Most people don’t realize how much time and effort goes into creating something like an icon. Icons can take many hours to complete and the techniques used can take a long time to perfect. In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to create an open book icon in Photoshop. Let’s get started!
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
Step 1
Fire up Photoshop and create a new document. Make it 400px wide and 350px high.
Step 2
Now take the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and set your Foreground color to a neutral gray #7a7a7a. Then using that Paint Bucket Tool (G) fill the canvas with your neutral gray. Then, name your gray layer "Background". Make a new layer, and then take the Rectangle Tool (U), and set it to Shape Layers.
Take that Rectangle too, and setting your Foreground color to #e7c681 draw a rectangle on the layer you just created.
Step 3
Because you used the Shape Layers setting, you will notice that, when looking in your Layers Palette, the normal layer you created at the beginning of the previous step has been transformed into a Shape Layer, aka Photoshop’s kind of vector! You will also notice a thin gray border around your rectangle. Now THAT is awesome, and you know why? Because now we can transform the shape without losing any quality! So, let’s do just that. Press Command/Ctrl + T to transform, and then holding down the Command/Ctrl key drag the corners as to create a shape similar to this.
Awesome! Now make a new layer, and taking the Rectangle Tool (U) just as before, make a new rectangle shape, only this time when you transform it, make it similar to the shape on the right side.
Step 4
Now it’s time to name our shapes layers, we don’t want them to have an identity crisis do we? So, go to your layers palette and re-name the first rectangle’s layer to "Cover 1" (that’s the left-most rectangle one). Then re-name the layer hosting the other rectangle to "Cover 2" (that’s the right-most one). Good. Once we have them named, let’s give them some layer styles! Either double-click on one of the cover layers (in the layers palette of course) or go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and give it these styles.
Now click OK, to confirm your settings. Next, right-click on the Cover 1 layer (that’s the one we just added Layer Styles to) and choose "Copy layer Style". Then right-click on the Cover 2 layer in the layers palette, and choose, well of course, "Paste Layer Style"! Now we have a pair of gold book covers.
Step 5
Now there’s only one small problem, we want the covers to be green-ish, not gold-ish. But we can fix it quite easily: Go to your Layers Palette, and you’ll see that each layer has a tiny thumbnail, true? Yes! Now hold down Command/Ctrl tab and click on one of those thumbnails and magic happens! You obtain a selection of that layer! Okay, from now on, this will be referred to as "obtain the selection of layer X/Y/Z," okay? To have more magic happen, you can hold down Command/Ctrl + Shift + click on the layer’s thumbnail, to obtain a complete selection of multiple layers. Try it! Hold down Command/Ctrl + Shift keys + click on the thumbnails of "Cover 1" and "Cover 2" respectively, and you’ll see that you get a selection like this.
Okay, now you should know we DO have an actual use for this selection, namely this. Go to your Layers Palette, and look at is bottom. Among other icons you’ll notice, you’ll see one that looks like a Yin/Yang symbol, a sort of circle with one white half and one black half, true? Well, that is the "Create new fill or adjustment layer" icon! Okay, make sure you still have that selection we made above, and click on that icon. Choose "Hue/Saturation". And choose these settings.
Good, now we’ll need that selection again you know? Command/Ctrl + click on the thumbnail of the Hue/Saturation layer we just created and voila, selection active ok, now go and pay another visit to the "Insert new fill or adjustment layer" icon. Only this time, choose "Color Balance" from the list. Give it these settings: Preserve Luminosity: Checked! Midtones: +21/0/-12. Highlights: +3/0/0. Shadows: +11/-10/-18 Make sure your Color Balance layer is above the Hue/Saturation one, okay? Otherwise you’ll start getting funky color shades. Obtain the selection of the covers again, and go to Hue/Saturation again and choose this.
Okay! Now you should be looking at something like, this.
