The inspiration is all around us. So, not long ago I’ve found cute animals-icons and it came to my mind that there is a possibility to make a cool theatrical scene-wallpaper with green background and nice red curtains and these animals hanging over on srtring from upstairs.

Final Result Preview

I’ve also made a template on templatemonster.com.

Download source of the animals.

Step 1

Create a New Document 766×600px. Create a New Group and name it "Background". Create a New Layer and fill it with dark-grey #646a3a color. Set foreground color white. Create a New Layer and draw Radial (Foreground to Transparent) gradient from center to the upper left corner. Create a New Layer. Make a new Radial (Foreground to Transparent) gradient 200px up starting from the center. Then Free Transform it: rotate 45deg and make it twice more narrow.

Step 2

Create a New Layer, fill it with white, set Fill=0%, afterwards add Pattern Overlay (download pattern). Then using big and mild Eraser brush erase from the center the rectangle turned to 45deg .

Step 3

Create a New Layer. Use Radial (Transparent to Foreground) gradient to draw a line from the center to upper central part of the canvas. Set fill=0%, opacity=56% and add Pattern Overlay (download pattern).

Step 4

The foundation of our background is ready. Let’s create the foundation for the top. Create a New Group and name it "Header". Create a New Layer, name it "Pattern", make selection 766×89px on the top of the canvas and fill it with red color (#932a00). Add Pattern Overlay (download pattern).

Step 5

Let’s move to the main part of our work – the figures on the canvas. Create a New Group and name it "Main". Drag over the canvas our animal figures and place them randomly in different parts of the canvas. Use Flip Horizontal for some of them.

Step 6

Note, that our figures wil be of different sizes. I shall make them bigger or smaller depending on the position relative to the viewer. I shall put the highlights and shades taking into consideration that there willl be two light sources. One of those is on the center from the canvas and the other is up and on the left from the canvas.

In group called "Main" create a New Group, name it "Giraffe" and move the layer with giraffe to this group. Hide layers with other animals. Free Transform our giraffe figure to 82×196px.

Step 7

Now in group called "Main" create a New Group, name it "Turtle". Move layer with turtle figure to this newely created group and make it visible. Free Transform it to 128×105px.

Step 8

Now add some details to our turtle figure. Firstly, add a little more lighting. Duplicate Layer with turtle figure, set Blending Style "Screen". Add Layer Mask (hide all). Now using different brushes make white strokes on turtle’s nose, on the fringe of the tortoise shell, on the tips of the paws, on the top of the tortoise shell and also on the string. You’ll find the scheme of placing the white strokes in the black circle.

Step 9

Now the shades. Duplicate Layer with tortoise, set Blending Style "Color Burn", opacity 66%. Add Layer Mask (show all). Use different brushes to make the black strokes on the eyes, tail, the back part of the turtle’s back.

Step 10

Now create a New Group in group called "Main", name it "Cat". Move layer with cat to the group of the same name and make it visible. Free Transform it to 83×153px. Now let’s add some details to the cat figure. Firstly, add more brighter colors. Duplicate Layer with cat, set Blending Style "overlay". Add Layer Mask (hide all). Now using different brushes make white strokes on cat’s belly, paws, ears and eyes.

Step 11

Now let’s add more lighting. Duplicate Layer with cat, set Blending Style "Screen". Add Layer Mask (hide all). Now make white strokes as it is shown on the picture using different brushes.

Step 12

Now let’s add some shades. Duplicate layer with cat, set Blending Style "Multiply". Add Layer Mask (hide all). Now make white strokes as it is shown on the picture with the help of different brushes.

Step 13

Now in group called "Main" create a New Group, name it "Cow". Move layer with cow to group called "Cow"and make it visible. Free Transform it to 45×85px. Make the image of the cow more contrasting by means of curves.

Step 14

The cow will be placed a little at a distance, so its shapes have to be fuzzed a bit. Blur it two times. Then Duplicate Layer with cow, set Blending Style "Overlay" and opacity 72%.

Step 15

Now in "Main" group create a New Group, name it "Bird". Move layer with bird to "Bird" group and make it visible. Free Transform it to 54×74px. Make the image of the bird more contrasting by means of curves. Blur it two times. Then Duplicate Layer with bird figure, set Blending Style "Overlay" and opacity 62%.

Step 16

Now, let’s make a signboard for our stage. Create a New Group In "Header" group and name it "Sign". Use Shape Tool (Shape Layers Option) to draw 250×179px rounded-angles rectangle. Place it in the upper center part so, that a little piece would go beyond the screen. Add the stitches-effect on the boredrs of our signboard. Create a New Layer. On 4px from the border draw dotted lines. The distance between the dotted lines are 2px и 9px. Single out angular dotted lines using Marquee Tool and turn it so, that they could look like those curves on the picture using Warp (Edit>Transform>Warp).

