Brustin icon tutorial!

[exsequar]

I conducted a poll recently on my journal where I asked my flist to vote for what icon they'd want me to do a tutorial of. In the end, it was a three way tie, allowing me to choose one, so I chose the one that I felt had the most merit as a technique, rather than just as a specific icon. So! This is my first tutorial, I hope it's helpful at least in some small way :)

We're going to be going from THIS to this:


Step 1
Crop the image down to 100x100.



Step 2
Sharpen once.



Step 3
Duplicate the base layer and set this copy to Screen at 76% opacity.



Step 4
Duplicate the Screen layer and leave the settings. Now, you need to use a combination of the magnetic lasso and the lasso tools to carefully select the outline of the two boys. It's helpful to zoom in a lot, to distinguish where they end and the pillow begins. Also remove the area between them, under Brian's chin, from the selection, so only the boys are selected. Now, with this area selected, go to Layer->Add Layer Mask->Reveal selection. The pillows should darken as that part of the layer is masked.



Step 5
Duplicate the masked layer so that you now have two Screened layers with the mask. Brian and Justin should stand out from the background. Don't worry if the lines around them look a little sharp, we'll fix that with some colors on top of them.



Step 6
Now there are two ways to do this step. They're both equally easy, so I'll just tell you the one I used. create a new layer (Shift+ctrl+N or go to Layer->New->Layer) and fill it with black (color #000000). Right click on the mask of the previous layer and choose "Set Selection to Layer Mask". Now you can either create another mask the same way as we did before, or simply press the del key on your keyboard (with the black layer active) to remove the black from over the boys. Set the layer to Color at 100%.

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Step 7
Now we want to dull down that intense orange color that the boys are. The complementary color of orange is blue, so let's true blue, shall we? (I didn't think about that when I did it, I don't think, but I think that's why it works ^_^) click the little black and white circle in the layers window and choose "Gradient...". Make the gradient a black to blue fade, the blue being #62788D. In the gradient fill layer, set the angle to -135, or whatever puts the blue in the same corner as the boys. Set this layer to Color at 45% opacity.

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Step 8
I need a color layer to pull the whole icon together, so I fiddled with different colors and ended up with a dark green. Go to the black and white circle again, select "Solid Color...", and choose #114900, a dark green. Set this layer to Soft Light at 69% opacity.

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Step 9
Now for some decoration. I started with a border brush by daughterofsnape. Use the brush in a white color on a new layer on top of everything else. Then use an eraser to erase the part of the border that is on top of the boys, so now it looks like its going under them. Set the layer to Difference at 100% opacity.

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Step 10
Another brush by _joni. Again apply this one in white to another new layer. Erase the part on the left until only the leaf... thing... remains. Set the layer to Linear Dodge at 39% opacity.

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Step 11
For the large text, the font is Sylfaen. The first row is size 9, text "this is" and the second row is size 10, "M A G I C" Then I just added two lines of tiny text, Sylfaen, size 1, spacing 3 pt. And you have your final product!



Please do not copy this tutorial directly. Learn from my techniques and use them to create your own unique work. Please feel free to tell me what you think, and I'd love to see what you do with this! Enjoy :)

Comments

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

I just about pissed my pants when they played Without You I'm Nothing, Taste in Men, and Special Needs.....Oi vey. I don't think Tori Amos was every played, which is sad :-(.

I am a major VG fangirl. I've given four years of my life to studying that movie, lol, which sounds even worse now that I state that. Aww I know, why did they put Stef with the Polly Small band. I mean I understand that at first Brian was the only one cast, but it would have been nicer if they kept them all together.

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

lol, things always sound worse when you actually state them. Especially things like 'I've been on the internet for 13 hours today'. *cough*

I didn't know Brian was the only one cast at first...

(Sidenote, that makes a third Brian I adore. Argh that name!! Brian Slade, Brian Kinney and Brian Molko. I wonder if there are any more...)

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

There is a community on lj for people who love those three Brians....I joined it.

Hey, I've been on 12 hours, so you aren't too bad.

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

omg, there is?! *runs off to join it*

Ah, but is it 4am there? lol. I'm terrible. :)

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

Oh when it is, I'll still most likely be online :-P

Its 11:03pm.

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

lol, 11:03? where are you? (I'm in London, UK, btw)

And ahhh, that comm makes me want to make things with Brisexual all over them, colour bars, uicon, graphics...


ahhhhh

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

I'm outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With all this talking, may I friend you?

God, that community was most likely rougevelvet's brainchild. She runs the suckerlove community and site as well, and they are off having pervy VG/Placebo discussion in a chatroom...which makes me wonder why I'm not there....

::Watches the QAF Goodbye Special:: Oh yeah...

Make graphics and share wealth, lol.

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

lol, it's funny how you cuold like hop all the way through fandoms with certain people. If that makes any sense.

