HOW TO DRAW A REALISTIC IMAGE IN PHOTOSHOP - Part II
Article by Irene Laschi This week I'll explain how to draw the leaf and finish the Cherry illustration. STEP 7: Adding shadows on the leaf Create a layer, Multiply mode, above the others. Selecting the paths I made for the leaf veins, create a selection (right click: anti-alias on, 0 px feather) and start working on this new layer with a very soft brush (low opacity and flow as always). I created more than one layer (one layer = one color) within a group to find the perfect balance between generic shadows and specific shadows on the leaf, using dark green and a blue-green. Deselecting and adding a layer mask to the group, erase with a soft erase tool the areas that seem too intense. STEP 8: Adding texture To enhance the realistic effect, I used a custom Photoshop effect to create little veins between the main ones. In this specific case I chose the Bevel and Emboss effect, changing its default settings to obtain the wanted result (it had to seem very natural).