The 'Let's Make' Series

Let's Create Collage-Style Illustrations!

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CHYEE

"Let's Create Collage-Style Illustrations!"

This time, the theme is "collage-style illustrations."

Collage is the art of combining different materials into a single piece. These "differences" can include object content, colors, artistic styles, and the texture of materials (paper or printed matter). How these materials are handled—whether torn by hand, roughly cut, or precisely cut—also contributes to the artwork's unique feel.

In this article, I will demonstrate how to simulate collage effects using digital drawing, explaining each step from preparing materials (assets) to composition, image processing, adding decorations, and text handling!

So, let's get started✨

I. Preparing Materials

In this illustration, I used various types of assets for collage and image processing.

The materials used in this example can be found in the appendix at the end of the article. However, you are absolutely free to prepare your own preferred materials as alternatives!

For types of materials, please refer to the following:

1️⃣Main Image (preferably with background removed)

💡Usually a character image, but you can prepare other images such as cute animals as the main image.

💡Please note that the contrast of the image should not be too low, otherwise it will easily blend into a mess during subsequent processing.

2️⃣Image Assets

💡Both image assets and brushes are acceptable.

You can search for relevant keywords in the CSP Asset Store and download your favorite materials.

Common elements like flowers, leaves, and fruits are good choices.

💡Since the theme of this article is "collage," even if the drawing styles of the assets are different, they can still be used together in your creation!

3️⃣Texture Assets

💡You can search for "texture," "paper," "watercolor," etc., for use as composite textures.

4️⃣Auto Action Assets

The following are the auto actions used in this example:

For information on how to install auto actions, please refer to the official tutorial below:

II. Getting Started

Let's get started with the actual creation!

✧New File

First, create a new file.

[File] → [New] (Hotkey: Ctrl+N)

Depending on the required file size, I will double the base size of the desired file, and then input the corresponding values.

💡The purpose of this is to place all the pending assets in a visible area, simulating the steps of manual "collage," allowing for more flexible and free creative expression.

Next, add the main image and drag image assets from the asset library onto the canvas.

Brush-type assets can be drawn directly on a new layer as a backup.

💡The assets added at this stage are not necessarily used in the final product, so feel free to add them according to your preference without worry.

💡For easier management, you can also create a new layer folder to store pending assets.

Use the Move tool to freely move materials:

✧Adding a Note Paper

I chose to use a piece of note paper as the background for the image.

Alternatively, you can use scene photos or other images as backgrounds, but be careful not to make the content too elaborate or complex.

① Create a new layer.

② Use the [Rectangle Selection] tool to select a rectangle on the canvas.

③ Click the paint bucket button and fill it with the color of the note paper.

④ Deselect. (Click outside the selection with a selection tool or use the hotkey: Ctrl+D)

⑤Use the following asset to draw the perforated part of the note paper. (※Drawing directly without using an asset is also fine)

⑥Use [Edit] → [Transform] → [Scale/Rotate] (Hotkey: Ctrl+T) to rotate the image.

Done.

✧Collage

Now, let's start collaging happily!

Here, we'll first design a rough composition, then process each asset one by one to give the image more style.

In this example, I used a simple composition: with the character as the center point, placing assets in a radial shape.

Of course, you can try different compositions!

💡When collaging, there's no need to worry about the original size of objects (e.g., flowers shouldn't be as tall as people).

This is a major characteristic of collage; intentionally unbalancing proportions can add more interest to the scene.

💡You can use the Ctrl+T function mentioned above for transformation adjustments.

✧Image Processing – Adding Borders and Shadows

The image now looks a bit cluttered, and objects behind the character are not easily distinguishable.

So, next, I will demonstrate how to add borders and shadows to objects, simulating "cut-out paper pieces."

🔧Add Border (Method One):

① Select white (or another light color); select the asset layer.

② Use the [Sticker Outline] auto action and input the border thickness value.

Done.

🔧Add Border (Method Two):

① Create a new layer and place it below the object layer.

② Use the [Polyline Selection] tool.

③ Select along the object's edge, click the paint bucket button, and fill with the border color.

Done.

If the main image does not already have its background removed, you can similarly use the [Polyline Selection] or [Lasso] tool to select the outer parts, then erase them. This will give you an image that looks like it was cut out from elsewhere!

Sometimes, small holes within objects can make the image appear too cluttered.

In such cases, simply fill those empty spaces.

🔧Add Shadow:

① Select dark brown (or other desired shadow color); select the asset's border layer.

② Use the [Soft Edge - Weak (Drawing Color)] auto action from [Text Design Effects].

