CHRISTMAS CANDLE BRIDGE

You can download the psd containing the holly and flower used to decorate the bridge for this tutorial here, or you can use your own resources :O-)

Open a new document, 200 x 200, 72 dpi, transparent background.

Step One:  Using the paintbucket tool, fill layer with color A06A0B.  Go to Noise / Add Noise and use the settings on the right.

Step Two:   Go to Filter / Artistic / Colored Pencil and enter the settings on the right.

Your canvas should look like this.  Now go to Edit / Define Patterns.  Save this file in a textures folder so that you can recall it as a texture at a later time.

Open a new canvas, 500w x 350h, 72dpi, transparent background.

Step 1:  Set foreground color to 4C9D6E and background color to 3F6553.  Go to Filter / Render / Clouds. (This is a simple backsplash for our bridge, you can be creative and make a more elaborate background later.  See the Snow Globe tutorial for instructions on making a 'curtain' background as shown in the example below).

Step 2 : Create a new layer and select the rectangular marquee tool.  Draw out a selection that is approximately 100 pixels wide and 30 pixels deep.

Step 3:  Holding down your shift key continue to add to this selection until you have four blocks high.  Move your selection in approximately 50 pixels each time (the final selection will be less than 50 pixels) until you have this. 

Step 4 : Go to Edit / Fill and find the wood texture you made earlier. Ctrl+D to deselect.  Double click layer to bring up layer styles and check Bevel & Emboss.

Step 5:  Select elliptical marquee and draw a selection like this.  Hit delete.

Step 6:   Create a new layer.  Control click on the layer to make it a selection.  With the new layer highlighted go to Select / /Modify / Expand and enter 4 pixels.

Step 7:  Edit / Fill and fill with wood pattern.

Step 8 : Select / Modify / Contract by 6 pixels and hit delete key and Ctrl+D to deselect..

Step 9: Double click on layer to bring up layer styles dialog box and check Bevel and Emboss (Short cut: drag the layer style from the layer below onto the current layer).  You should now have something like the picture on the right.   If you find the wood texture too dark, you can adjust it using brightness, or you could colorise using hue and saturation - experiment!  (This bridge came out a bit on the skinny side compared to my first one, lol).

Step 10:  We are now going to make the candles.  Create a new layer (above background but below the bridge layer).  Set foreground color to D1091C and background to B53A57.  Draw out a rectangular selection as shown on the right.  Using the reflected gradient, draw from left to right..  Duplicate this layer 6 times to give you this.

Step 11:  Create a new layer above the background layer.  Change the background color to white, foreground color to DD7178.  Select elliptical marque and draw a selection like this.  Drag the gradient tool from the centre out.

Step 12:  Go to edit transform, perspective and shape your flame like this

Step 12:  Create a new layer above the background layer.  Control click on the flame layer to make it a selection.  Go to Select / Modify / expand and enter a value of 4.  Fill with 50% white.  Then go to Filter / Blur / Gaussian Blur and enter a value of 4.  Turn off all the eyes except the current layer and the flame layer.  Merge the current layer with the flame layer and duplicate 6 times to get this

Step 13:  Open the files called holly and Xmas flower and decorate your candlebridge.

Below is another example (see Snow Globe tutorial on how to make curtain background).

Have fun playing with this one! 

Luv & Light - dreamcatcher.