Smoking Girl Abstract Signature Tutorial

In this tutorial, we will be learning how to make this abstract smoking girl sig.

Start off by making a new document, any size will do, we chose 400×90. Fill your image with a dark color like black.

Now add in your stock, we used this. Try to have your main focus in the middle of the sig. If your sig doesn’t take up the whole canvas, don’t worry, a bit of black won’t make a difference.

Add in the same stock again, except move it over to the left or right, to get a bit of a repeating pattern. Something like this :

Add in your stock once again, except this time resize it. Then erase with some brushes to have some of the old background showing.

Again, apply image. Smudge a tiny bit. Erase bits of it to get something like this :

Apply image on a new layer and smudge slightly. Erase parts and leave on Normal.

Make a new layer and get your softbrush out. With something like 5px, make one orange dot on your sig. Leave it on Normal.

Add this gradient map, and set it to Soft Light for some nice coloring.

Next with the pen tool or the lasso tool, make a rectangular shape going out from your sig. Fill it with any color.

Press Ctrl+Alt+G to add a clipping mask.

Repeat the previous step, by making another rectangular shape.

Add a clipping mask to it.

Add a third rectangular shape.

Add another clipping mask.

Make a new layer and apply image. Move your layer over a bit, then erase most of it so you have a few blotched spots to give it a distorted sort of look.

Add in a photofilter.

Apply image on a new layer. Take out your rectangular marquee tool, and make a small selection. Duplicate it, and move it over a bit.

Repeat the last step, except make a different selection and move it over to another spot.

Now make two pink circles like this. Here’s a quick explanation. Make a circle with the eliptical marquee tool. Then make a smaller circle inside the filled one, and press delete.

Now add a clipping mask to the two circles.

Add this gradient map and set it to Soft Light, 100% opacity.

Make a new layer, with a small 3px soft brush and make a couple of pink dots across your sig. Set the blend mode to Color Dodge.

Make a new layer, and on the sides brush in a pink and orange color. Leave blend mode on Normal.

Add this gradient map and set it to Soft Light, 100% Opacity.

Brush in pink with a soft brush on a new layer. Brush on the sides and a little on the focus. Set the layer to Soft Light.

The next step is to brush in a light color, or smudge.

Add a black and white gradient map. Set it to Multiply, 24% opacity.

Add in a photofilter.

Add another black and white gradient, and set it to Color, 100% opacity.

Make a new layer and put a couple of pink dots with a soft brush. Set the layer to Color Dodge.

Apply image, and add a Gaussian blur, but very slightly (Something like 0.1)

Make two dots with a turquoise soft brush. Set it to Color Dodge and try to have it complement the other dots that you made, in this case the magenta ones.

Apply image, and smudge the slightest bit. Leave it on Normal.

Cut out a part from your sig, and move it to another spot.

Repeat the previous step.

On a new layer, make a couple of 2px dots with a white softbrush.

Add a brightness/contrast layer.

Next add a levels layer.

Make two more turquoise dots with a soft brush on a new layer, leave the layer on Normal.

Add a black and white gradient layer and set it to Luminosity, 100% opacity.

Add this brightness/contrast layer :

Add this gradient map and set it to Color, 66% opacity.

Apply image on a new layer and go to Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. If over sharpened, then go to Edit > Fade Sharpen.

Apply image again, and Gaussian Blur the sig, but at a very minimal level.

Make another circle at the bottom of the sig using turquoise color.

Add this gradient and set it to overlay.

Lastly, add any effects that you want like Photofilters. Otherwise, you’re done! You can download the final PSD here.