

Add this Layer Style.

clip_image045

Step 20

Now we will add some highlights to the peanut butter. Create a new layer and with a 25 px soft round brush make two dots along the peanut butter outline.

clip_image047

Step 21

Use your smudge tool to smooth out the dots. I set my smudge tool to 33% with a strength of 81%. Change the opacity of this layer to 30%

clip_image049

Use your pen tool and create another highlight at the tip using the color #FFFFFF

clip_image051

Step 22

Find your 'jar' layer and duplicate it (right click layer then duplicate). Change the Color Overlay and make the stroke invisible by clicking the eye icon next to the stroke layer. Change the opacity of this layer to 14%. Move it a few pixels to the left.

clip_image053

Step 23

Now we're finished with the jar, time to start on one of the peanuts. Remember to create a new folder for the 1st peanut and place it beneath the jar folder. Create a new layer and with your pen tool create the shape of the peanut. Right click the path and make a selection from it and fill it with #b2833b

clip_image055

Step 24

Create a new layer above the shape of the peanut. Use the pen tool to create the shape of the shadow and make a selection of it and fill it with #432305.

clip_image057

Step 25

Change the Opacity of this layer 18%.

clip_image059

Step 26

Now we will add detail to the outer shell of the peanut. Using your pen tool create a irregular shape and fill it with #432305.

clip_image061

Step 27

Create some more in the same layer so that they look like the image below.

clip_image063

Step 28

Change the opacity of this layer to 7%.

clip_image065

Step 29

Now its time to create outlines on the peanut. Before doing this with your pen tool take your paint brush tool and change the settings to 4px hard round brush and the foreground to #432305. Use the pen tool and create a outline.

clip_image067

Right click the path and select Stroke Path, click ok

clip_image069

Step 30

Create the rest of the outlines and change the opacity of this layer to 75%.

clip_image071

Step 31

Create a layer mask by selecting the icon that looks like a square with a circle on top. Make sure that your foreground and background is black and white. And with a soft round brush erase away some of the outlines.

clip_image073

Step 32

Now for the next couple of steps create a new layer for each one and use your pen tool to create the spoon, peanut butter and the hand covering up the spoon. Colors I used:

Spoon: #8d8b8b

Peanut Butter: #c6912a

Hand: #b2833b

clip_image075

Step 33

Add this layer style to the peanut butter.

clip_image077

Step 34

Under the hand layer, create a new layer and with a 50px soft round brush (#000000) add some shadow with the paint brush tool.

clip_image079

Step 35

Create a new layer and with the pen tool create the mouth and the peanut around the mouth.

clip_image081
clip_image083

Step 36

Add some highlights.

clip_image085

Step 37

With a 50px hard round brush use it to make the eyes and a smaller brush for the pupils.

clip_image087

Step 38

Use the pen tool to create the eyebrows but remember to set the paint brush to a small pixel amount while using a soft round brush.

clip_image089

Step 39

Also use the pen tool to create the sweat beads flying off its head.

clip_image091

Step 40

Create the shadows of the peanut by filling them with black and changing the opacity to 14%.

clip_image093

Step 41

Repeat the same steps that you used to make the first peanut to create the other two. Note: the color that I used for the child peanut is #76420d and the mother's lips is #9d1313. Also don't forget the shadows and placing certain layers into groups. Here is the process:

clip_image095
clip_image097
clip_image099
clip_image101

Final Results

clip_image103

Download the PSD

Comic Illustration.zip | 15.36 MB
Download from Website

Tutorial by Ashlee Harrell

clip_image104I hope you enjoyed my tutorial!

- Ashlee

Create Dot Grid Art in 1 Click
Sponsored

Turn any photo into a dot grid artwork with these Photoshop actions. You'll get great results with dots that change size. They get larger in brighter areas and smaller in darker areas. Free download available.

13 comments on “How to Create a Comic Illustration in Photoshop”

  1. MMMM yall should be very ashamed showin little kids to eat thier own family.....This is for all the little kids dont eat your own people like this picture is encourging to do!!Also this is very sad poor little kid forced to eat his people.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cross