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Designing A Valentine Card From Scratch

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’ve created an illustration and convert it into a valentine card. I will show you the process of the creation. I am sorry to tell you that I am not going to provide the vector within the download for this tutorial. However, if you are interested in getting my sweet valentine’s couple, you can get it from the newly launched Graphic River – a Layered Photoshop, Vectors, Icons and Add-ons Markerplace From $1.

Result

Step 1

Let’s get started by inserting our sketch into Illustrator to begin the drawing process. I have a few tutorials which cover these techniques. I think you can refer back in details if you like. Here are the tutorials:

• Sketch To Vector – Bird
• Illustrate Image Into Vector

Step 2

Create a new document with 600px X 300px. Fill the background color with pink (#f08fb0). Create a new layer and rename it as color. Randomly paint the layer with a 200px soft brush with 60% opacity. The colors I am using are #e595b7, #f7c89c and #beeee2. You can use your own color set. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur > Radius 70px. Duplicate the color layer.

Step 3

Create a new layer and rename as texture. Fill it with black and set the blend mode to screen. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Add a 400% Gaussian Monochromatic Noise. Set the layer fill to 20%.Then, go to Filter > Artistic > Watercolor and apply the setting as show in the image.

Step 4

Create another layer and rename as line. Fill it with black and set the blend mode to soft light. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Use the setting below.

Step 5

With the line layer selected, go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. Apply the setting below. Then, Erase the bottom part using a 300px soft brush. Then import the character vector from Illustration as a smart object.

Step 6

Draw a white shape like what you see in the animation below. Rasterize the shape. Erase most of the part as shown in the example image. Apply Color Overlay; I am using the same pink color. CTRL + J to duplicate the layer. CTRL + T to transform the layer. Set the transform angle to 15 degree for each new duplicated layer. After all, select all the pink layer and Press CTRL + E to merge all layers. Create a new layer above it. Set the blend mode to Soft Light. Paint the center of the shape with black using a soft brush. ALT + click in between the new layer with the pink layer to create a mask of the pink layer.

Step 7

Select a 40px hard brush. Press F5 to bring up the brushes setting and set accordingly. Paint as you like.

Step 8

Create a new layer above all the layers. Select a 400px soft brush. Press a few times as shown below. Set the layer blend mode to soft light.

Step 9

Almost there, type in the message you like. If you like, you can follow mine. I am using Myriad Pro, 60pt, semibold italic and white color. Apply a 1px outside stroke with #8b8782 color. Inner Shadow Distance 1px, Size 3px, -49 degree of angle, 24% opacity with Multiply blend mode. Drop Shadow with Soft Light blend mode, 100% opacity, 5px Distance and Size.

Step 10

I am trying to increase the realistic feel of the character. Create a new layer above the character smartobject. ALT + click in between the new layer and the smartobject to create a masking effect. Set the new layer blend mode to soft light. Gently paint the new layer according to the smartobject’s edge with white color to create a lighting effect. Create another layer and mask it as well. This time, we will be using black color to create the shadow effect.

Result

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