Step 6
Awesome work! Now, if you want, you can use Photoshop’s awesome Groups feature to organize a bit your layers so, go to the bottom of your Layers Palette and right next to our familiar Yin/Yang circle you’ll see a folder-like icon, yea? Okay, click that and you’ll create a new Group! Move all of the layers you made until now (except the Background one) in this group, (drag the layer onto the group to include it in) and re-name the group to "Covers". Okay, the next part will be a bit difficult to explain, so let’s take it slow okay? Make a new layer above your Covers group, and name it "Corner 1". Now take the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) and make a triangular shaped selection around the bottom-left corner of Cover 1.
Set your Foreground color to #e7c681 and using the Paint Bucket Tool (G), fill that selection on your "Corner 1" layer. Then press Command/Ctrl + D to deselect. Sweet, now remember that layer style we copied earlier from the "Cover 1" layer to our "Cover 2" one? Paste the same layer style to the "Corner 1" layer. You should get something like this.
Okay, now we’ll do the same thing with the other 3 corners, okay? Make a new layer, name it "Corner 2", make a triangular selection, etc, fill with color, deselect, paste layer style, okay, do this for the remaining 3 corners, and then you should have: 4 layers, one above the other, named "Corner1", "Corner2", "Corner 3" and "Corner 4", each with a layer style pasted to it and overall looking somewhat like this.
Step 7
Only now, our corners look SO faded and spiritless. Let’s make them more lively then! Go to your layers palette, and holding down Command/Ctrl, click on the 4 Corners layers, action which will make all 4 of them a dark blue color, and then press Command/Ctrl+E to merge them. Now you have a single layer, which has all the 4 corners on it, and most important, has no layer styles anymore. ok, let’s see. Obtain a selection of your corners layer (Ctrl/Cmd + click on its layer thumbnail) and visit the Ying/Yang circle from before, choose "Photo Filter" From it, choose "Warming Filter 81", 63% density. Click OK and then press Command/Ctrl + E to merge the Photo Filter with the corners layer, so that you have just one layer. Then, take the Burn Tool (O), and set it to a soft, round brush of about 50px in size, Range: Shadows, Exposure: 11%, Airbrush NOT checked. Brush a little (not very much, mind the exposure) so that you get a nice, golden tone. Then take the Dodge Tool (O) and set it to a round, soft brush of about 50px size as well, Range: Highlights, Exposure: 10%, Airbrush NOT checked, and brush a bit to give your corners some highlights, okay? This is what you should get in the end, or something like this.
Step 8
Okay, we’re done with them, name the layer to "Gold Corners", and ta-daa, you’re done with them! Okay now we’ll have to take it slow again, because the next couple of steps are very much intuition-based. Remember those Cover1 & 2 layers? Good! Now go to your Group and duplicate the "Cover 1" shape layer, and move it upwards, outside of your Group. Now, your Layers palette should look something like this.
Ok, now right-click on the "Cover 1 copy" layer and choose "Clear Layer Style". This will leave us with the plain yellowish colored rectangle. Then press Command/Ctrl + T to resize it into something like this.
Take the Direct Selection Tool (A) and click with it anywhere on the surface of the yellowish rectangle. You are doing this to obtain the gray border around it. Next, click exactly ON that gray border, so that you have its Anchor Points visible, like this (you might have to zoom in to do this).
Step 9
Once you have the Anchor Points visible, take the Convert Point Tool (P) and clicking on the bottom-most anchor point drag a little bit, so that the handles become visible. Drag the handles so that you have this.
Ok, that will be our page’s base, so let’s rename it to "Pages Base" okay? Next, set your Foreground color to #d6bb8e and taking the Line Tool (also set to Shape Layers), set its weight to 20px. Create a new layer and on it drag to create a line like so.
Step 10
Okay, let’s finish this step and then we take a break for some chips & coke? Good, let’s take the Direct Selection Tool (A) again and doing exactly as in the previous step, drag the corner anchor points (zoom in a bit for that) so that you have something like this.
Then, taking the Convert Point Tool like before, curve the bottom & top sides a bit like this.
