How to Make a Flowerpot and Flower in Photoshop

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Create a new document with the dimensions of 450 X 600.

   You want the darker color to be on the top.
   
   Try sampling the screenshot to get some suggested colors to start with. , This will be the top of the flower pot., Select the Rectangle Tool and add it to the ellipse.
   
   Be sure they are the same width.
   
   Make it a darker gray.
   
   Select the Ellipse Tool and create another oval the width of the rectangle. , Be aware that it may take you a few tries before you get it just right.
   
   You want to watch out for the ellipse not being wide enough or having the right curve to match the top.
   
   If you end up with the two parts of the band on separate layers, merge those two together. ,, If you can't manage that, try another way.
   
   There is almost always more than one way to do something in Photoshop.
   
   You can create a square shape, go to Edit >> Transform...Experiment until you figure it out. , It should be above the Base layer.,, Here are some suggested colors. , Fill it with the gradient that you requested.
   
   It should look somewhat like a Terra Cotta pot at this time.,, What you are doing is clipping them. ,, Move the color around until it looks more natural.
   
   If you don't do this, it will look like one block is coloring your whole pot.,, Adjust for your own preferences.
   
   Here is what it should look like at this point. , It will be at the very top above the layer called Top., Have it be a little darker at the outside of the ellipse. , Blur that layer to give it a smoother look. , Put it in Screen mode., Also, use about 40 or 50% opacity.
   
   Keep the size of the brush about 20px or so, with a fair amount of diffusion.
   
   You may have to undo and redo quite a few times to get the look you want. , Here is what this one looks like at this point. , This will bring up the Layer dialog box. ,,,,, This should be set at 1px. , Go to Filter >> Add Noise >> 25%.,,,,,,,, It helps you keep the size of the stem in perspective with the flowerpot.,,,,,,,,, Use the settings you see in the screenshot. , You do this by:
   Press Ctrl+T and then click on the icon for Switch between free transform to warp modes. ,, Clip it to the Stem layer. ,,,,,,,,,, You will be transforming the layer so that it appears to follow the shape of the petal., Be sure that the name remains Single Petal.,,,,,, The hole left in the center is OK.
   
   It will be fixed later.
   
   Be sure to write up the process for turning the petals , You could also try darkening the 'backside' of the flower in some locations.,, You want these two halves to be on two separate layers.,,,,,, Choose Bevel and Emboss.
   
   This will give your stamen some depth.,,, The Anther is the tips of the stamen.,,,,,,, Investigate scale , You will be making the leaf to add to the leaf stem that you just created.,,, This will allow the darker green of the first layer to show through.,, This will give your veins depth.,, Name the layer Merged Leaf.,,,,,,,, This allows you to Blend If:
   Underlying Layer slider, you control how hard or soft you want to blend the white layer over the leaf layers light and dark values. ,, The rest is optional.,,,,,,,
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   Step 2: Give it a subtle gradient background.

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   Step 3: On a new layer named Top

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   Step 4: pick a dark gray to create an ellipse.

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   Step 5: Create another layer called Band and make sure it is below the Top layer.

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   Step 6: Click on the Move Tool and move it so that it gives you the look that you want.

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   Step 7: Create a new layer

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   Step 8: call it Base and make sure it is beneath the Band layer.

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   Step 9: Make the bottom an even darker gray and use the process that you used for the Band

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    Step 10: for the Base.

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    Step 11: Create a layer and call it Color.

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    Step 12: Select your Gradient tool.

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    Step 13: Create a gradient to use for the color layer.

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    Step 14: Create a selection big enough to cover the entire flowerpot.

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    Step 15: Go to Noise >> Add Noise and and noise with a setting of .8%.

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    Step 16: Alt+Click between the two layers.

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    Step 17: Repeat this for the band and the top.

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    Step 18: Press Ctrl+T on the color layer.

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    Step 19: Go to the Color layer clipped to the Base layer.

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    Step 20: Select Burn with a hardness of about 25%.

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    Step 21: Create a new layer called Inner Circle.

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    Step 22: Fill the Inner Circle with a darker gradient.

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    Step 23: Make sure you are on the Inner Circle layer

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    Step 24: and click on the Blur tool.

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    Step 25: Add a layer and call it Edge.

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    Step 26: Click on the Brush tool and with a slightly lighter color than the flowerpot

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    Step 27: brush in an edge

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    Step 28: in the location you see in the screenshot.

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    Step 29: Compare it.

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    Step 30: Click on the Inner Circle layer and press down Ctrl+⇧ Shift+N.

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    Step 31: Check the tick mark by Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask as shown above.

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    Step 32: Name the layer Dirt.

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    Step 33: In that layer

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    Step 34: draw in part of the inner circle to create the appearance of dirt.

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    Step 35: Go to Filter >> Add Noise >> 30%.

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    Step 36: Go to Filter >> Add Noise >> Median...

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    Step 37: Add Noise (again) at 25%.

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    Step 38: Copy that layer.

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    Step 39: Set the Blending Mode to Multiply.

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    Step 40: Use the Dodge and Burn tools to finish the look.

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    Step 41: Go back to the clipping layer called Inner Color.

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    Step 42: Use the Burn tool to add some shadows from the 'Dirt'.

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    Step 43: Create a group called Flower.

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    Step 44: Inside that group

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    Step 45: create another group and called it Stem.

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    Step 46: Scroll out so that you can see the whole image.

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    Step 47: Pick a nice shade of green and with the Brush tool (B)

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    Step 48: draw the stem.

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    Step 49: Right click on the Stem layer and select Blending Options.

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    Step 50: Select Bevel and Emboss to the layer.

