Pixel Playground

Take a 10-minute recess and join Bert Monroy for one of many fun, self-contained projects in Photoshop or Illustrator.

December 2016

• Create a tranquil landscape: Add a path and shrubs
• Create a tranquil landscape: Add a lake and the sky
• Explore 3D objects in Photoshop
• Photoshop's Liquify filter

November 2016

• Type effect: Gold
• Type effect: Spooky
• Create a tranquil landscape: Build the structure

October 2016

• Create a push button
• Type effect: Marble and wood
• Create a leather strap
• Create a posted flyer

September 2016

• Create a window railing: Start in Illustrator
• Create a window railing: Finish in Photoshop
• Message in a bottle: Create the bottle
• Message in a bottle: Add the ocean
• Create a surreal lunar landscape

August 2016

• Sci-fi outpost: Build the tower
• Sci-fi outpost: Finish the scene
• Use Warp and paths in Photoshop to create an exploded page
• Type effects: Marquee letters

July 2016

• Create a surrealistic room
• Use texture to create clams
• Parisian scene: Create perspective
• Parisian scene: Do the research
• Type effects: Wood type

June 2016

• Type effects: Flag
• Type effects: Fruit
• Create a potted plant with Photoshop
• Use masks and layers to place an object into a new background

May 2016

• Type effects: Cookies
• Type effects: Bevel and Emboss
• Type effects: Pencil
• Type effects: Lead type

April 2016

• Create a sword: Construct the blade
• Create a sword: Construct the handle
• Create a sword: Add detail to the handle
• Create a Hawaii travel graphic
• Make footprints in dirt

March 2016

• Add a brand to a wood surface
• Use a custom brush to create a string of pearls
• Spread stars in a galaxy image in Photoshop
• Create an Easter card

February 2016

• Textured castle wall: Create the basic wall
• Textured castle wall: Adding 3D light
• 3D pencil: Create a pencil tip
• Create a nighttime dreamscape image

January 2016

• Ice cream bar: Create the bar
• Ice cream bar: Dipped in chocolate
• 3D dartboard: Create the dart
• 3D dartboard: Create the dartboard

December 2015

• Mocking up a billboard in a street scene
• Venetian night: Creating a balcony using 3D in Photoshop
• Create a 3D wine cork

November 2015

• Creating an oil painting effect from a photo
• Creating a wet countertop
• Type effects in Photoshop: Cosmic type

October 2015

• Rags to riches: Giving the fabric type dimension
• Rags to riches: Gold type
• Turning a photo into a fairy tale book cover
• Using a photo to create a travel poster
• Type effects in Photoshop: Candy type

September 2015

• Creating a sewn-on letter effect
• Type effects in Photoshop: Chrome
• Rags to riches: Fabric type

August 2015

• Blue Truck: Headlight
• Blue Truck: Creating a screw
• Blue Truck: Grill
• Blue Truck: Rust spot

July 2015

• Creating a panic button
• Making a cartoon car even more cartoony
• Creating a cartoon book
• Creating a stylized postcard

June 2015

• Creating letter reflections on a neon sign
• Type effects in Photoshop: Using gradient and stroke layer styles
• Creating a 3D chocolate candy in Photoshop
• Type effects in Photoshop: Mossy 3D type

May 2015

• Colorizing black-and-white sketches
• Making bubbles: Using the Brush tool
• Making bubbles: Adding highlights
• Creating a Photoshop 25th anniversary sign
• Type effects in Photoshop: Honey

April 2015

• Easter basket: Adding a bow and the eggs
• Placing lettering on plastic
• Using brushes to create a twisted pair of wires in Illustrator
• Creating an Art Deco bistro sign

March 2015

• St. Patrick's Day card: Creating a shamrock and a pot of gold
• St. Patrick's Day card: Adding the details
• Creating a 3D Easter egg
• Easter basket: Creating the basket

February 2015

• Making a piece of candy: Adding the jelly filling
• Creating a Valentine's Day card
• Turning a daytime scene into night
• Using Photoshop's Displace filter to create a waving flag

January 2015

• Using the Photoshop Flame Generator
• Creating a mountain scene
• Creating reflections in water
• Making a diamond-encrusted type
• Making a piece of candy: Creating the chocolate base

December 2014

• Mapping video onto a 3D object in Photoshop
• Creating a wintery scene
• Making a New Year's 2015 card

November 2014

• Three Dimensional type with extruded neon: Making the letter forms
• 3D type with extruded neon: Adding the neon
• Creating a Thanksgiving card

October 2014

• Creating a galaxy with Photoshop: Building the star field
• Creating a galaxy with Photoshop: Adding color and effects
• Creating a campfire scene: Adding the campfire
• Creating a campfire scene: Adding trees and lighting
• Creating a superhero type treatment

September 2014

• Making a desk nameplate
• Illustrating a campfire from scratch
• Creating realistic stains on bathroom tile
• Creating a distressed windowsill from scratch

August 2014

• Increasing precipitation: How to make a rainy-day photo look rainier
• Retouching techniques: Improving a picnic scene
• Retouching techniques: Moving an object in a scene
• Retouching techniques: Improving a real estate photo
• Adding a billboard to a photo

July 2014

• Making a book: Perspective
• Making a book: Adding pages
• Using paths and layer styles to create logo text

June 2014

• Theater curtain: Animating a rising curtain
• Creating a chalkboard
• Creating a manila envelope
• Turning a regular donut into a jelly donut

May 2014

• Creating net fabric for a veil
• Animating a spotlight against a brick wall
• Damen Station: Using Blend in Illustrator to create intricate details
• Theater curtain: Making a braid and tassels
• Theater curtain: Creating the curtain

April 2014

• Oyster Bar: Creating a canvas texture
• Creating realistic reflections and shadows
• Creating water droplets on a surface
• Wrapping a pattern around a 3D wine goblet

March 2014

• Damen Station: Creating realistic rust
• Oyster Bar: Creating puddles
• Oyster Bar: Creating asphalt and concrete textures
• Oyster Bar: Creating a manhole cover

February 2014

• Magazine cover: Creating a lamp
• Magazine cover: Creating a wood floor
• Damen Station: Adding multiple train cars
• Damen Station: Creating bolts

January 2014

• Red truck: Creating a headlight
• Red truck: Creating chrome headlight trim
• Red truck: Creating realistic metal perforations
• Red truck: Creating wear on metal
• Magazine cover: Using perspective to draw a room

December 2013

• Oakland Theater: Creating lightbulbs
• Changing photo contents with Auto-Align Layers
• Creating a metal grill

November 2013

• Charms and medallions in Photoshop: Adding details
• Charms and medallions in Photoshop: Adding a third dimension
• Oakland Theater: Creating stone walls
• Oakland Theater: Creating neon

October 2013

• Animating a 3D starfield
• Creating an antique pub sign using Photoshop
• Creating a custom brush to draw hair
• Charms and medallions in Photoshop: First steps

September 2013

• Using a Fibonacci spiral to create a tattoo
• Body shaping with Puppet Warp
• Type effects in Photoshop: Pillow
• Type effects in Photoshop: Clouds

August 2013

• Recreating magazine clippings
• Creating realistic scales for a dragon tattoo
• Creating spikes for a dragon tattoo
• Creating the belly for a dragon tattoo
• Creating a flower tattoo

July 2013

• Creating a custom brush
• Using displacement maps to create shadows
• Enhancing a landscape by adding a lake
• Creating a dog tag

June 2013

• Creating animated snowfall with Photoshop
• Filling an empty glass with liquid
• Using an alpha channel to create a 3D object
• Creating a 3D coin