Tropical Jungle: Create a Hand Illustrated Tropical Print in Photoshop

1. Introduction: Welcome to this short class, where I'll guide you step by step through my process of creating a tropical inspired print like this and turning it into a seamless pattern in Photoshop. Hi, my name is Vinita, an illustrator and a designer based in Singapore. We will begin by sketching and painting our tropical elements before moving on to arranging them into a seamless pattern in Photoshop. Along the way, I'll also share my personal tips and tricks to help you work more efficiently. I have attached the list of tropical elements and the reference images in the resource section of this class. These are few tropical inspired prints that I created using the same method, and I hope it inspires you to create your own. I can't wait to see your beautiful prints in the project section of this class, so see you in the class. 2. Tropical Print Process: I began the process by compiling a list of tropical elements, including birds, flowers, animals, and insects. You can find this in the resource section two. Next, I gather reference images, mostly photographed myself, and others are sourced from royalty free sites. It is really helpful to think about your elements in three categories. That is the hero, secondary, and filler. The hero element is your star. It is the focal point of your design. Around the hero element, you add your secondary elements. These are slightly smaller and less dominant. Finally, you have the filler elements. These are the small details that ties everything together. Next, I would like to walk you through my illustration process. Let's see the process of illustrating the horn Bills. The first step is sketching. I'm using a few reference images to understand the shape and the details of the hornblls. You can either sketch freehand, like I'm doing here, or you can trace it if you want a more accurate outline. Both ways are perfectly fine. Once the sketching is complete, we can move on to the watercolor stage. I have listed all the materials I'm using in the resource section of this class. Let me lighten this sketch before we begin. You can also use a needed eraser to gently lift some of the pencil lines if needed. The watercolor techniques I'm using are quite simple, nothing too complicated. I'll start with a basic wash as my first layer, then add some gradient effect for depth and smooth transitions. I chose to include the hornbills in this tropical print because it is such a unique and eye catching bird. These birds are found in tropical forest and are often seen perched high in the trees, which makes them a perfect fit for a jungle or tropical theme design. You are free to create this print in any medium of your choice, whether it is a watercolor, color pencil, markers, or even digital tools. The key is to stick with one consistent medium throughout your design so that the overall pattern feels cohesive. And this is a wreath hornbill which in particular has a beautiful feature. Not only it adds visual interest, but also brings a bit of story and personality to the print. The hero element could be something bold and detailed like this tropical bird or a large flower or any motif you want to highlight. Once I have finished laying down the base colors with watercolor, I'll switch to colour pencils to add sharper, finer details to create more depth and dimension. Now moving on to my secondary and filler elements. Incorporating flowers into the print instantly adds vibrancy and burst of colors. Flowers not only enhance the visual appeal but also help balance the composition. They can act as hedo secondary or filler elements, depending on their size and details. You can definitely experiment with the different types of tropical flowers you can include in your tropical print. I have chosen flowers like orchids and astromdia, but there are countless other options you can explore. Each flower has its own unique shape, color palette, and personality. So the ones you choose can really influence the mood of your print. When working on your illustrations, it is always a good idea to create a few extra elements beyond what you think you'll need. Having additional motives ready gives you more flexibility during the layout stage and saves you the time of going back to paint again later. Sometimes while arranging the pattern, you might find gaps that needs filling or realize that the balance could be improved with another leaf or flower or small details. One of the most important element when it comes to a tropical inspired print are adding palm leaves. They enhances the tropical vibe and reinforces the lush jungle like atmosphere to the print. They are also incredibly useful for filling in empty spaces between other elements, helping the composition feel balanced and full without overcrowding. There are a wide variety of tropical leaves and plants that you can incorporate in your design. Each type of leaf or plant brings it its own character and texture to the print. For example, a large monstera leaves with their iconic cutouts, add a bold graphic element, while banana leaves can give a more dramatic and layered look. Combining different types of tropical greenery not only enhances the richness of the design, but also helps to fill spaces naturally. Once I have all my illustrated elements ready, the next step is to scan them at a resolution of at least 300 DPI to ensure they are crisp and high quality for print. After scanning, I move on to cleaning up the artwork by removing the background. There are many different ways to do this. For me, the most effective method is to carefully erase the background manually, which can be done with the eraser tool in Photoshop or on the iPad. So right now I have all my elements in one document, and this document is 8,000 by 8,000 pixel, but the size can depend on the client's requirement or on the project you are working on. I just selected all the elements and got them in one group. We'll start by hiding all the layers, as we will be working with one element at a time. I always start by placing my hero elements. The birds are the hero element for this print. Before we move on to the next step, let's get our pattern preview under review, select pattern preview. There are several different types of print layouts, such as trailing, bouquet, stripe, and all overs. But for this design, I will be working with the bouquet style. Once the hero element is in place, I start arranging supporting elements around it, almost as though I'm building a bouquet around each bird. For the placement of my second bird, I am arranging it in a way that follows a half drop repeat, which is similar to how designs are structured in a diamond shaped tile. Instead of placing the bird directly next to the first one in a simple, predictable grid, the half drop technique creates a more natural flow. When it comes to arranging the secondary and the filler elements, it is important to place them in a way that feels balanced and organic. Instead of copy and pasting the same element, I like to vary their position by rotating, flipping or cropping, so they blend naturally into the design. The goal is to make the repeat seamless and interesting so that when the pattern is applied on a larger scale, the eye keeps discovering new details instead of noticing obvious repetitions. By carefully choosing and placing filler elements, you can enhance the overall flow and make the composition feel richer and more cohesive. Think of them as the background rhythm that keeps the whole pattern lively and complete. Next, I'll be adding few elements in the background to help fill up some of the empty spaces. To make sure these don't compete with the main motif, I'll reduce their opacity and set their blending mode to multiply. This way, they appear lighter and more subtle, almost like they are sitting in the background, which adds depth and dimension without overwhelming the overall design. It's a great technique to achieve a fuller composition while still keeping the hero elements in focus. So we are ready with our print here. Let's move on to trying some background colors. I'll go to adjustments and select the option solid color. When it comes to tropical prints, bright backgrounds always works best, but this can depend on the seasons or the client you're working for. These are a few of the mockups to see how the print looks on different products.