This tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop’s brush settings, adjustment layers, and selection tools and options to create a furry, fluffy text effect inspired by Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit. Let’s get started!
This text effect was also inspired by the many Layer Styles available on GraphicRiver.
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:
- Montserrat Light font
- Green grass background by alexphotos
- Fur Brushes by nathies-stock
- FabricLaceTrims0157 by Textures.com
- Pocket Watch by succo
- CHAINS PNG by TheArtist100
1. How to Create a Grass Textured Background
Step 1
Create a new 1250 x 800 px document, and place the Green grass background image on top of the Background layer as a smart object.
Resize the texture image to fit within the document, and rename its layer to Grass.
Step 2
Go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights, and use these settings for the Highlights section:
- Amount: 100
- Tone: 60
- Radius: 50
Step 3
Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, and use these settings:
- Hue: 5
- Saturation: -30
- Lightness: -10
Step 4
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and change the Radius to 0.3.
Step 5
Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Gradient.
Create the gradient fill using the Colors #8e8b88 to the left and #444342 to the right, change the Style to Radial and the Scale to 150, and check the Dither box.
Change the Gradient layer’s Blend Mode to Soft Light and its Opacity to 80%.
2. How to Create a Text Layer and Work Path
Step 1
Create the text in All Caps using the font Montserrat Light. Change the Size to 350 pt and the Tracking to 75, and if you have more than one line of text, change the Leading value to 350 as well.
Step 2
Pick the Pen Tool and choose the Path option in the Options bar.
Start creating a work path inside the letters you have.
Click once to add corner points, click-drag to add smooth curve points, and Command-click outside the path once you finish it.
Step 3
You can use the Direct Selection Tool to select and adjust any anchor point as well as its direction points and handles if needed.
3. How to Save Work Paths
Step 1
In order to save a work path and reuse it, open the Paths panel, and double-click the Work Path tab to enter a name for the path you want to save.
Name the path you created Center and hit OK.
Step 2
Right-click the text layer, choose Create Work Path, and save the new path with the name Stroke.
4. How to Create and Save Brush Tips
Step 1
Pick the Brush Tool and open the Brush Settings panel.
Choose the fur2_nathiesbrushes tip from the Fur Brushes pack, and use these settings:
Brush Tip Shape
Shape Dynamics
Color Dynamics
Step 2
Click the Create new brush icon in the bottom right corner of the panel to save the modified brush tip, and name it Brush 01.
We will do this for all the tips we are going to create so that it’s easier to follow the steps of stroking the work paths later on.
Step 3
With the same tip still selected, change the Color Dynamics‘ Brightness Jitter value, and save the new tip with the name Brush 02.
Step 4
Pick the fur6_nathiesbrushes 1 tip and use these settings:
Brush Tip Shape
Shape Dynamics
Color Dynamics
Save this tip with the name Brush 03.
Step 5
Pick the Dune Grass tip and use these settings:
Brush Tip Shape
Shape Dynamics
Scattering
Color Dynamics
Save this tip with the name Brush 04.
5. How to Stroke Work Paths
Step 1
Hide the text layer, and create five new layers.
Step 2
Set the Foreground and Background Colors to #e9e0d9 and #c3b9ad, select the Layer 1 layer, and click the Stroke path’s thumbnail in the Paths panel to activate it.
Pick the Brush Tool, choose the Brush 01 tip, and hit the Return key to stroke the path.
Right-click the Layer 1 layer and choose Convert to Smart Object.
Step 3
Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen, and use the settings you like to get a crisper and more defined outcome.
Step 4
Select the Layer 2 layer, pick the Brush 03 tip and hit the Return key to stroke the work path again.
Step 5
Double-click the Layer 2 layer to apply an Inner Shadow effect with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Linear Burn
- Color:
#400f14 - Opacity: 10%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 5
6. How to Create Layered Stroked Paths
Step 1
Set the Foreground and Background Colors to #f0b8b9 and #c0b4a6, select the Center work path, and select the Layer 3 layer.
Pick the Brush 03 tip and stroke the path.
Step 2
Change the Layer 3 layer’s Blend Mode to Color Burn and its Opacity to 70%.
Step 3
Set the Foreground and Background Colors to #d9cfc6 and #aaa094, select the Layer 4 layer, pick the Brush 02 tip, and select and stroke the Stroke path.
Once you’re done, convert the Layer 4 layer into a smart object.
Step 4
Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen, and use the settings you like to get a crisper and more defined outcome.
Step 5
Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, change the Amount to 5 and the Distribution to Uniform, and check the Monochromatic box.
Step 6
Change the Layer 4 layer’s Blend Mode to Luminosity and its Opacity to 70%.
Step 7
Set the Foreground and Background Colors to #f7eee7 and #988f86, select the Layer 5 layer, pick the Brush 04 tip, and select and stroke the Center path.
Change the Layer 5 layer’s Blend Mode to Soft Light, pick the Direct Selection Tool, and hit the Return key one more time to get rid of the work path.
