Adding a Brush Pattern

Tutorial by Jim Caffrey

This tutorial demonstrates how to add your favorite Photoshop brush pattern to your favorite artistic filter or filters with more control over the final outcome than is afforded by the Art History Brush. I am using PS 7 but it is applicable to earlier versions as well.

Original image

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Step 1: Open your image and create a duplicate layer. In the screen shot, I call this layer "Filter Layer"

Step 2: Apply your favorite artistic filter or filters to the filter layer" On the example image, I have used a third party plug-in from Fantastic Machines called Paint Engine. I first became aware of this plug-in in a posting by Vikki in the Photo-Art Forum. Danny Raphael has posted a link to this free download and links to several reviews and tutorials in a Paint Engine thread. In the same thread, Lisa has added valuable instructions for creating your own Paint Engine pre-sets.

For the purposes of this tutorial I used the "Arctic" pre-set.

"Arctic" pre-set
from Paint Engine

Click to see full-sized

Step 3: Add a blank layer above the "Filter Layer" and fill it with a color of your choosing. I have chosen a color similar to the color of Art Paper. In the screen shot, I have labeled this layer "Paper Layer".

Step 4: This is an optional step.
Add a texture to the "Paper Layer". I used Filters>Texture>Texturizer>Sandstone

Step 5: Add a Layer Mask to the "Paper Layer" by clicking on the Layer Mask icon second from the left at the bottom of the Layers Palette.

Step 6: Using the opacity slider, reduce the opacity of the "Paper Layer" so you can see the image showing through. Select a brush of your liking and, with the "Paper Layer" active, trace around the important elements of your image. I set the opacity of the brush at about 50% for this and the next steps because I feel this gives me more control of the final image. For this example, I have used the brush "Wet Media/Dry Brush on Towel".

Trace edges of
important elements

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Final result

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Step 7: Using the opacity slider, return the "Paper Layer" to 100% opacity and begin painting with black to remove the mask and reveal the image and white to restore the mask and hide the image. I have found that "dabbing" with the brush by repeatedly clicking the left mouse button or it's graphic pen equivalent imparts more of the brush's pattern than simply painting long uninterrupted strokes.

Step 8: Flatten the image.

Copyright © 2002 Jim Caffrey