Step 17

Duplicate Layer with dotted lines. Ctrl+Click on the lowest one and paint it over with black color. Apply Blur to it.

Step 18

Now add the shades on the borders of the signboard. Add Clipping Mask to both layers with dotted line. Afterwards create a New Layer. Add Clipping Mask too. Using mild black brush make the strokes over the shape , so that these strokes touched it a bit. Then set Blending Style to "Screen".

Step 19

Create a New Layer. Add Clipping Mask. Using mild black brush make the strokes over the shape , so that these strokes touched it a bit. Then set Blending Style to "Darker Color" and change Opacity to 46%.

Step 20

The last accent for the signboard is the light falling from above. Create a New Layer. Make selection 200×100px in any area of the canvas, feather it 15px, fill it with white and deselect. Then change Blending Style to "Screen" and move it to the upper central part , so that only a little piece would be seen.

Step 21

It’s time to add the texts for the sighboard and for our figures on this phase. Download and install all the neccessary fonts Nipple, AachenBT. Write the word "Fancy" on the signboard. Then add some Outer Glow and Stroke for the text.

Step 22

Now add some details to the text. Create a New Layer. Add Clipping Mask. Use large white mild brush to add the strokes in the upper left and lower right parts of the inscription. Set opacity to 72%.

Step 23

Continue drawing the letters. Now it’s going to be many-coloured inscription "art". Choose font called Nipple and write the letter "a". Rotate it to 17deg and add some Inner Glow and Outer Glow.

Step 24

Add some highlights and shades for the letter. Create a New Layer. Using white brushes paint over the upper and the lower parts of the letters as it is shown on the picture. Then add Layer Mask (hide all) and paint over the areas you want to highlight. Then add Drop Shadow effect.

Step 25

The next letter to work with is "r". Rotate it to 17deg and add some Inner Glow and Outer Glow.

Step 26

Using the technique described in Step 24 add the highlights in the upper right part of the letter and add Drop Shadow.

Step 27

And at last lets’s get to the last letter "t". Rotate it to 7deg. Add Outer Glow and Inner Glow.

Step 28

As it is shown in Step 24 add add the highlights in the upper right part of the letter and add Drop Shadow.

Step 29

Now let’s get to the inscriptions under the animal figures. These will the inscritions with their names. Let’s start with giraffe. I decided to call him Jin. Move to the group called "Giraffe". Create an inscription under our giraffe figure. Move the inscription a little to the right. Add Stroke.

Step 30

Now, let’s add some highlights for the text. Create a New Layer. Use large and mild brush to add a stroke above the inscription (and a little on the left of the inscrition) lightly touching its upper part. Add Clipping Mask to the layer.

Step 31

Create one more inscription "giraffe" a little lower on the right of the name. Add Stroke.

Step 32

Now, let’s add some highlights for the text. create a New Layer. Use large and mild brush to add a stroke beyond the inscription "giraffe" (and a little on the right of the inscrition). При помощи большой мягкой кисточки нанесите мазок в чуть ниже и правее надписи "Giraffe". Add Clipping Mask.

Step 33

Move to the group called "Turtle". Create an inscription under the tortoise as it is described in Steps 29-32. Her name is "Tiny Turtle". parameters for the Stroke are the same. Add some highlights if you consider it to be resonable.

Step 34

Move to the group "Cat". Add in the way previously described the inscription "Mao Cat". Parameters for the Stroke are the same. Параметры Stroke те же. Add some highlights if you consider it to be resonable.

Step 35

Move to the group "Cow". Add the inscription "caty cow". The inscription has to be smaller as the cow is at a distance from the viewer.

Step 36

Apply Gaussian Blur (0.5px) to the inscription under the cow, as our cow is at a distance.

Step 37

Just the way you’ve done it in the Steps 35-36, move to the group called "Bird" and create the inscriptions "Bitsy" and "Bird".

Step 38

Now it’s time to add some details in the lighting for the background and the top. Go to "Header" group. Select "Pattern" layer and duplicate it. Rasterize layer. Go to levels and make the layer chosen darker. Now add Layer Mask and paint over with black color some areas using big mild brush. Duplicate Layer.

Step 39

Darken the lower and side parts of the header more. Duplicate Layer one more time. Set Blending Style "Multiply". Change Layer Mask as it is shown on the screenshot: use black brush to paint over the central part of the upper canvas. Set Opacity 44%. Duplicate Layer and use black brush to paint over the larger part than previously. Only lower parts of the canvas are to be darkened.