Step 11
Now it’s a good time to take a break: a hot bubble bath or something. Okay, back to work soldier! Ok, we’re at step 11 Let us add a texture of real pages to our latest shape, huh? Remember that pattern file from the beginning of the tutorial (in the resources section)? Download it, now it is needed. Make a new layer above all your others, and take the Paint Bucket Tool, set it to Fill with Pattern, and choose that particular pattern from the list and, well, fill. Press Command/Ctrl + T to transform the layer. Rotate it so that its lines are parallel to the edges of the Cover 1, and resize it to be about 50% of the original size like so.
Obtain a selection of the latest shape layer we made and on your pattern layer go to Select > Inverse. Then press Delete. Name this pattern-ed layer "Pages Black" for now. It won’t live long though. But for now name it like this. Obtain a selection of your Pages Black layer. Then create a new layer and set your Foreground color to #fdf8ea. Using the Paint Bucket Tool which you make sure to set to Fill with Foreground Color again Fill with the new foreground color that selection. On the newly created layer, of course! Now take the Move Tool (V) and move the whiter page texture a little bit to the left, so that it looks something like this.
Step 12
Name this layer to "Pages White". Next, we have to take care of the "Light Side" shape layer a bit. Right-click on it and choose "Rasterize Layer". Take the Burn Tool same settings as before, and burn it a little, especially around the "bottom" part. The use the same Dodge Tool as before to lighten the “top" part, so that it creates a realistic lighting.
Now merge the two lines layers with the "Light Side" layer, so that you make them into one. Make sure this newly-obtained layer’s name is "Light Side". Right now you layers palette should look like this.
To make it even better, take the Eraser Tool (E) and set it to a hard, round brush of about 1-2px in size, and start erasing slightly at the top of the "Light Side", like this.
Step 13
Let’s make the bottom side or the pages now. Take the Line Tool again with exactly the same settings as before, only difference being that you should now set the Foreground color to #9c8d6e, and draw a like above all your other layers, like so.
Next, use the same Direct Selection Tool (A) and Convert Point Tool as before to mold our shape into a book side, like this.
Step 14
Time to give it a similar pages texture! Make a new layer above your others and taking the Paint Bucket Tool (G), set it to Fill with pattern and select the striped pattern as before, and fill that new layer with it. Go next to Edit > Transform > Rotate 90 degrees clockwise. As before, press Command/Ctrl + T to transform, and resize it to about 50% of the original size. Next, go to Edit > Transform > Warp, and make sure the lines are again somewhat parallel, like so.
Obtain a selection of the bottom side shape layer (the one we just created before) and then go to Select > Inverse, and press Delete. Next, make a new layer above it and do just like before: obtain a selection of it (of the lines pattern of course) and then on the newly made layer fill the selection with #a59d86 and, you know the drill. Move the lighter color a bit downwards, so that you get something like this.
Rasterize the shape layer as in the previous step, and using the burn & dodge tools we are already familiar with, give it a bit of good realistic lighting. You can then merge the pages pattern layer(s) with the rasterized shape one, and you can also name the layer "Pages Dark Side", Like so.
Step 15
Okay but only one side is no good, so let’s work on the second side as well huh? Now make sure your Foreground color is set to #9c8d6e and taking the Line Tool (U) (of course don’t forget to set it to Shape Layers) like before, with a weight of 20px, draw a new line, on the right side this time, like so.
Nice, now, as you did in the previous steps, take the Convert Point Tool and giving your anchor points their controls and then drag them something like this.
Okay, now make a new layer above the Line shape layer we created a few seconds ago, and fill it with the Pages pattern, yes, like before. Now resize, rotate, crop then go to Edit > Transform > Warp and give it a shape like so.
Step 16
Ok, now confirm the Warp transformation and right-click on the pattern layer > Create Clipping Mask. Now create a new layer and move it in-between the Shape Layer and the dark stripes layer, okay now our shape layer should have two clipping masks right? Sweet! Now set your Foreground color to #a59d86 and Command/Ctrl + click on the dark stripes layer’s thumbnail in the Layers Palette to obtain its selection. Next, use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill this selection with the #a59d86 foreground color, on the last-created layer of course, like you did in the previous step. Then move this lighter stripes layer a bit down, like before in Step 14.