7. How to Group and Style Multiple Layers
Step 1
Place all the stroked layers in a group and name it Text.
Step 2
Double-click the Text group to apply a Drop Shadow effect with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Color Burn
- Color:
#1b1610 - Opacity: 35%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 25
Step 3
Add a Levels adjustment layer on top of the Text group and clip it to it.
Change the Input Levels‘ Shadows value to 5 and the Highlights to 235, and change the Output Levels‘ Shadows value to 15.
8. How to Select an Object
Step 1
Open the FabricLaceTrims0157 image, and use the Quick Selection Tool to select one of the hearts.
Once the heart is selected, click the Select and Mask button in the Options bar.
Step 2
Adjust the settings to get a cleaner selection and click OK.
Go to Edit > Copy to copy the selected heart.
9. How to Place and Blend an Object With Other Elements
Step 1
Go back to the original document and go to Edit > Paste.
Convert the pasted layer into a smart object, and press Command-T to enter Free Transform Mode in order to transform the heart as you like.
Hit the Return key to commit the changes.
Step 2
Pick the Brush Tool and choose the Brush 01 tip, and uncheck the Color Dynamics tab in the Brush Settings panel.
Step 3
Click the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, make sure to select the mask’s thumbnail, set the Foreground Color to Black, and slightly paint around the heart to blend it with the fur under it.
You can change the brush size if necessary as well.
Step 4
Repeat the same steps to add a couple more hearts all over the text you have, and place all the heart layers in a group with the name Hearts.
Step 5
Double-click the Hearts group to apply a Drop Shadow effect with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Linear Burn
- Color:
#1b1610 - Opacity: 25%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 15
This will blend the hearts with the text some more.
10. How to Extract Simple Objects From an Image
Step 1
Open the Pocket Watch image, and use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to select the watch part without the lid.
Step 2
Use the Quick Selection Tool to select the upper parts, and make sure to press-hold the Shift key to add to the existing selection.
If you want to deselect any parts, press-hold the Option key instead.
Step 3
Copy and paste the selected watch to the original document, convert its layer to a smart object, and add a layer mask to paint a bit of fur over the watch, as you did with the hearts.
11. How to Brighten and Colorize Objects
Step 1
Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool again to select the inner part of the watch.
Step 2
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and clip it to the watch layer. A layer mask will be added automatically based on the selection you created.
Change the Hue to -56 and the Lightness to 41.
Step 3
Add a Solid Color fill layer using the Color #ffefbe, clip it to the watch layer, and change its Blend Mode to Linear Burn.
Step 4
Press-hold the Option key, and click-drag the Hue/Saturation layer mask’s thumbnail to the Solid Color layer.
This will duplicate the layer mask.
Step 5
With the duplicated layer mask selected, press Command-I to invert it so that it affects the outer part of the watch.
12. How to Add More Elements
Step 1
Open the CHAINS PNG image, select the gold chain, and copy and paste it to the original document.
Convert the chain’s layer to a smart object, and place the chain at the top of the watch and transform it as needed.
Step 2
Add a layer mask to the Chain layer, and erase the extra parts to blend it well with the text.
Step 3
Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels, and change the Shadows value to 25 and the Gamma to 0.75.
13. How to Add Drop Shadows
Step 1
Double-click the Chain layer to apply a Drop Shadow effect with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Linear Burn
- Color:
#1b1610 - Opacity: 60%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 15
Step 2
Create a new layer below the watch layer and name it Watch Shadow, and change its Blend Mode to Linear Burn and its Opacity to 80%.
Pick the Brush Tool, set the Foreground Color to #615c56, and use a soft round tip to paint a shadow for the watch.
You can change the Opacity value if the shadow is too intense, as well as erasing any parts you don’t like.
Step 3
Place all the watch and chain layers in a group and name it Watch.
14. How to Make Global Adjustments
Step 1
Duplicate the Grass layer and place the copy on top of all layers.
Press-hold the Option key and click the Add layer mask icon to add an inverted layer mask.
Use the Brush 01 tip without the Color Dynamics option to paint in a bit of grass around the letters. This will help blend the text with the background some more.
Step 2
Add a Gradient Map adjustment layer on top of all layers, create the gradient fill using the Colors #2f4996 to the left and #9e727f to the right, and check the Dither box.
Change the Gradient Map layer’s Blend Mode to Soft Light and its Opacity to 60%.
Step 3
Create another new layer, name it Noise, and go to Edit > Fill.
Change the Contents to 50% Gray and click OK.
Step 4
Convert the Noise layer to a Smart Object, and change its Blend Mode to Soft Light.
Step 5
Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, change the Amount to 5 and the Distribution to Uniform, and check the Monochromatic box.
Congratulations, You’re Done!
In this tutorial, we modified a grass texture to create the background. Then, we created the text and its work paths, as well as the brush tips needed to create the effect.
After that, we stroked the work paths, added a couple of hearts and a watch, and blended everything together. Finally, we added some global adjustments to finish off the effect.
Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, and outcomes below.
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