Step 40

Add a dark stripe in the bottom of the canvas. Duplicate Layer, Disable Layer Mask. Select a rectangle from above sized 766×80 and press "del".

Step 41

Now add some glow from under the sign. Set foreground color white. Create a New Layer. Send the layer backwards until it appears to be behind the "Pattern" layer. Use Radial Gradient (Foreground to Transparent) to draw the gradient. Then lift it higher, so that only a little area of glow would be seen under the sign.

Step 42

And, at last, the shades from under the sign. Create a New Layer. Set foreground color black. Use Linear Gradient (Foreground to Background) to draw gradient starting with the darkened stripe of the canvas ending a few pixels beyond the canvas. To make the picture dissimilar add Layer Mask and use mild black brush to make several spots on the dark stripe.

Step 43

Now make the lighting of the background. Darken all the border areas.There has to be an effect, that the light source is in the center of the stage and is hardly touching the borders. Go the "Background" group. Create a New Layer. Use (#575b27) color to paint it over. Set Blending Style: "Linear Light". Use Eraser Tool to erase from the center a piece darkening a central part. Add Layer Mask. Using large mild black brush (opacity 50%) pass over the borders of the area erased to make the transition more smooth.

Step 44

Add more shades. Create a New Layer, use (#575b27) color to paint it over. Add Pattern Overlay as in Step 2. Rasterize layer. Set Blending Style to "Hard Light". Add Layer Mask (Hide all). Then use large mild brush to make a white stroke in the top part of the background above the canvas.

Step 45

At last, add some glow around the animal figures situated closer to the viewer. Create a New Layer. Use large mild white brush to draw white stains on the places where giraffe, cat and tortoise are. Set Blending Style "Overlay".

Step 46

Now, let’s get tp the most interesting part of the process. The strings on which our animal figures are hanging. I shall thoroughly discribe how to make one of those. To prepare everything create a new pattern. Go to the group "Turtle". Create a New Layer. Use Pen tool (Paths selected) draw a curve starting from the inscription "Tiny" up to the curtain.

Step 47

Set Foreground color (#ececc5). Choose Brush Tool and set in Options "Hard 3px Brush". Choose Pen Tool again and click the right button on created Path, choose Fill Path.

Step 48

Now add the diagonal stripes across the string, these stripes will represent the effect of twisted string or rope. Create a New Document 3×3px with transparent background. Paint over three little squares as it is shown on the picture using black 1px pencil. Paint over upper right square, middle left and lower middle. Define Pattern, and close document. Now you can use newly created Pattern. Go back to the document you are working with and add Pattern Overlay.

Step 49

Now we shall work with the lighting details for the string. Create a New Layer. Use large mild brush (70px) to draw a stain in the bottom part of the string, pick color (#d9dea9). Group with layer. (On the screenshot you can see the place, where you place the stain before the group-with-layer procedure).

Step 50

Create a New Layer. Pick color (#1d2908) and use large mild brush (150px) to make one more stroke in the bottom part of the string and several in the top part to reach the effect that the string is not seen clearly from above, better in the middle and a little worse below. Group with layer. (On the screenshot you can see the place, where you place the stain before the group-with-layer procedure).

Step 51

Now let’s work with the string for our tortoise. It will pass through the loop of out tortoise. As in Steps 46-50 draw the string. It should start from the curtain and end with the turtle’s loop, but not touching this loop.

Step 52

Now let’s work with another part of the string. It should start from the curtain, then go down and ovelap the loop from one side and to end with overlaping the loop second time.

Step 53

Go to "Giraffe" group. We need a string that will lead to the inscription "Jin", than it will wind around the inscription. The tail will hang down. Firstly, create the string leading to inscription "Jin".

Step 54

Create one more string, that goes up from below, as visible part of the inscription girth. Set opacity a little more than 20% in Pattern Overlay.

Step 55

Create the last string, that will be situated under the inscription "giraffe" and will hang down.

Step 56

Now we shall create one more string leading to our giraffe’s loop. It will come up to the loop, get tied into a knot and the tail will hang down. Firstly, create the string leading up to the loop.

Step 57

Now let’s create two little strings perpendicular to the first one and overlaping the loop. So, we got our small knot.

Step 58

The last part – the tail of the small knot.

Step 59

Now, let’s create the strings for the cat.

Step 60

And, at last, we create the strings for the bird and for the cow. They have to be really thin, tiny and invisible. Use brush 2px wide.

Free download sources used in tutorial: icons, patterns.