Creating Aero Dancing Aircraft Illustration

In this photoshop tutorial we are going to create illustrations art that combines line and photographs. The technique is not too difficult, but it takes patience to draw the lines. Here we will also create a cool background using textures, brushes and playing with layers blending mode.

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. You can view the final image preview below or a larger version here.

Step 1

Open photoshop and create a new document 1920 by 1200 pixels with a resolution of 300 ppi. For the background I use the paper texture created by Princess-of-Shadows on deviantart. Open one of the paper texture with photoshop, copy and paste in the document.

Step 2

In this second step, collect images fighters as much as possible. To create this wallpaper I chose some image of modern aircraft figter. Here I’m using some pictures of F15 Eagle and F22 Raptor, but if you are not so happy with these two aircraft types, you can use the others, eg F16, mig, rafalle or shukoido etc. First I use the F15 image was shot above the clouds.

Step 3

Create a path around the entire aircraft with the Pen Tool (P).

Enlarge the image (zoom in) to make the path more detail. When finished, save the path by open the paths window, click the path, hold and drag to the Create New Path icon at the bottom of the window.

Step 4

Make a selection from the path that we created in the previous step and select Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection to extract the fighter image from the background.

Step 5

Add a new layer above the F15 layer. Set the brush diameter to 1 px, hardness to 100% and black #000000 as foreground color. Right-click on the path we have created, and select Stroke Path. The dialog box will appear and then press OK. Now we have a 1 px line layer to form the outline plane. Do a little clockwise rotation on this new layer to make it not coincide with the edge of the image plane.

Step 6

Next I add another picture of the F15 with different maneuvers, make sure this fighter layer behind our first aircraft layer. Repeat the previous step create a path around the fighter and then save this path with the name ‘path 2’. Now extract fighter image using this path.

Step 7

Duplicate ‘path 2’ with right-click on the ‘path 2’ in the paths window and choose Duplicate Path, named this new path ‘path 2 full’. Make ‘path 2 full’ as the following picture.

Step 8

Add a new layer above the second plane layer named ‘white 1’, we use this layer to create a white color that covered aircraft. Load new selection from ‘path 2’ then fill this selection area with white color using the Paint Bucket Tool (G).

Step 9

Add new layer above layer ‘white 1’. Set your brush diameter by 1 px, hardness 100% and black #000000 as your foreground color. Select ‘path 2 full’ then perform stroke path using brush.

Step 10

Remove some lines and white color using splatter-shaped brush.

Step 11

Add a few more pictures of fighter aircraft with the various maneuvers and size. Then repeat step six to nine for each image plane. Here I also vary the types of aircraft, I add a picture of F22. Until here we get the following picture.

Step 12

Next add a world map image behind the all aircraft layers. I get a good picture of the world map here.

Step 13

Add a layer mask on map layer then erase the edge of the map image using the brush with a large diameter and small hardness. After that change the map layer blending mode to Pin Light.

Step 14

It is incomplete without aircraft missile. To complete it we add a missile in the picture, transform with the distort to change the direction of the missile to fit the fighter aircraft.

Add another missile image and repeat step 3 until 5,

Step 15

The next step is improving our background. Download Jenn B’s Typographic Grunge Brushes. Create a new layer above the map layer. Select one of the brushes and place it on the top left corner, use the color black # 000000 as foreground color. After that change the blending mode of this new layer to Overlay.

Step 16

Add one more brush behind the right side of the plane picture and change its blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 17

Add the brush once again, but this time let blending mode still Normal.

Step 18

Now we give the text on the wallpaper. Type AERO [enter] [space two times] DANCING, and set the font characteristics as shown below.

Change the blending mode to Soft Light and turn slightly counterclockwise.

Step 19

As a final touch go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves, place this layer on the top of all layers and set as shown below.

Final Result

This is the final result of this tutorial, I hope you enjoy this post and don’t forget subscribe to Grafisia RSS Feed.

Download psd file