Background Gradient
Create a new Photoshop document, canvas 600 x 600.
Create a new layer.
First make sure you have default colors…
Then click on your foreground color square. This opens the Color Picker window – click at the top right corner of the window to select a bright red, and then say OK.
So now your foreground color is red…
Then click on your Gradient Tool …
The color bar should look like this; make sure it’s Linear type…
Now click and drag from top to bottom holding SHIFT so it’s straight… do not drag past the bottom (you want it to end with white, not pink).
When you let go, you’ll have something like this…
Your layer will look like this…
Stripes
Now we want to turn the gradient into white and red stripes.
Go to FILTER > Distort > Wave…
You’ll get a pop-up box… click on “Convert to Smart Object”.
In the next window:
- Select the number for Generators and type in “60”
- Tab to the next boxes and change to “50” and “51”
- Change the Type to “Square”.
- If you see stripes like this, then click OK.
So now your canvas should be filled with white & red stripes…
And your layers are like this…
Starburst
Now go to FILTER > Distort > Polar Coordinates filter and leave as the default option…
Your canvas and layers should look like this…
Go to FILTER > Distort > Twirl … set the amount to “100”.
Text
Set colors back to default…
Select the Text tool…
Set the font type to Cooper Black – and up the size to ’72’ to start.
Click on the canvas and type a letter.
Click off in an empty area of the Layers panel and you should see the layer name change to whatever letter you typed.
Then select the layer so it’s active.
CTRL+T and pull out the corner/side handles to resize it to fill up most of the canvas. [Enter] to apply the transformation.
Move the text layer below the swirl.
Select the top layer and go to more layer options… Create Clipping Mask.
You should then see the letter with the swirl inside like this and the little arrow beside the layer thumbnail.
Layer Styles
Drop Shadow
Make sure the text layer is active (not the swirl)…
Add a layer style – choose Drop Shadow..
You can leave the default settings for this.
Inner Shadow
If you closed the Layer Styles window, you can open it again by double-clicking on the Effects/Drop Shadow in the Layers panel.
Then check the box on the left for Inner Shadow (can leave the settings to the default). Do not click on OK; keep the window open.
Bevel & Emboss
Now check the box for Bevel & Emboss…
- increase the size to about 30
- change the Contour to this one
Click OK and you’re done.
Your layers should look like this…
