If we are not artists, an illustration is not always an easy task, often depending on the need to outsource work. However with a little ingenuity, a lot of knowledge of PhotoShop, and some steps we can perform a simple but effective and powerful naturalistic illustration.The lacertid (Lacertidae) Are a family of sauropsids (reptiles) Native squamous Europe, Africa and Asia which includes several species such as lizards (Podarcis) And common lizards (Lacerta).
No, this is not National Geographic. It is simply the introduction of a text that I had to illustrate a while back.
Thinking that tutorial could write, I remembered this particular job because he’ll take care of the artwork was a graphic designer who can not draw.
Obviously it is not necessary to draw to be a designer, but on several occasions we find ourselves in situations where we must resort to some kind of enlightenment, and if we can not draw, would have to resort to a third party to perform this work.
Following this, I decided to make a series of tutorials where we use the PhotoShop, Very basic drawings for a simple but visually appealing.
In this tutorial we will see how to make a lizard on a leaf and seen through it.
As I was drawing it, I realized the shape directly without resorting to exhaustive search, Google, Images of animals and then decals. And as most designers are half “cars”I am one, I uploaded the way you make to the download site Shapes.
If you want to make the same shape, then download the picture of the animal they want to use, it fits with the tool Pen (Pen)And keep it as a Preset of Shape (Pattern Presets) [Edit / Define Custom Shape (Edit / Define a custom)].

Close the image we use to trace and create a new document the size you want to have your artwork. In this case I made a new document 1024 x 768 pixels.
Create a new Adjustment Layer (Fill or Adjustment Layer) Solid color green with the values: C: 75%, M: 0%, Y: 100% K: 0%.

We double-click the Layer (Layer) made in the window Layers (Layers), And in the window that opens, we apply the following Layer effect: Gradient Overlay (effect of layer: Gradient Overlay).

From the window Tools (Tools), Double-click the Color Picker (Color Picker) and create a very dull green with some values: C: 83%, M: 39%, Y: 100% K: 34%.
Select the tool again Pen (Pen), And making sure that is selected Shape Layer (Shape Layers) in the window Options (Options)We began to make curves as shown in the picture below.

After completing the curve as we want, and if necessary, use the command Free Transform (Free Transform), Ctrl + TTo resize the shape to take the size of almost half of our document. If you do not need to resize the shape, use the tool Path Selection (Path selection) (A) how to position the top of the document, leaving the margins of it. Then call the command Free Transform (Free Transform)If you have used before to call back again, and move the form by pressing the Shift, A few pixels down. We accept and press the keys Ctrl + Z to undo what we did.
Using the keypad Ctrl + Shift + Alt + T we will be doubling as to completely cover our document as we see in the picture below.

These forms were part of the rib of the leaf finish below.
In the window Layers (Layers) I modified the blending mode, the Layer (Layer) containing the vector forms of Normal by Screen (Plot) and double-clicking the Layer (Layer), We apply the following Layer effect (Layer Effect):

Duplicate this layer and from the menu Edit / Transform Path / Flip Horizontal (Editing / layout transforms / Flip Horizontal), Mirrors the vectors for both sides of the veins of the leaf.
Now we begin to work with the animal.
Reset the colors to the basic colors (black and white) by pressing the D, And selecting the tool Custom Shape (Custom Shape) and making sure that is selected Shape Layer (Shape Layers) in the window Options (Options}We use the Shape (Form) we have created with our pet.

One could say that we have completed our image. However, if we want the artwork is realistic we must consider some points.
Animals possess, for they are smaller than a certain volume.
To give the impression that the shadow is cast by an animal with volume we follow the following steps.
First we double the Layer (Layer) the animal. Hide one of these Layers (Layers), By clicking the little eye on the left side of it, and, Layer (Layer) visible or active, we right-click the vector mask by choosing Rasterize Vector Mask (Rasterizing vector mask) to convert the vector to pixels.

Like any image based on pixels, we can apply any adjustment to that effect or pixel-based mask.
We go to the menu Filter / Blur / Gaussian Blur (Filter / Blur / Gaussian Blur) and we’ll apply a blur to have the following in mind: the more bulky than the animal, we must apply more blur.
After the image blur selected and paws and are still positioned in the Layer Mask (Layer Mask), Painted them black. This will leave the animal without legs.

Re-activate the layer with the mask vector and we added another mask (this will automatically based on pixels) in which we will paint with the tool Brush (Brush) in gray and black for areas to transition from rigid vector layer with the image of Layer (Layer) we have blurred than before.
In the next image looks like it is becoming the mask to achieve the effect mentioned.

When we finished painting all the regions that we have such “fusion”We use a Gaussian blur to integrate over the cast.
We see at the end of this process an image similar to the next.

Then create a new Layer (Layer) below Layer (Layer) we edited. For this press the button Ctrl, When creating the new Layer (Layer), To automatically create below Layer (Layer) where we stand.
We again stop at the Layer (Layer) with the two masks and by pressing Ctrl + E, We join those two Layers (Layers).
The results obtained so blur a little, almost nothing, for “remove”The hardness of the vector mask.
To complete the picture, create a new Layer (Layer) above all others and, using the tool Gradient (Degraded), Create a gradient from white to transparent by using the Radial (Radial).
We changed the blending mode Normal by Soft Light (Soft Light).
At the end of this process we have a window Layers (Layers) like this:

Finally join all the Layers (Layers) and apply a small blur, minimum, and the filter Noise (Noise) with a very low setting, no more than 2 pixelsAnd Gaussian mode.
We can say that we are illustrators. At least in lizards.