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    Step 51: Use the Burn tool to give the stem more shape by shading it.

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    Step 52: Erase the bottom of the stem.

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    Step 53: Make sure that your foreground and background are black and white.

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    Step 54: Create a new layer and call it Fibers.

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    Step 55: Create a white box and fill it with white.

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    Step 56: Go to Filter >> Render >> Fibers.

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    Step 57: Warp the fibers that you have just created.

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    Step 58: Warp the fibers until they align

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    Step 59: more or less

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    Step 60: with your stem.

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    Step 61: Create a Clipping Mask with it.

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    Step 62: Make sure that the Blending Mode is set to Overlay and that the Opacity is set at 28%.

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    Step 63: In the Flower group

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    Step 64: create a Petals group.

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    Step 65: In the Petals group

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    Step 66: add a new layer and call it Single Petal.

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    Step 67: Using the Brush Tool B

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    Step 68: draw and fill in a petal shape.

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    Step 69: Add a new clipping layer to the Single Petal layer.

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    Step 70: On that layer

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    Step 71: use a feathered brush with a lighter shade of the color you chose.

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    Step 72: Set it to Dissolve and paint in some noise with a darker purple than you used before.

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    Step 73: Still on the clipping layer

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    Step 74: give it a Motion Blur with an angle of 90 degrees and a distance of 51px.

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    Step 75: Add Noise set at 4.8% and then Gaussian Blur that is set at 1.2px.

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    Step 76: Press Ctrl+T.

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    Step 77: Once completed

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    Step 78: merge the layer down.

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    Step 79: Copy the Single Petal layer and Desaturate Ctrl+⇧ Shift+U it.

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    Step 80: Go to Filter >> Stylize >> Emboss and add the settings in the screenshot.

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    Step 81: Be sure that the layer's Blending Mode is set to Overlay.

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    Step 82: Go back to the Single Petal layer and with a different shade of purple

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    Step 83: paint in more texture.

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    Step 84: Merge the desaturated layer and the Single Petal layer

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    Step 85: together.

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    Step 86: Make 4 copies of the Single Petal layer.

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    Step 87: Go to Filter >> Liquify and distort the edge of the flowers to give it a more realistic feeling.

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    Step 88: Use the Dodge (highlights) and Burn (shadows) tools to add the highlights and shadows to this layer.

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    Step 89: For the center of the flower

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    Step 90: used the Polygonal Marquee Tool to separate the top and bottom half of the flower.

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    Step 91: Go to Filter >> Liquify and pull down the center of the flower.

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    Step 92: Create a new group called Stamen.

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    Step 93: Inside the group

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    Step 94: create a new layer and call it Stamen 1.

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    Step 95: Using the Brush tool

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    Step 96: draw in a few lines with a small

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    Step 97: light yellow brush.

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    Step 98: Use the Burn tool to add some shadows at the base of the stamen.

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    Step 99: Right click the Stamen 1 layer and go to Blending Options.

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     Step 100: Create a new layer called Stamen 2 and repeat the above steps.

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     Step 101: When done

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     Step 102: erase the bottom of the stamen to make them seem like they are actually coming out of the flower.

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     Step 103: Create another layer and call it Anther.

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     Step 104: Paint in some light yellow blobs at the end of the stamen.

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     Step 105: Add the layer styles you see in the screenshot for the Anther layer.

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     Step 106: Make a copy of the Stem group.

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     Step 107: Right click on the group and then Merge Group.

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     Step 108: Place the layer below the Stem group.

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     Step 109: Go to Edit >> Transform >> Flip Horizontal.

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     Step 110: Scale and Warp this layer so that it begins to look more like a leaf.

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     Step 111: Create a new group and call it Leaf.

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     Step 112: On a new layer

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     Step 113: create a green inverted heart.

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     Step 114: Make a copy of this layer

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     Step 115: and using Levels (Ctrl+L) lighten the copied layer a bit.

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     Step 116: Using the Eraser tool (E)

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     Step 117: 'draw' some veins into the leaf.

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     Step 118: Open the Layer Styles (Right Click >> Blending Options...).

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     Step 119: Add a Bevel and Emboss to the layer.

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     Step 120: Merge the two layers together.

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     Step 121: Press Ctrl+T to Rotate and Scale the leaf into position.

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     Step 122: Go to Filter >> Liquify and use it to manipulate the leaf edge

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     Step 123: like was done with the flower petals.

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     Step 124: Use the Dodge and Burn tools again

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     Step 125: to add some definition to the leaf.

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     Step 126: Copy a small piece of the leaf and paste it to a new layer beneath the Merged Leaf layer.

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     Step 127: Use this part of the leaf to fill in the parts of the leaf that seem to curl up so that you can expose the underside.

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     Step 128: When needed

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     Step 129: use the Eraser Tool (E) to get rid of the extra 'bits'.

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     Step 130: Create a new clipping layer for the Merged Leaf layer and fill it with white.

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     Step 131: Double click this layer to open up the Layer Styles.

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     Step 132: Adjust the Blend If sliders like you see in the screenshot.

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     Step 133: Use the Burn tool to add the finishing touches (shadows) to the leaf.

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     Step 134: Save and close if this is all you want to do.

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     Step 135: Use the Ellipse Tool to make a black ellipse under the base of the pot.

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     Step 136: Use a combination of the Motion blur and Gaussian Blur filters to blur the shadow.

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     Step 137: Be sure to adjust the Opacity of the shadow.

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     Step 138: Merge a copy of the pot into one layer.

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     Step 139: Flip vertically.

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     Step 140: Reposition the layer using Ctrl+T

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     Step 141: Adjust its opacity so that it looks like a reflection.

Detailed Guide

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