A nice, cute Valentine Card can be designed using Photoshop.

Follow the steps given below-

First we will create a sketch, what look I want for my card.

Now, Draw basic shapes using photoshop

Draw the outline

Add shades and shadow

  • Now create a new document with 600px X 300px.
  • Then, fill the background color with pink (#f08fb0).
  • Create a new layer and rename it as color.
  • Randomly paint the layer with a 200px soft brush with 60% opacity.
  • Use your own imagination to chose color set.
  • Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur > Radius 70px. Duplicate the color layer.
  • Now, Create a new layer and rename as texture.
  • Fill it with black and set the blend mode to screen.
  • Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise.
  • Add a 400% Gaussian Monochromatic Noise. Set the layer fill to 20%.
  • Then, go to Filter > Artistic > Watercolor and apply the setting as show in the image.

Now, create another layer and rename as line.

  • Fill it with black and set the blend mode to soft light.
  • Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Use the setting below.

Now, With the line layer selected,

  • go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur.

Apply the setting below.

  • Then, Erase the bottom part using a 300px soft brush.
  • Then import the character vector from Illustration as a smart object.
  • Draw a white shape like what you see in the animation below.
  • Rasterize the shape.
  • Erase most of the part as shown in the example image.
  • Apply Color Overlay; I am using the same pink color.
  • CTRL + J to duplicate the layer.
  • CTRL + T to transform the layer. Set the transform angle to 15 degree for each new duplicated layer.
  • After all, select all the pink layer and Press CTRL + E to merge all layers.
  • Create a new layer above it.
  • Set the blend mode to Soft Light.
  • Paint the center of the shape with black using a soft brush.
  • ALT + click in between the new layer with the pink layer to create a mask of the pink layer.

  • Select a 40px hard brush. Press F5 to bring up the brushes setting and set accordingly. Paint as you like.
  • Create a new layer above all the layers.
  • Select a 400px soft brush. Press a few times as shown below.
  • Set the layer blend mode to soft light.

  • Type in the message you like. Apply a 1px outside stroke with #8b8782 color. Inner Shadow Distance 1px, Size 3px, -49 degree of angle, 24% opacity with Multiply blend mode.
  • Drop Shadow with Soft Light blend mode, 100% opacity, 5px Distance and Size.

  • Create a new layer above the character smartobject.
  • ALT + click in between the new layer and the smartobject to create a masking effect.
  • Set the new layer blend mode to soft light.
  • Gently paint the new layer according to the smartobject’s edge with white color to create a lighting effect.
  • Create another layer and mask it as well. This time, we will be using black color to create the shadow effect.

All done!! :D

Thanks for reading the tutorial!!

Photo credit: http://kailoon.com/designing-a-valentine-card-from-scratch/