In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a set of bright pirated icons in a trendy flat style. We will use the basic shapes and some useful features of Photoshop. If you wish, you can leave them solid or add texture using grunge brushes.
Photoshop has amazing features for creating flat icons. After completing this lesson, you will not only be able to draw the same icons, but also create your own set using the learned techniques. And to make the icons look more interesting, you can add a texture that will give them a retro effect.
If you want your icons to have a truly unique design, then instead of the standard brushes, choose the most appropriate grunge texture brushes on the Envato Market website.
We draw a bottle of rum
Step 1
Create a new document with a size of 3800 x 3800 pixels. I will work with a large resolution so that each icon is a separate object, so you need to take care of the sufficient size of the original document.
Fill the background in dark blue using Paint Bucket Tool
(G) (Fill).
Take Rounded Rectangle Tool
(U) (Rounded Rectangle) and draw the base of the icon of 1024 x 1024 pixels. Open the properties panel Window – Properties (Window – Properties), in which we will adjust the parameters of the shapes: size, color and radius of the corners.
Notice that after creating any basic shape (oval, rectangle, polygon, etc.), a special icon appears on the layer, which tells us that this is a vector layer. This means that we can freely edit the shape, color and size of the shape without losing quality. However, ordinary brushes on such layers do not work, so keep this in mind.
Step 2
We start by creating a rectangle with rounded corners, measuring 390 x 550 pixels. We will work with the property panel throughout the entire lesson, you can always see my parameters in the screenshot below. For the bottle, we set the radius of the upper corners to 130 pixels, and the lower ones to 60 pixels, then select light turquoise as the fill color.
Next, take Direct Selection Tool
(A) (Partial selection) and select the node point of the lower left corner. Several times press the arrow key to the right to move this point to the right (to speed up the process, hold down the Shift key during the move).
Do the same on the opposite side to make the bottom of the bottle narrower.
Step 3
Now let’s fill our bottle with rum! Duplicate the bottle layer (Ctrl + J), press Ctrl + T to activate the free transform and reduce the copy so that the glass edges of the bottle appear.
Via Rectangle Tool 
(U) (Rectangle) create a rectangle so that it overlaps the top of the bottle. Select the layer with the rectangle and rum, then click on it with the right mouse button and select Subtract Front Shape (Subtract the front piece) so that the bottle is partially filled.
Step 4
Now we will form the neck of the bottle. Create a turquoise rectangle with a size of 115 x 190 pixels. Select the layers with the base of the bottle and the neck and press the button Align horizontal center (Align the centers horizontally) on the top bar.
Via Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) (Rounded Rectangle) draw the upper part of the neck. The size is 210 x 75 pixels, the color is light turquoise, the radius of the corners is 35.5 pixels.
Step 5
Now draw a pirate label. Via Rectangle Tool (U) (Rectangle) create a wide horizontal line of dark gray across the bottle. Duplicate (Ctrl + J) the turquoise base of the bottle, select the copy with the label, right-click and select Unite Shapes at Overlap (Combine the shapes in the overlay) to hide the extra parts of the label.
Step 6
Draw a stylized skull. We use Ellipse Tool
(U) (Oval) to draw a circle measuring 37 x 37 pixels. Then add two small dark gray circles for the eyes and a rectangle for the jaw.
To add a glossy effect to the bottle, draw a circle at the top of the bottle base. On the layers panel we reduce its opacity by about 50%.
Step 7
We finish drawing the bottle by adding a cork. Duplicate (Ctrl + J) the layer with the neck and on the property bar change the color of the copy to brown. Press Ctrl + [to drop the layer with the cork under the neck (or on the layers panel, manually swap the layers).
Slightly round the top corners of the cork, setting a radius of 30 pixels.
Step 8
Now our rum bottle icon is ready! Go to the next!
Draw the wheel
Step 1
We create the basis for the helm size of 460 x 460 pixels using Ellipse Tool (U) (Oval). Duplicate (Ctrl + J) it, activate the free transform (Ctrl + T) and reduce the copy (in the figure below, the copy is marked with a dark outline). Select both figures, click the right mouse button and select Subtract Front Shape (Subtract the front shape) to cut a hole in the large circle.
Step 2
Now let’s draw the inside. Inside the wheel, create a circle measuring 160 x 160 pixels in yellow. On the top panel Align (Align) aligns the base of the handwheel and the inner circle horizontally and vertically.
Duplicate (Ctrl + J) the outer brown ring, place the copy above (Shift + Ctrl +]), activate the free transform (Ctrl + T) and compress the copy of the ring to place it on the yellow circle.
Step 3
Next, draw a pen. Via Rectangle Tool (U) (Rectangle) draw a dark brown rectangle 30 x 540 pixels in size and place it under the steering wheel (Shift + Ctrl + [). Do not forget to align the handle and the wheel on the panel Align (Align).
Step 4
Let’s detail the pens. Via Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) (Rounded Rectangle) on the top of the pen draw a holder. The top of the holder should be more rounded than the bottom. To do this, edit the shape on the property bar.
Via Direct Selection Tool (A) (Partial selection) make the lower part of the holder more narrow.
Duplicate (Ctrl + J) the created shape, activate the free transform (Ctrl + T) and rotate the copy 180 degrees. Move it to the bottom of the handle.
Now we group (Ctrl + G) the handle and the holders, duplicate the group by selecting it on the layers panel, press Ctrl + T and rotate it by 90 degrees.
Create two more copies of the group and rotate them 45 degrees in different directions, as shown below.
