Icon Tutorial #6 - Grunge 'n Gradients
Hey all! This is 
staplerinjelle, but I made an icon journal, so I'll be posting using its moniker from now on.
Anyway, enough with the chit-chat. On to the tutorial!
Whilst fulfilling a request from an AI-crazed friend for an icon of scream-rocker-turned-wannabe-Idol Constantine, I liked how it turned out, so I decided to craft a tutorial around it. It’s pretty much loads of brushes and gradients, but there’s fun to be had by all.
We’ll be going from here to there in PS7…
---> 
So, rock on!
1) Here’s our base. Lovely.
2) Layer-->Duplicate Layer and Image-->Adjustments-->Desaturate it.
3) Duplicate the desaturated layer and set it to Overlay at 100%.
4) Now, possums, we’re going to make a gradient map. Click that yin-yang thing at the bottom of your layers palette and select “Gradient Map” from the menu.
Now, use the window that pops up to play around. I chose the Matte Sphere gradient from the Special Effects section to get this:
5) Duplicate your gradient map layer and set it to Darken at 100%.
Moody, no?
6) Go back down and Edit-->Copy your original base, and then Edit-->Paste it in a layer on top of everything. Set it to Normal at 30%.
7) Channel time. Edit-->Copy your desaturated base. Now make a new channel—click the Channels tab and make a new channel called Alpha 1…
…and Edit-->Paste your image in there.
Go back to your Layers Palette and make a new layer. With the gradient tool, fill it with a gradient of your choice, preferably in dark blues or greens. I chose the Greens gradient from the Noise Samples set and used the Circular setting. Set it to Exclusion at 50%, and then go Select-->Load Selection-->Alpha 1, hit Delete, and then Select-->Deselect.
(Don’t worry about those lines, they’ll be history pretty soon.)
8) We need to make Constantine pop out more, so I make a new layer, go Select-->Load Selection-->Alpha 1, change my foreground color to white, and Edit-->Fill (Use Foreground Color at 100%) the selection with white. Select-->Deselect, and set the layer to Normal at 50%.
9) Time to toughen up this baby. In a new layer, use a grungy frame brush—I chose this one byinxsomniax—in black and set it to Soft Light.
--> 
10) More dirtying. I chose an awesome base byicons_with_love and pasted it on a new layer. Image-->Invert it (this makes it blue as opposed to red) and set it to Overlay at 50%. Once again, Select-->Load Selection-->Alpha 1, hit Delete, and then Select-->Deselect.
--> 
(See? I promised you those lines from the gradient would be gone.)
11) Brushes, brushes to add texture. Here, I used three—a spiky scroll, a palm frond, and a metal-looking multi-pointed star—all in white on separate layers. I set all of them to Soft Light at 50% (I stamped the star in different locations on three layers) save for the scroll brush, which I left at Normal at 50% on the bottom of all the others because I really liked it. (I apologize, I can’t remember where I obtained the brushes.) It doesn’t matter what you use so long as you can add some interest to the background. Here’s what I ended up with:
12) Another grungy frame brush, only this time apply it in white on a new layer and leave it at Normal at 100%. I used this one—forgot the maker, sorry again:
--> 
13) For text, I used GnatFont (from dafont.com). I entered CONSTANTINE on one layer in a dark blue and set it to Linear Burn at 50%, then used the magic wand tool to select around it. Select-->Inverse, make a new layer underneath the blue text, and set your foreground color to white. Edit-->Stroke at 1 pixel, Select-->Deselect, and lower the opacity to 50%.
14) For “…rock on,” I entered the text in white on a new layer and set it at Normal at 50%. I then repeated the Magic Wand-Inverse-New Layer below text-Stroke deal as above, but used black for the outline.
Aaaaand…you’re done!
staplerinjelle, but I made an icon journal, so I'll be posting using its moniker from now on.Anyway, enough with the chit-chat. On to the tutorial!
Whilst fulfilling a request from an AI-crazed friend for an icon of scream-rocker-turned-wannabe-Idol Constantine, I liked how it turned out, so I decided to craft a tutorial around it. It’s pretty much loads of brushes and gradients, but there’s fun to be had by all.
We’ll be going from here to there in PS7…
---> So, rock on!
1) Here’s our base. Lovely.
2) Layer-->Duplicate Layer and Image-->Adjustments-->Desaturate it.
3) Duplicate the desaturated layer and set it to Overlay at 100%.
4) Now, possums, we’re going to make a gradient map. Click that yin-yang thing at the bottom of your layers palette and select “Gradient Map” from the menu.
Now, use the window that pops up to play around. I chose the Matte Sphere gradient from the Special Effects section to get this:
5) Duplicate your gradient map layer and set it to Darken at 100%.
Moody, no?
6) Go back down and Edit-->Copy your original base, and then Edit-->Paste it in a layer on top of everything. Set it to Normal at 30%.
7) Channel time. Edit-->Copy your desaturated base. Now make a new channel—click the Channels tab and make a new channel called Alpha 1…
…and Edit-->Paste your image in there.
Go back to your Layers Palette and make a new layer. With the gradient tool, fill it with a gradient of your choice, preferably in dark blues or greens. I chose the Greens gradient from the Noise Samples set and used the Circular setting. Set it to Exclusion at 50%, and then go Select-->Load Selection-->Alpha 1, hit Delete, and then Select-->Deselect.
(Don’t worry about those lines, they’ll be history pretty soon.)
8) We need to make Constantine pop out more, so I make a new layer, go Select-->Load Selection-->Alpha 1, change my foreground color to white, and Edit-->Fill (Use Foreground Color at 100%) the selection with white. Select-->Deselect, and set the layer to Normal at 50%.
9) Time to toughen up this baby. In a new layer, use a grungy frame brush—I chose this one by
inxsomniax—in black and set it to Soft Light. --> 10) More dirtying. I chose an awesome base by
icons_with_love and pasted it on a new layer. Image-->Invert it (this makes it blue as opposed to red) and set it to Overlay at 50%. Once again, Select-->Load Selection-->Alpha 1, hit Delete, and then Select-->Deselect. --> (See? I promised you those lines from the gradient would be gone.)
11) Brushes, brushes to add texture. Here, I used three—a spiky scroll, a palm frond, and a metal-looking multi-pointed star—all in white on separate layers. I set all of them to Soft Light at 50% (I stamped the star in different locations on three layers) save for the scroll brush, which I left at Normal at 50% on the bottom of all the others because I really liked it. (I apologize, I can’t remember where I obtained the brushes.) It doesn’t matter what you use so long as you can add some interest to the background. Here’s what I ended up with:
12) Another grungy frame brush, only this time apply it in white on a new layer and leave it at Normal at 100%. I used this one—forgot the maker, sorry again:
--> 13) For text, I used GnatFont (from dafont.com). I entered CONSTANTINE on one layer in a dark blue and set it to Linear Burn at 50%, then used the magic wand tool to select around it. Select-->Inverse, make a new layer underneath the blue text, and set your foreground color to white. Edit-->Stroke at 1 pixel, Select-->Deselect, and lower the opacity to 50%.
14) For “…rock on,” I entered the text in white on a new layer and set it at Normal at 50%. I then repeated the Magic Wand-Inverse-New Layer below text-Stroke deal as above, but used black for the outline.
Aaaaand…you’re done!