Hey, hey, hey, it`s time for that big dude first lesson
OK, a long long time ago a new kitmaker ( who has developed into a very good one nowadays ) asked me : "Hey dude, how`d you get that mashes on your kits ?". Yeah, mashes like on the Adidas kits on the belly and also on Nikes. Yeah, every new kitmaker who wanna start must be amazed by "mashes", why ? Cos` mashes made kits look more realistic. It gives a fiber feelin` on it. And mashes is very important, cos` it can be a based skill for makin` more advanced stuffs. Like the Liverpool new away net pattern on front, without learning how to make mashes, you won`t be able to make them.
Here`s the basic, mashes is bassically a pattern. So if you`re usin Photoshop use these steps to get a basic understanding :
1. Open a new file with height of 1 pixel and width of 2 pixels, made the background transparent.
2. Now, it looks so small doesn`t it ? You need to zoom it in. Choose the zoom tool and just zoom it in.
3. Now after you`re able to see the template, choose the pencil tool. Made sure that you set the pencil size on the smallest size ( 1 pixel ). To do that, after you sellect the pencil tool, you`ll see on top the pencil toolbar. Beside the pencil image there`s a word "Brush" and a box beside it. Choose the box and set the diameter to one pixel.
4. Fill one of the area ( the 2 pixel or the width area ) with a black pencil colour. Remember only "ONE", otherwise the trick won`t work. Here`s to get a picture of it :
TRANSPARENT | BLACK |
TRANSPARENT | BLACK |
5. Now choose edit, and then define pattern, name the pattern to whatever you like, eg : vertical.
6. Save the image if you like, now open a new image sized about 200 X 200 pixels to get a more clearer understanding.
7. After you open a new file, choose edit, and then fill. Choose the pattern you made before, and see what happens. Zoom in if you have to. Now you get a bit more clearer right ? What you will get, if you do the instructions correctly is a layer filled with vertical lines.
8. By default Photoshop will show you the layer toolbox. If you find it, click on it. Find the "Opacity" level meter. Now try to reduce the opacity form 100 % to 60 %, and see the pattern you`ve made before. Now as you can see, the lower the opacity is, the thiner or the more transparent the pattern would be. When ste to 0 %, the vertical lines won`t be visible anymore.
9. Okay, now open a new layer, to do that, in the layer box, look at the right bottom corner, there`s an image that looks like a trash can and on the left of it there`s an image that looks like a paper. Click on the paper image. Now you`re workin` on a new layer. Fill the new layer with any colour of your choice.
10. Double click on the layer, now a new box is poppin` out. I call it the stylin` box, cos` in here is where kitamakers give effects to their collars and other ****s.
11. Choose pattern overlay style, make sure the box is ticked. On the center part of the box, there are patterns that`s available to choose. Some of it are Photoshop default pattern and you also have your pattern in it. Remember the way you set the diameter on the pencil tool ? Now in the center there`s a simillar box only now it`s pattern. Choose your pattern and then set the opacity. You`ll see no different effect with the previous trick of fillin` a layer. But with overlayin` a layer you`ll see that there`s a new feature, a scale feature is now available. Now, move the scale meter right and left and see what happens to the patterns at the new layer. Ah, now you get it don`t ya ?
Vertical lines and horizontal lines are the easiest and the most basic pattern you can do. But that doesn`t mean that they`re crap. If you zoom in at Pede`s, Curswine kits, you`ll see that on some of their kits they use this effect to make the kits looks more fiber. With this basic knowledge, you can now try on your own to make new patterns rather than just a vertical or horizontal patterns. You can make boxy patterns, diagonal paterns, etc. The basic is all the same.
