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Combining serious photos and cartoons can be a very effective technique – look at some of Banksy’s work, in which the artist replaces Molotov cocktails with bouquets of flowers. Photoshop allows you to achieve a similar effect and make it much easier by working with pixels instead of a can of paint.
One way to dilute serious photos is to use vector shapes, giving the finished image the style of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Although Illustrator is considered the best Adobe program for working with vector shapes, Photoshop also has the necessary tools. They will be enough for our lesson. Instead of just adding flat spatter layers, I’ll show you how to get the most out of vector graphics, starting with the drawing itself. You will learn how to use layer styles. Stamping (Bevel and Emboss), Internal glow (Inner Glow) and Gloss (Satin). They will help inscribe a flat, lifeless figure in a three-dimensional environment. As a final touch, we apply blur and some effects that add realism to the finished image.
Step 1
Create a new document size A4 in portrait format with resolution 300 pixels / inch (dpi). Open the photo of the mortar and drag it into the document. Set the document size to 190%, then use the tool Stamp
(Clone Stamp) and a soft brush to clone the background (hold down Alt, then click on the desired site. So you define a sample, after which you can draw).
Step 2
Choose a tool Pen
(Pen tool) with mode Circuit (Path). Zoom in on the image by 300%, then draw a contour around the mortar barre. Go to panel Contours (Paths) and generate a selection of your contour (Ctrl +click on thumbnail). Duplicate the mortar layer, then go to the menu Layers> Mask Layer> Show Selected Area (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal Selection). Click on the layer mask and then apply Gaussian blur radius 0.8 pixels. To do this, go to the menu Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur).
Step 3
Select tool again Pen (Pen tool). Activate mode Figure (Shape Layers). Now start drawing the droplets of mucus flying off the barrel. Think about how thick mucus behaved in real life. After you drag the point, click on it while holding the key Alt. This will remove the external balancing point. Later you can create a new one to get a sharp corner.
Note: We recommend using the tool to correct the curve. Angle
(Convert Point tool). Having led the cursor to the nodal point and holding the mouse button, moving the cursor, we get two balancing points to create a smooth curve. If you click on an anchor point with the ALT key held down, you will get one balancing point and a sharp node, which is used if necessary. make a sharp change in the direction of the curve or connect a straight segment and a curved one with a sharp transition. Read more about curves and balancing points in our lesson.
Step 4
Drag key points at the beginning and end of each curve, but do not create points in the middle, this is a more realistic line. After you have finished drawing the drops, select the tool Arrow
(Direct Selection tool) to edit the position of key points and curves.
Step 5
Draw a big splash of mucus from the main figure. Good habit – when drawing keep the hand on the keyboard to quickly switch between Arrow (English A) and Pen (English P). Thanks to this technique, you can adjust everything on the fly. Name the new layer “Big Spurt”.
Step 6
Now the magic begins. Select the “Big Spurt” layer, go to menu Layers > Style layer > Options overlay (Layer> Layer Style> Blending Options). Let’s start with Stamping (Bevel and Emboss). With this parameter, simple results are usually obtained, but with the right treatment you can achieve an interesting effect. Set all parameters exactly as shown in the screenshot.
Step 7
Next step – Internal glow (Inner Glow). There are a lot less important settings here, just set everything up as shown in the screenshot. The most important thing is that the glow should not spread over each part of the figure, and the color should be slightly lighter than the main fill. With this we can use the blending mode Screen (Screen).
Step 8
Add Gloss (Satin). This will enhance the shadows, as well as add more depth and smoothness. Change the Contour View to Shallow recess (Cove – Shallow). This setting will create the best shadows where they are needed. These styles can be applied to each layer. Just go to the menu Layers> Layer Style> Copy Layer Style (Layer> Layer Style> Copy Layer Style), then select the desired layer and go to Layers> Layer Style> Paste Layer Style (Layer> Layer Style> Paste Layer Style).
Step 9
Add some sprays to get a more complete shape. Arrange the layers one above the other to create depth. The order of the layers will become more important when you add a lot of small elements. It is useful to name each layer with the appropriate name – you will have a lot of them.
Step 10
Highlight larger parts by adding smaller, faster mucus streams. Stir all with large convex drops and thin straight streams. Also try adding some smudges. However, it should be borne in mind that they should be above the layer with the barrel.
Step 11
Draw a few small drops of mucus; you will need to edit Internalglow (Inner Glow) and Stamping (Bevel and Emboss), as the new figures are much smaller. Choose a tool Move 
(Move tool), click Alt, then drag each layer with drops. This will make a copy of it. Click Ctrl + T, to quickly resize and rotate copies. Repeat this step until you get enough spray.
Step 12
Select all the splatter layers, then go to the menu Layers > Merge layers (Layer> Merge Layers). Go to Filter> Blur> Radial Blur (Filter> Blur> Radial Blur). Install amount (Amount) on 6, Method (Method) – Annular (Zoom). Then shift the center of the blur to the mortar barre (this will take several attempts). Duplicate the blur layer to enhance the effect.
Step 13
Create a level adjustment layer. To do this, go to the menu Layers> New Adjustment Layer> Levels (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Levels). Place a new layer above all the others. Click on the thumbnail of the adjustment layer mask, then fill it with black. Due to this, the effect of the layer will be invisible. We use it to create shadows. This way we can not apply blend modes and not draw a shadow for each element.
Note: Drawing shadows will require a little patience. Use a small soft white brush with an opacity of 15%. Hold Cmd / Ctrl and click on the slice shape layer icon to get a selection. Press Shift + Cmd / Ctrl + I to invert the selection. Click on the thumbnail of the Levels adjustment layer mask to make it active. Draw shadows for the figure with mucus. Repeat this process on the Levels adjustment layer mask to add shadows for the remaining layers with fig slime.
Step 14
Open the downloaded cloud image, click Ctrl + Shift + U, to discolor it. Click Ctrl + L. In the window that appears Levels (Levels) enter these parameters – 40; 0.77; 255 respectively. Choose a tool Dimmer
(Butn tool), install Range – Shadows (Shadows), Exposure (Exposure) – 50% Take a soft brush and darken the space around, but try not to touch the cloud itself.
Step 15
Import a cloud photo into our document. Install Blend mode (Blending mode) Screen (Screen). Place it under layers of mucus, resize and remove excess parts. Copy the cloud layer, then place the copy in the middle of the slime layers, make it a little smaller and rotate it. Now make another copy and place it above the layers. Edit Opacity (Opacity) layers, and also try to apply the effect Motion blur (Motion blur).
Step 16
It remains to add a few final touches. Use adjustment layers Gradient map (Gradient Map) and Curves (Curves). For gradient maps, use blending modes. Darkening basics (Color Burn) and Spot light (Pin Light). To remove too dark areas, select the mortar layer, then go to the menu Image> Correction> Shadows / Lights (Image> Adjustments> Shadow / Highlights). Rasterize all layers with shapes, add effect Gaussian blur (Gaussian blur) with radius 0.8 pixels (see step number 2), and also change the color using the function Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation).