Now right-click on the shape layer, choose Rasterize Shape Layer, then use the Burn Tool like in the previous steps, setting your Burn Tool to a soft, round brush, about 50px in size, Range: Shadows, Exposure: 5% and Airbrush: ON. If needed, you can also use the Sponge Tool (O) setting it to Desaturate mode, Flow: 27%, again a soft, round brush. Also, if needed you can use the Levels and/or the Hue/Saturation adjustment to lower its Saturation (this helps give the shadow effect, since in real life when an object is in the shade its colors are less saturated, just think of that) Okay, well now you can merge the clipping masks with their "master" layer. And as a final result of this step, we now have this:
Merge the resulting layer with the "Pages Dark Side" one. Now your Layers Palette should look something like this.
Step 17
Good! Now as a final touch, zoom in to around 400-500% and take the Eraser Tool (E), set it to a hard, round brush, size about 1-2px and erase slightly around the edge of the pages. Here is a comparison shot (I used pink background color to obtain contrast, for better visibility).
Now let’s work on the shadow. Remember that "Covers" group we made back in Step 5? Time to merge it. So, merge the whole group into one layer. Then create a new layer above the merged "Covers" one and right-click on it, choose Create Clipping Mask. Command/Ctrl + click on the thumbnails of the Gold Corners layer to obtain its selection like so.
Then on the new layer we just created fill this selection with the Paint Bucket Tool (G) using the #8c7330 color. After this, set the layer to Multiply blending mode, and then you can deselect. Ok, now we will take the Move Tool (V) and zooming in 2-300% we will press Command/Ctrl + T to transform it and resize it bit squeezing a bit from the 4 corners, then give the thingy a Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur of about 0.2, like so.
Okay, create a new layer and make sure it is placed just above the "Gold Corner" layer. Set it to Multiply and then Command/Ctrl + click on the layer thumbnails of the Pages Dark Side & Light Side layers in the Layers Palette to obtain their selection, like this.
Fill this selection with the #8c7330 color we used before and then deselect. Using the Move Tool (V), move the "shadow" a bit down and a bit to the left, then blur it again with a 0.2-0.3 Gaussian Blur, like this.
Step 18
Now let’s take care of the pages. Take the Pen Tool (P) and let’s set it to Shape Layers, and set our Foreground color to #efd5a9. Then on a new layer above all your others make the shape of the pages.
Name this layer "Base Pages" for now. Now give your Shape Layer these layer styles.
Next, set your Foreground color to #b48455 and your background one to #efd5a9 and create a new layer above the "Base Pages" one, and then right-click on it to make it a Clipping Mask to the Base Pages, and afterwards take the Gradient Tool (G) and setting it to Foreground to Background and Reflected Gradient, drag from the middle like so.
Step 19
Now we’ll work on the flipping pages. New layer, above all your others. Set Foreground color to #cc9c6a and taking the Pen Tool (P) with same settings as before, draw the shape of the first flipped page.
Next, name this layer "Flip Page Left" and right-click on the "Base Pages" layer, choose Copy Layer Style, then go back to your "Flip Page Left" one and right-click > Paste Layer Style. Then create a new layer above it and transform this new layer into a Clipping Mask to the "Flip Page Left" one, and set your Foreground color to #f5e0b2 and you Background one to #cea06e and taking the Gradient Layer (G) set it to Linear Gradient, Foreground to Background and drag like so.
Good so far, now set your Foreground color to #fef9ed and taking the Gradient Tool again but this time set to Foreground-to-Transparent and Reflected Gradient, drag like so, to give your page a highlight.
Good, now your image should be looking somewhat like this.
Step 20
We’ll follow the same process for the Flip Page Right, and since it’s a repeat job I’ll just show the process through a series of images. Only specification is that we will make the "Flip Page Right" layer(s) under the "Flip Page Left" ones.
Step 21
Okay. Now let’s look at what we have until now. Well there’s something amiss, the pages aren’t casting any shadows now are they? That is an easy fix. Just go ahead and look at the "Pages Base" layer in the Layers Palette, see it?
Currently it has a clipping mask with a gradient on it, so let’s just create a new layer and move it to be a second clipping mask to the "Pages Base" shape layer, and make sure it is placed just above the gradient, like so.
