Make Printable Artwork in Photoshop

Creating art is such a great creative release, an outlet for energy and the imagination, that it's included in dozens of different types of therapy. Fortunately, we can create art from home at any time that we want and not foot a therapy bill to boot.

The only thing better than making something so beautiful that you'll love hanging it on your wall or giving it as a gift is doing that same thing ... without making a mess. Adobe Photoshop makes that perfectly possible, and you still get to express your unique vision in a way that will be fun to show off.

To follow this tutorial, you'll just need a copy of Photoshop (7 or higher) or another graphics editor that can handle layers. The instructions in this guide aren't for beginners, though. You'll already need to have a solid understanding of Photoshop tools and where they're located in order to follow the steps. This guide is intended for the person with some knowledge of their graphics editor, who wants to learn a great new way to play with it.

Creating Art in Photoshop: The Steps

1. New Canvas - Open a new canvas that is 5 inches x 4 inches in size, at 300 pixels per inch. Make sure it's in RGB mode with a white background.

2. Define Colors - We'll be aiming for the look of a sunset sky, so on a new layer or a new canvas scribble out a color palette of the colors you think define that look best. I'll be using the following colors: #000000, #ffe793, #e9bd98, #c0ab8c, #77788d, and #ffd09d.

3. Create the Sky - Using one of the brighter colors, on a new layer, fill your canvas. I'm using the #ffe793 yellow. Then, using a standard round brush, make some random strokes on that same layer using your other sky colors (see Illustration 01). Finally, take some time using your smudge tool (or your liquefy filter, if you prefer) to blend the colors and create a slowly changing sky. I ended up using both the smudge tool and the liquefy filter. This step can seriously take a while to get something you like.

4. Add Cloud Cover - This step can be approached in a variety of ways, including using the cloud filter to create your own custom clouds. I've simply used the cloud brushes in this set and taken my time to layer my sky colors into a thick cloud cover. Whichever way you choose, make sure that your clouds are thick enough that they start to seriously mute the actual "sky" in the background. They will make the first of three focal points in the finished piece. (See Illustration 02)

5. Add Trees - Our next step is to add the horizon. To do this, we're going to use trees in soft, sunset colors. I'm again using brushes from the set above, in the same blue I used for my sky. First, go through placing a bunch of trees along the horizon line ... and keep adding them. Continue along until you can define the trees, but don't see them as being a few individual ones. (See Illustration 02)

6. Add Silhouettes - The last step is to add silhouettes to the foreground. This is where you will place land features like hills or a rocky slope and people or plants. You might want to place an accent or two in the sky (like a bird) that is also black and brings the three focal points together.

When you've completed this step, you're ready to print and frame. Great job!