03. Now you have your basic items outlined, make your scanned
layer invisible (click on the eye symbol in the Layers palette)
and bring your other layers up to full transparency. Next, start
playing around with gradients. Linear and Radial gradients will
give your artwork a slickness that you can start building on
when you begin your shading. Make sure each item has a stroke –
this is essential to your finished illustration. 04. To create
the illusion of depth of field, add a Gaussian Blur (Filter >
Blur > Gaussian Blur) of around 6.5 to the flames layer. This
will blur the edges of the flames, giving them a more stylized
look. 05. Add some basic abstract transparent shapes over the
flames: this will start to add complexity to your illustration,
as using contrasting dark and light shades will give your art
depth. You may find it helpful to assemble reference photos of
some of the items in your illustration, to help you render your
illustration correctly – particularly the lighting and shadows.
06. Start addin