Adobe Photoshop CS6 Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks by Lynette Kent

Paint a DIGITAL WATERCOLOR (continued)
The painting layers each have a layer mask filled with
a watercolor paper pattern from the Artist Surfaces
pattern set. You can load these patterns using the
gear menu button in the Custom Pattern section of
the Fill dialog box. To finish the painting, paint with
the Mixer Brush tool to blend the colors on each
painting layer so the image appears to be painted
rather than digitally generated.
The painting will appear more natural if you click and
drag in the document following the contours of the
subjects, and use small brushes and strokes to paint
from the photo. Avoid painting over every pixel and
covering the entire painting. Traditional watercolor
paintings often have rough edges and some
unpainted areas allowing the white background to
show through. You can optionally add more layers
and change each painted layer’s opacity to alter the
look.
The same technique can be used to paint with other
mediums such as digital pastels and oils for different
looks.
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y Click the bottom painting layer to
select it.
u Click the Pattern Stamp tool ( ).
i Click the drop-down menu and
select the custom pattern you just
created.
o Click Impressionist ( changes
to ).
p Click the Brush Preset drop-down
menu and select Brush Light
Texture Medium Tip.
j Adjust the size to paint the large
areas of color.
k Click and drag in the image to
paint, leaving some areas
unpainted.
Note: Reduce the brush size as you
work in smaller areas by pressing
the left bracket key.
Note: Press Ô+spacebar
(Ctrl+spacebar) to zoom in as
needed.
l Click Layer 2 copy, the next
layer up.
m Click the Brush Preset drop-down
menu and select the Rough
Round Bristle, adjusting the brush
size according to the image.
n Click and drag in the image to
paint over other more detailed
sections, leaving some areas
unpainted.
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