Step 5
On the main wooden ring of the steering wheel we add nail heads. We start by creating small dark gray circles on the wheel. Place two circles at the bottom and top, then group them (Ctrl + G), duplicate the copy and rotate it 90 degrees. Create more copies and rotate them just as we did with the pens.
Fine! The icon is ready and we can move to the next part of the lesson.
Draw a pirate chest
Step 1
Create a yellow triangle with a size of 670 x 530 pixels. Now draw the wooden details of the chest. Via Rectangle Tool (U) (Rectangle) create a dark brown rectangle measuring 585 x 260 pixels and apply to both created shapes. Align horizontal center (Align the centers horizontally).
On the chest lid, create another rectangle of a lighter shade and apply a yellow base to it. Align top edges (Align top).
Step 2
Now add wooden strips. Take Rectangle Tool (U) (Rectangle) and create a dark brown strip measuring 585 x 20 pixels. Place it on the lid of the chest by aligning the centers horizontally. Duplicate (Ctrl + J) the line several times and distribute copies over the entire surface of the chest.
Add another gold element on the chest lid: create a vertical rectangle with a size of 67 x 165 pixels and place it in the center of the lid.
Step 4
Next, create a lock. Draw a dark yellow rounded rectangle with a size of 130 x 155 pixels with a radius of corners of 30 pixels. Then create a keyhole by connecting a circle and a triangle. The triangle we can draw with the tool Polygon Tool
(U) (Polygon), setting the number on the top panel Sides (Parties) on 3.
Step 5
Chest ready! Go to the last icon.
Draw a pirate hat
Step 1
We form the basis for the hat. Draw a dark gray oval with a size of 910 x 160 pixels. Press Ctrl + T to activate the free transformation, and on the top panel, turn on the mode Warp (Deformation).
Now we have to curve the oval into an arc. You dropdown menu Warp (Deformation) choose Arc (Arc) and install Bend (Degree) by 20%.
Step 2
Via Ellipse Tool (U) (Oval) draw a circle measuring 400 x 400 pixels and place it in the center of the arc. Activate the tool Direct Selection Tool (A) (Partial selection) and move the side nodal points slightly lower to give an egg-shaped circle. Then select both figures (arc and egg), right-click and select Unite Shapes (Combine shapes).
Step 3
Let’s add a bright stroke on the hat. Duplicate (Ctrl + J) the combined shape and turn off on the top panel with parameters Fill (Fill). Set color Stroke (Stroke) to yellow and 4 pt stroke width. Activate the free transformation (Ctrl + T) to reduce the size of the stroke and slightly pull it down so that it crosses the bottom of the hat.
Apply the transformation and hide the extra part of the stroke. Choose a dark gray hat base, activate Rectangle Tool (U) (Rectangle), right-click and select Make Selection (Create selection). Install Feather Radius (Feather radius) 0 pixels. As a result, “marching ants” appeared around the hat.
Step 4
Further Select – Inverse (Selection – Invert) and go to the layers panel. Select the layer with a yellow stroke and click on the button Add layer mask
(Add layer mask) at the bottom of the layers panel. Thanks to this mask, we have hidden the excess part of the yellow stroke. Great job!
Step 5
Go back to the bottle icon and copy the group with the skull. We transfer the copy to the hat. Via Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) (Rounded Rectangle) create a horizontal line to draw stylized crossbones. Rotate the line 45 degrees and duplicate it, then reflect the copy horizontally.
Step 6
Finish the icon by adding a red bandanna. Via Rectangle Tool (U) (Rectangle) draw a red stripe 575 x 60 pixels in size and place it under the hat (Shift + Ctrl + [). Duplicate the band and move the copy below, while changing its color to light red.
And on the left side we add two vertical rectangles of the same shades, forming the ends of the bandana.
Detail the background
Step 1
To make the overall composition more interesting, we will add a few additional details. Arming tool Freeform Pen Tool
(P) (Free pen) and draw a wavy line with several loops.
Move to the top panel with parameters and click the button. Shape (Shape) to create a new vector layer.
Step 2
Now we can customize the look of the line. On the top panel, set the color Stroke (Stroke) on dark blue (make sure that the mode is still selected Shape (Figure)), 4 pt width and click on the button with a horizontal line to open the panel with the stroke parameters.
Select the dotted line and click on the button. More Options (Other options). In this menu, we can change the Caps (Caps) and Corners (Angle) to Round (Round) and adjust the values Dash (Stroke) and Gap (Space), so that the line harmoniously fit into the composition.
Step 3
Add some more lines. Switch to Ellipse Tool (U) (Oval) and randomly draw small circles, filling large gaps in the background.
That’s all! Our set of icons looks completely complete. If you like a flat style, you can stop at this stage. Save the file and close Photoshop with a clear conscience.
Step 4
Otherwise, we can continue to improve the icons, using the capabilities of the program Adobe Photoshop. Alternatively, you can impose grunge textures and make old icons. If you like this idea, you can use standard brushes or custom grunge brushes from the Envato Market.
Check out Section 5 of Step 1 of the weather icon tutorial to learn how to quickly and easily apply a texture.
Then, if you’re wondering how to draw a trendy long shadow, take a look at Section 1 Step 10 of the tutorial on creating flat space icons.
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Our pirate icons are ready!
We have done a wonderful job and created pirate icons in a flat style! I hope you enjoyed the lesson and the knowledge gained will be useful to you in future projects.
And do not forget to share your result in the comments!