And of course! *friending back*

Aw, the Special was nice. I like Thea's hair in it (amongst other things, but still).

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

I never got to see the special (til tonight) since I didn't have showtime.

I'm glad when I can fandom hop. Hehe, its nice to know there are other people out there with the same interests, even if they live over the Atlantic Ocean, hehe. And there is something about the name Brian....they usually just come out looking all hot and....mmmmmm Brian-y.

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

lol, I would absolutely agree with that...except the head of my sixth form was called Brian and he was a big burgly Irish man who threatened (in a bright cheerful way, he was a Smiths fan) to break my teeth and my fingers.

lol.I guess there's an exception to everything! :)

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

in a bright cheerful way, he was a Smiths fan

....Wow. Indeed that is a major exception.

I hope he didn't break anything of yours. :-/ As a Smiths fan I've got to say.....he's crazy.

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

lol, he didn't, just twapped me on the head the odd time. To be fair, I did drive him to near madness.

Right, I'm off to sleep as it's nearly 5am, ttyt!!

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

I'm going to college near Philadelphia... Lancaster, to be exact. *is butting in yet again ^_^*

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

Lol, not butting in, it is your journal after all. I almost feel like I'm spamming your journal, though :-P. I'm sorry.

Oooh! Lancaster is nice and country-esque. May I ask what you are majoring in? I'll be going to Penn State Delaware County before I go to the main campus, so I'll still be right where I am now.

Should you need to know anything about the PA area, don't hesitate to ask either. I'll help out the best I can. I'm in love with Philadelphia (most likely because I was born there). Despite its bad neighborhoods, it has so much to offer. And the Art Museum...::Dies::

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

I sound crazy enthusiastic. :-/ This is what happens when one doesn't sleep for many hours.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Hey no worries :) Enthusiastic is good, and you didn't scare me one bit ^_^

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

That's cool, I have a good friend going to UPenn :)

I'm going to Franklin & Marshall, and I think I'm majoring in Biochemistry. Not certain yet, but it's likely.

And thanks :) I'll probably be dropping in on Philadelphia at some point, I mean it's so close, why not? Maybe we could even meet up some time, I'd love to talk to someone else who's into the same things as me :) I've been to Philadelphia once, 2 years ago, to visit UPenn with my class, and... I'm not an urban person at all, so that kinda turned me off of the school itself, but I rather liked it. It's kinda a blur though. I'd appreciate some insider tips ^_^

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

Biochemistry...you must be very, very smart. I don't even know how much of basic Chem I remember. I'm more artistically verbal though. Hence, I'm going to major (probably) in English.

It would be fun to meet up. Though I created a VG group, I only know of one other person who likes Queer as Folk. Its kind of...blah in the Philly suburbs. UPenn and Swarthmore always interested me, but I had to think about my parents money since they are putting three girls of close age into college. Penn State (despite the main campus being called a party school) is also respected, so it could be worse. :-P. Besides, what the hell will I do with an English degree anyway?

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

You can do absolutely *anything* with an English degree, lol ^_^ And I know what you mean about the money thing... it's pretty rough for my family, but I managed to snag a half tuition scholarship, so that was nice. Let's just say I'm going to be up to my ears in debt when I graduate -_-

*shrugs* I've always had a scientific bent. I enjoy it immensely, and the thought of like, working in a lab discovering things for my career is just so exciting ^_^ But that doesn't make me smarter, just.. I dont know! :P

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. It'd be the same feeling I'd get seeing something of mine published.

Good job getting the scholarship. We'll ALL be in debt after college. ::cringe:: I won a rather small scholarship for being respectful and polite, somehow... someone really doesn't know me well. But I thank their checkbook. And oops, I just realized I never thanked the organization. So much for being respectful.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Hey...umm would you do us (me and theaeblackthorn a favor? We run bj_icontest and the poll is going right now and there's a big tie, so would you be willing to run over and vote? Hopefully you'll be able to break it ^_^

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

Does it matter if I'm a member or not? I could go join, but I'd never be able to make a decent icon.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Doesn't matter, poll's open to everyone :)

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

Errr. I voted, but I think there is a three-way tie going on now.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Ahh, that doesn't matter... the problembefore was that there was a first place, a tie for second place, and then a three way tie for third -_-. What we wanted was four icons with more votes than anyone else. So now we have that. Thank you so much! ♥

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

No problem :-)

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

How do you mean? Did you actually study the movie for school, or something? (I love VG)

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

No...I just...obsessed over it and learned stupid facts on it for the past four years. I've also single handedly formed a local fanbase for the movie in my town. And also because I'm a freaky glam rock fan, I've devoted a lot of time in looking at the reality of the glam rock era and comparing it to the movie.
I did write a sequel script for a class in school, though. It even included acceptable levels of homoeroticism. My teacher loved it, despite being the son of a Minister. He gets points for giving me wonderful marks on it. :-P