Set this layer to Multiply mode, then set your Foreground color to #815130 and obtaining a selection of the two Flip Pages, fill this selection on the newly-made layer with the #815130 Foreground color. Next, transform it to get a result similar to this.
Now lower the layer’s Fill to about 80% or whatever number you think looks good. We’re not done with this yet, we need to Blur it but wait! Not the Filter blur, that’ll look weird you know, because the closer an object is to a surface, the more sharp its shadow is, right? And the further it is, the more blurred is its shadow! So let’s take the Blur Tool (R) and set it to a soft, round brush of about 50px in size, Strength: about 30% and blur the edges of the shadow, remembering what we just talked above. So that in the end you get a result similar to this.
One more thing for our shadow to be perfect! Take the Dodge & Burn tools and set them to: Dodge: soft round brush, about 50px in size, Range: Highlights, Exposure: 9% and Airbrush: Checked. Burn: Soft round brush of some 50px Range: Shadows Exposure: 5% Airbrush: Checked, Let’s Dodge a bit around the outer corners, and burn around the place where the "pages" meet, so that the outer edges get a reddish tint.
Step 22
Perfect! Sweet, now our icon is starting to look more like a book and less like a donkey, no offense Mr. Shrek-friend Donkey! Now let’s take care of the shadow effect which we SHOULD have around the place that the Flip Pages bind together okay? In order to do that we must have both our Flip Page layers in one single layer (well why, duh, because then we can use a nice Clipping mask which will spare us a lot of deleting trouble) So. Let’s look in the Layers Palette and Command/Ctrl + Click on the 4 Flip-Pages related layers (two shape layers and two clipping masks gradient layers) so that they are all 4 in a darker blue color like this.
Now press Command/Ctrl + E to merge them all into one. Re-name this new layer to "Flip Pages". Oh, one tiny thing, in the process of doing the merging, it is possible that your layer will become a Clipping Mask to the "Pages Base" layer, so just right-click on it and choose Release Clipping Mask. Now the Layers Palette should look like so.
Okay, so now what we’ll do it create a new layer above the newly-merged "Flip Pages" and convert it into a Clipping Mask for the last, then set it to Multiply mode. Set your Foreground color to #815130 and taking the Gradient Tool (G) set to Foreground to Transparent and Reflected Gradient drag like so.
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and give your shadow a 8,5 – 8,7 Gaussian Blur, so that you get a result like so.
Step 23
Well all good and nice but the shadow needs to be deeper a bit. So let’s press Command/Ctrl + E to merge this first shadow layer with the "Flip Pages" one and then let’s repeat the process of creating a new layer & transforming it into a Clipping Mask to the "Flip Pages" one like we did in the previous step. Make sure your layer is set to Multiply like before, then set your Foreground color to #49260f and with the same Gradient Tool as before drag in a way similar to before, only notice this time we drag for a smaller distance, like so.
Now lower the layer’s Opacity to about 60% Good, now create a new layer and move it in-between the "Flip Pages" one and the shadow one (so now the Flip Pages has 2 clipping masks) and taking the Foreground color of #815130 drag with the Gradient Tool as before. Set the layer to Multiply and lower its Fill to some 20% Now feel free to merge the Flip Pages layer with its two shadow-y clipping masks and you should get a result like this.
Step 24
Nice. We will now take care of the spine, after which we’ll add the mandatory text on the pages. Okay first thing’s first, spine time. Set your Foreground color to #7e7633 and take the Line Tool (U) and setting it to Fill Pixels mode and a Weight of 3px, drag to create a sort of, inverted V, like so (I selected it in the image below so that it’ll be more visible for you).
Okay, now give the layer these styles.
Name this layer "Spine V". So now our picture should look like this.
Step 25
Okay now let’s make the second part of the spine (the cover one you know?) Set your Foreground color to #544a15 and taking the Pen Tool set to Shape Layers, create a new layer under all your other book-related ones (so that this new layer will be the first one above the Background layer). Draw a shape like this.
