PixelPerfect #137: Anime Madness!

Create an anime billboard made of tiny lights.

Create character illustrations
We begin with the paths drawn to make the anime characters. You can draw these in Adobe Illustrator and import the paths into Photoshop. Add a thin stroke to the character paths, and you will see a nice outline. The method used to fill the art with color resembles an old art form called "reverse painting on glass", where the color is painted behind the outline that is on a layer of glass. In Photoshop, the colors will exist in layers underneath the outline. Each element (such as the hair, eyes, and clothes) are organized in a separate layer set, with each layer labeled properly.

Create tiny light bulbs
The billboard that this artwork will reside in is made up of tiny light bulbs. To create this effect, first merge visible layers (and keep original layers) to make a flat composite of the art. In a new layer, create a small circle marquee and fill with black. With some selection padding on the top and right of the dot, create a pattern (Edit > Create Pattern) and name it "Bulbs". Throw away the layer with the circle, as it's no longer needed. Create a new layer behind the art composite and name it "back of scene". With a rectangular selection, fill with black. In a new layer, with the same rectangular selection, fill with the bulb pattern. This pattern will become a mask for the artwork. Now, the anime character is encased within the dots. Adding some layer effects to the mask will create a more realistic bulb effect. Bert uses a small bevel & emboss and background shadow (yellow). Increase the saturation of the artwork to create more impact.