The initial phase of an artwork is definitely the most important part of the creative process. However, this can prove to be the most difficult as well. Starting out from a blank photoshop canvas can at times be a most daunting task. But fortunately for you, there are quite a few professional techniques that will help you confidently overcome those startup problems.
A good quality gradient, for example, will get you going in no time at all. Here's what you need to know about creating dope gradient styles.
Create a new photoshop document. The size and resolution are up to you, we chose a size of 600x400 pixels and set the resolution to 72 dpi, which makes it perfect for online use. Now, before drawing your gradient you will need to select nice 'n' stylish back and foregroundcolors. Try to find 2 colors that are rather similar in order to get that sophisticated, but classy gradient look. As you can see we decided on 2 slightly different greens.
Now it's about time to apply the gradient to your blank photoshop document. Simply select the gradient tool, make sure the gradient settings are set to "foreground to background" (you can see the settings in the photoshop top bar) hold the shift key, in order to get a straight gradient, and then draw the gradient from left to right, or vice versa. A vertical solution can also be considered.
Congratulations, you just created a dope gradient! We suggest you play a little bit with gradient-specific options, such as blending modes and opacity.
Now that you have created the basis of your digital artwork, we can move on to stage 2, where we will add some cutting-edge semi-abstract styles to our creation.