③ The shadow layer will be automatically created, and you can move it slightly down or left/right as needed.

④ Set the layer blending mode to [Multiply].

💡If you find the shadow edges too harsh, you can further soften them using [Filter] → [Blur] → [Gaussian Blur].

Done.

✧Image Processing – Printed Style

This section will demonstrate how to process the main image into a printed style.

💡Processing the main image into monochrome here can make it stand out among colorful flowers.

Conversely, processing the flowers into monochrome while keeping the character in color is also possible; it's entirely up to you!

① Right-click on the character layer → [New Correction Layer] → [Gradient Map].

② (Optional) Click the arrow below the black in the color bar and select dark brown. You can also add other arrows in the middle of the color bar.

③ "Clip to Layer Below" the correction layer.

④ Duplicate the character layer (right-click on the character layer → [Duplicate Layer]) and place it above.

⑤ In the [Layer Property] window, select [Halftone].

Halftone lines setting: Smaller numbers mean larger dots.
Mesh setting: Set the shape of the mesh.

⑥ In the [Layer Property] window, select [Layer Color].

Choose brown.

⑦ If needed, adjust the layer's depth or contrast, and then control the quantity and position of the dots.

⑧ If needed, you can add a new layer above, set its blending mode to "Multiply," and paint it with light gray as the "paper color for the character's print."

Done.

Additionally, you can apply this effect to other objects.

For example, here's an illustration using a photo of my own cat:

✧Adding Paper Scraps for Decoration

In addition to image assets, we can also draw simple shapes, simulating paper scraps, to decorate the canvas.

💡Especially when image assets are too fragmented, adding a larger shape helps balance the composition.

① Create a new layer and draw shapes (e.g., with a G-pen) using a 100% opacity brush.

② If you want to add a "hand-torn" feel, use the "Darker Bleed"* brush to refine the edges.

③ If you want to add paper texture, drag a texture layer from the asset library, set its blending mode to "Overlay," and clip it to the layer below.

④ You can choose whether or not to add a border.

⑤ Add a shadow.

Done.

*Regarding the "Darker Bleed" brush:

This is one of the default initial brushes in CSP. If you cannot find it on your device, you can re-download it from the following location (it's the fifth brush in the Ink category in the official screenshot). Alternatively, you can search for other substitute brushes in the asset library.

✧Using Layer Masks to Create Depth

In real-life collage, you can always cut paper to create overlapping effects.

In digital art creation, however, we can use layer masks to create this sense of depth.

① Combine the target object layer, border, and shadow into a layer folder. (Select multiple layers and press Ctrl+G)

② Move the layer folder above the character layer. (Drag directly in the Layer window)

③ Create a layer mask on that layer folder.

④ Use the character layer as the selection range:

Right-click on the character layer thumbnail in the Layer window → [Selection from Layer] → [Create Selection].
Or hold [Ctrl] and left-click on the character layer thumbnail.

⑤ Click the layer mask thumbnail and erase unwanted parts with the eraser.

⑥ If needed, you can add a new layer above, set its blending mode to "Multiply," and use an airbrush to paint light brown in the overlapping areas as a shadow.

Done.

✧Hand-Drawn Doodle Embellishments

Next, I further decorated the hand-drawn elements with a pencil brush.

Besides pencils, brushes with strong strokes like crayons, markers, and pastels are also good choices.

You can draw simple patterns that you might doodle every day, such as polka dots, parallel lines, hearts, or stars.

✧Collage Text

Although adding text to images is not mandatory, this section will briefly demonstrate how to create a collage text style.

① Use the text tool to add the first character (letter) of the word.

② When using the text tool and selecting a layer, a text bounding box will appear. Drag the corner points to rotate the text.

③ Add a new layer below the letter, use the [Polyline Selection] tool, and select a shape approximately rectangular along the letter's edge.

④ Click the paint bucket button and fill with color.

⑤ Add a shadow.

⑥ Repeat steps ①~⑤.

The key is to use different fonts, sizes, rotation angles, and colors.

Some letters can slightly overlap.

Done.

Due to space constraints, the detailed methods for adjusting material colors (color correction) will be omitted here.

If needed, please refer to the official tutorial on color correction below (Chinese version):

III. Completion

Finally, crop the canvas to the desired size and fine-tune the positions of each object.

If needed, you can fill overly blank edge areas with objects such as image assets, paper scrap decorations, or hand-drawn doodles. The processing method is the same as described in Part II.

In the blank areas, you can add paper textures as a background.

In addition to paper textures, you can also add custom patterns. For detailed instructions, please refer to my previously shared tips:

Done!