Name the layer "Spine Base". Then, make a new layer above it and transform this new layer into a Clipping Mask. Now, set your Foreground color to #221500 and your Background one to #372705 and take up the lovely Gradient Tool (G). Set it to Foreground to Transparent and Linear Gradient. Then drag to create a shadow effect, like so.
Now, press X to reverse your Foreground color with your Background one (so now #ff8e72 is your Foreground color now). Create a new layer and move it in-between the gradient one we just made and the "Spine Base" shape layer. Take the Gradient Tool again, but this time set it to Foreground-to-Background and Reflected Gradient. Drag to create a left-hand side shadow effect on the Base Spine, like so.
And now give your "Spine Base" shape layer this layer style.
Now merge the three "Spine Base"-related layers (one "sire" shape layer, one dark gradient at the tip of the inverted V and one a lighted left-hand side shadow). To do this, Command/Ctrl + click on the 3 layers in the Layers Palette so that they are all 3 in a dark blue color then press Command/Ctrl + E to merge them. After you’ve merged, re-name the layer to "Spine Base" and take the Dodge tool (you can leave the same settings we used in one of the previous steps, but lower the brush size to about 20px) and gently brush around the right-hand side of the spine, like so.
Step 26
Ah, the moment we all have been waiting for. Text-adding time! Okay let’s start with the "Base Pages" first. Currently (unless you merged anything) your "Base Pages" shape layer should have 2 clipping masks. Like so.
See the shadow-y one? The topmost one I mean, the one I noted with "1" in the picture above? Okay, make a new layer and move the new layer in-between the shadow-y one and the gradient one (so, in-between 1 & 2). Then take the Pen Tool, set it to Paths mode and drag to crate a path like so.
Then grab the Text Tool (T) and choose a nice font (I used here Lainie Day SH). Set your Foreground color to #a17852 and start typing. After you have finished typing, set the layer to Multiply mode and lower its Opacity to about 85% Here’s my result of path-typing.
Okay, repeat the process once more to add a second path-text layer, move it upwards so only its bottom edges are visible.
Step 27
Okay now we’ll take care of the text on the Flip Pages. Make a new layer and move it just above the "Flip Pages" one. Take the Pen Tool as before and make a Path that follows the curvature of the page and type.
Then re-do this step over and over and over again so that you fill the two pages with text! Now for file-size economy purposes, Command/Ctrl + click on all these text layers to have them in a dark blue color in the layers palette let’s merge them all in one layer. It’s looking much better now. Re-set the layer mode to Multiply, re-name the layer to "Text on Flip Pages" and you’re good to go.
Step 28
Okay, just one more thing on the book itself to take care of, and that is the bookmark. After we finish dealing with that bugger of a Bookmark, we’ll create the pen and well that’ll be it. So bookmark time. Create a new layer and move it just under the "Flip Pages" one, like so.
Take the Pen Tool set on Shape Layers, set your Foreground color to #c52114 and draw the shape of the Bookmark, like this.
Okay now name this layer "Bookmark". Create a new layer above it and transform the new one into a clipping mask to the Bookmark layer. Set your Foreground color to #480b04 and your Background one to #fa6e5c and taking your Gradient Tool (G) set it to Foreground to Transparent and Linear Gradient, and drag to create a shadow around the top side of the bookmark, as if trying to simulate the flip-page’s shadow, and then drag again but this time from bottom upwards to create the shadow effect for the "swallow’s tail" tip of the bookmark. Like this: (see the two shadows and the lighter-colored red between them? Try to get this effect).
Press the X key to reverse your working colors. Now take the Gradient Tool again but this time set it to Reflected Gradient, and still Foreground to Transparent. Drag a small distance to create a highlight effect on the Bookmark, like so.
Now it’s safe to Command/Ctrl + click on the Bookmark shape layer and its clipping mask and then press Command/Ctrl+E to merge them. You might have to re-name the layer to "Bookmark" again and perhaps use "Release Clipping Mask". Now Command/Ctrl + click on the Bookmark layer’s thumbnail in the Layers Palette to obtain its selection. Then create a new layer and move it under the Bookmark one, name it "Shadow Bookmark". Set the layer to Multiply mode and lower its Opacity to about 80%. Set your Foreground color to #480b04 and fill the selection with the foreground color, then you can deselect. And go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur of about 2,3. Okay, and now, magic! We’re done with the book itself! Congratulations! This is what it should look like, or close.
