Silhouette
INTRODUCTION
Create an antique looking image of a female’s silhouette.
The Gradient Tools, the Type Tool, the brushes and other features of Pixelmator are used in this tutorial.
RESOURCES
PXM File
Stock photo (Plaster) by K. OS
Stock photo (Oil painting) by pareeerica
Stock photo (Model) by oc_layos
Brushes
STEP 1
Open Pixelmator and create a new document. The image size used in this tutorial is 1000×750 pixels. Fill the background with dark red color (color code – #982a01).
STEP 2
Copy and paste the stock photo of plaster. If needed, resize the image (Edit>Transform) and use the Move Tool (V) to adjust the positioning. Rename the layer to Plaster, set it’s Blending to Overlay and reduce the Opacity to 40%.
STEP 3
Next, copy and paste the stock photo of the oil painting. Make all the needed adjustments regarding size and positioning of the image. Then set the Blending to Soft Light and reduce the opacity to 40%.
STEP 4
Create a new layer named Background gradient and fill it with a radial gradient using the Gradient Tool (G). Use the image below as a reference and look at the tip if you have trouble creating a new radial gradient.
Tip: To create a radial gradient used in this tutorial open the Gradients Palette (View>Show Gradients). Click the action button and choose New Gradient. Select Radial as the Gradient Type (If the Gradient Type is not visible in the Gradients Pallet, double-click your gradient preset). Now, click the right color stop and set it’s color to black in the Colors Palette. Then, click the left color stop, set it’s color to black and reduce the Opacity to 0%.
STEP 5
Set the Blending of the Gradient Layer to Soft Light and reduce the Opacity to 40%. Then, duplicate the the layer and set the new layer’s Blending to Normal. Leave the Opacity unchanged.
STEP 6
To brighten the image create a new layer named White and fill it with white color. Set the Blending to Soft Light and reduce the Opacity to 40%.
Now, lets add a lighting effect. Create a new layer and name it Lighting. Generate a new radial gradient with white color in the centre and transparent color on the outside and use it in the layer Lighting. Set the blending of Lighting to Overlay. If you have trouble creating a new gradient take a look at the tip in step 4.
STEP 7
To add a flavor of antiquity to the image use the Type Tool (T) to create a new text layer and fill it with greek words. The text used in this tutorial is a Greek version of Lorem Ipsum, generated at this webpage. Set the text’s font to Lucida Fax, the color to white and use 24 pixels for the text’s size. Try to fill the entire screen with words.
STEP 8
Set the text layer’s Blending to Overlay and reduce the Opacity to 15%. Then duplicate the layer and change the text color to black. Select the Move Tool (V) and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the new text layer up and to the left. After that, set it’s Blending to Soft Light and increase the Opacity to 50%. This will make the text appear indented. The background part is now finished.
STEP 9
Now, lets start working on the silhouette. Copy and paste the stock photo of the model. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the shape of the female. Try to select only the contours of the body and skip locks of hair that are aside from the body.
STEP 10
After the selection is made go to Edit>Refine Selection, set the Smooth to 15% and click OK. This will smoothen the selection making it virtually cornerless. Then, copy and paste the selected part of the image into a new Layer and name it Model. Resize Model according to the example below.
STEP 11
Now, duplicate the layer Model and rename it to Silhouette. Go to Image>Colorize and set the Lightness to -100%.
STEP 12
Download the brushes from the link provided in the resources section. To import them first go to View>Show Brushes, then click the Action button in the Brushes Palette and choose Import Brushes. Locate brushes in the Open panel and click Open. Use the new brushes to create an image similar as in the image below. If necessary, use the Move Tool (V) to position the image and resize it by choosing Transform in the Edit Menu.
STEP 13
Delete parts of the brushes that intersect with the silhouette of the model. Use the image below as a reference. After that, select the layers that contain brushes and the silhouette, right-click and choose Merge Layers and set the new layer’s Opacity to 90%.
STEP 14
To make the dripping effect appear more realistic use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select some patches between the drips and make them curved inward. Use the image below as a reference. Then, go to Edit>Refine Selection, set the Smooth to 10%, Size to 1px and click OK. Now delete the selected part of the image by pressing the Delete key on your keyboard. Repeat the same actions to make the drips on the right shorter.
STEP 15
Now, select the layer Model and drag it to the top of the Layer Palette. Use Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to select the female’s face. After that, go to Edit>Refine Selection, set Feather to 50% and click OK. Copy and paste the selection and name the new layer Model. Delete the old layer as it will not be needed anymore.
STEP 16
Finally, set the Blending of the Model layer to Soft Light and reduce the Opacity to 20%.
CONCLUSION
Do not be alarmed at the fact that some steps you take will result in somewhat different outcomes than shown this tutorial. Try to find the best option that is suitable for you and most importantly – have fun in the process.
