Step 1

The first thing we need to do is separate out the model from the background to make it easy to add
collage elements in front and behind. Open the your model shot in Photoshop and, using the Pen tool
(P), draw a path around the outline of the model.

Step 2

Once complete, save the path by going to the Path panel, clicking on the flyout menu and selecting
Save Path. It is good to get in the habit of doing this as it may come in handy for editing in later
stages

Step 3

In the Layers panel, select the model layer and duplicate it (Cmd/Ctrl + J). Link the two layers
together by selecting them both and clicking on the Link icon at the bottom of the panel.
Select the top layer, then select the saved path in the Path panel. Click on the flyout menu, then
choose Make Selection.
Set the Feather Radius to 0.3 and press OK. In the layer window select the Mask button.

Step 4

You should now have two layers: the first is the model with a mask, and the second is the model and
the background.
Now you can start adding collage elements in front and behind the model. As this piece is very
summery I have chosen to add flowers as an embellishment but obviously you can choose whatever
you like as long as your library images are a single element on a single-coloured background
(otherwise the below technique wont work).

Step 5
Open the image you want to add and select the Magic Wand tool (W). In the top bar, set the Tolerance
to 20 so it picks up most of the stray pixels. Untick the Contiguous box so the wand selects all the
single-colour background.
Now click anywhere on the background to select it (white in this example), leaving your element
unselected. Invert your selection so youve got the elements by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+I. Copy the
selection and paste it into your main illustration.
Repeat this for the rest of your collage elements.

Step 6
Nows the time to have little fun and start dropping in different elements and arranging them as you
want.
I have concentrated the flower collage around the model to make it feel like she is standing in a
blossoming patch of foliage.

Step 7
As collages are usually comprised of elements from different sources, it is important to play around
with each elements Levels to make sure all elements have a similar contrast and saturation.

You can do this by selecting the layer you want to change and selecting Levels in the Adjustments
panel. You can then tweak the darks and lights as necessary.

Step 8
I like to add bursts of colour to pull a composition together. To do this, open Illustrator and draw fluid
shapes using the Pen Tool (N).

Step 9
Copy these shapes and paste them into the main file in Photoshop. In the Adjustments panel select
Hue/Saturation and change the colour to suit the composition.

Step 10
Its always good to add a bit of texture to an image, especially if you are mixing collage and vectors
as I am here.

Using watercolour paint and Indian ink, I created random marks that I scanned into Photoshop so I
could add depth to the fluid blob shapes I created in Illustrator. You can find these in this tutorials
project files.

Step 11
Using the Marquee Tool (M), select an area of texture that you want to use and paste it onto a layer
above a vector shape.

Step 12
While holding Alt on the keyboard, hover and select between the two layers. This will create a layer
mask that applies the texture just to shape of the vec-tor layer below.

Step 13

I also added paint marks in the background to roughen things up a bit. To do this, repeat step 10 but
instead of applying the texture to a layer, give you layer a Multiply blending mode. You can change
the colour of the paint by repeating Step 8 and adding a Hue and Saturation Adjustment layer.

Step 14
From here on its all about detail. To break up the composition I added small vines that are growing
out from the main foliage.
To create these this I used the Pen tool (N) in Illustrator to draw curly vines and I then copy-&-pasted
them into Photoshop.
Its worth noting here that I used a graphics tablet and pen to create these, which is easier than a
mouse.

Step 15
It is unusual to find flora and fauna without wildlife so using the same method as Step 5, I used the
Magic Wand tool to select an image of a bird and some bees to add a little life to the illustration.

Step 16
Now for the finishing touches. The background in this image isn't great so I decided to retouch some
of the scuff marks out. Photoshops Clone tool won't create a very smooth finish, as the whole
background is too rough so I used the Brush tool to paint over large areas.

Step 17
To do this, create a new layer above the background. Select the Brush tool (B) and set the opacity to
40%. Using the eyedropper, select near where you want to retouch and gradually paint over it.This
may take a while as you will need to take samples with the eyedropper several times (depending on
the area you are painting).

Step 18
Finally I added a bigger topknot to the models hair. This was a purely personal choice as I felt her
bun wasn't big enough!

Keep an eye out for interesting imagery and old photographs in charity shops and car boot sales.