Step 29
Pen time! Set your Foreground color to #d2a756 and take up the Pen Tool, which you need to set to Shape Layers of course. Create a new layer on top of all your others. With the Pen Tool, create a shape like this.
Good, now give it this layer style.
Okay, your result now should be something like this.
Step 30
Name the Shape Layer we just finished adding a gradient to "Pen Body Gold". Take the Pen Tool again and on a new layer above the "Pen Body Gold" and make this shape.
Next, give it this layer style.
Name it "Pen Body Silver", and now make a new layer above all your others. Then taking the Pen Tool (P) again draw this ringlet shape.
And give it these layer styles.
Step 31
Okay, now your image should look like so.
Name the ringlet layer ”Ringlet". Duplicate now that "Ringlet" layer, and move the copy upwards, like so.
Now only a little more distance to go! Let’s do the tip of the pen. Make a new layer and move it right under the "Pen Body Silver" one. Taking the Pen Tool again, draw this shape.
Okay, now name this layer "Pen Tip" and then go visit the "Pen Body Gold" layer, right-click on it and choose Copy Layer Style. Return to the "Pen Tip" one and right-click on it, choose Paste Layer Style. Then get into the Pen Tip’s Blending Styles options, and go to Gradient Overlay. Increase its Gradient’s Scale to 31, like so.
Step 32
Make a new layer above the "Pen Tip" layer, and take the Ellipse Tool. Set your Foreground color to #593f11 and your Ellipse Tool to the Fill Pixels mode. Draw an ellipse like so.
Okay now take the Line Tool (U) and set it to Fill Pixels mode, and weight to 1px and draw a line like so.
Name your layer "Details Pen Tip". Okay, good! Now our image should look like so.
Step 33
Okay, now let’s take care of the shadow which the pen body casts on the tip. Command/Ctrl + click on the "Pen Tip" and the "Details Pen Tip" layers in the layers palette and get them in a dark blue color, then merge them together. Re-name the layer to "Pen Tip" and then make a new layer above it. Convert this newly-created layer to a clipping mask for our "Pen Tip" one, and set it to Multiply mode. Set your Foreground color to #6a5428 and take up the Brush Tool. Set it to a hard, round, 6-7px in size brush and drag once to create a shadow, like so.
Okay, now lower the layer’s Opacity as you think best, here’s what I got.
Step 34
Now it’s safe to merge the shadow-y layer with the Pen Tip one. One more thing left to do: you see, our pen is currently a ghost! It doesn’t have a shadow! So let’s bring it back to life, we can’t write with a ghost pen heh? Okay, create a new layer under all your PEN-RELATED layers and set it to Multiply mode. Set your Foreground color to #663316 and then Command/Ctrl + click on the thumbnails of all the pen-related layers to obtain a selection of the total pen, like so.
Okay, now with the Paint Bucket Tool (G) fill this selection with the foreground color. Deselect. Press Command/Ctrl + T to transform it and rotate it like so.
Then go to Edit > Transform > Warp.
Next, let’s take the Smudge Tool (R), set it to a 80% hardness, round brush with about 30% Strength and Mode: normal See where the shadow goes over the page flip and book covers? In nature, try taking a book or pencil, and try to make it cast a shadow over objects placed at different heights, you’ll observe that the shadow makes a kind of “steps" So let’s give our shadow some "steps"! Drag gently with the Smudge Tool downwards, like so (you might have to zoom in a lot for this).
Much better, isn’t it? Nice, now you can freely delete all the shadow that goes outside of the boundaries of the book covers & all. Nice, now let’s take the Blur Tool (R) and with the same settings we used previously (only lower the brush size to about 30px), blur nicely on our shadow, blurring more the farther from the tip it is (you remember what we talked earlier about shadow fuzziness yes?) The aim is to get something like this. Now name this layer "Shadow Pen” and we’re done!
Final Image
