Circle Flower with the Elliptical Marquee Tool
by Jenifer Juris

Get the most out of your digi stash by creating a circle flower using the Elliptical Marquee tool.

For this tutorial you will need:

• Hand drawn stems (see Download)
• A background paper containing a small pattern (see Download)
• Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop

FREE DOWNLOAD

Click here to download the paper I’m using and a set of four hand drawn stems.

Step One: Prepare the Workspace

• Create a new document (File > New > Blank File) that is 3 inches wide x 5 inches high at 300 ppi with a transparent background. (PS: Choose File > New.)

Step Two: Add a Hand Drawn Stem

• Open one of the hand drawn stems (File > Open) you downloaded from above.
• Get the Move tool.
• On the document, while holding down the Shift key, click and drag the stem onto your document.

NOTE: Holding down the Shift key while adding something to a document ensures that the item will land in the center of the document.

• Close the original stem file.
• On the document, hold down the Shift key and click and drag directly on the stem to reposition it near the bottom of the document.

NOTE: Holding down the Shift key while clicking and dragging ensures that the item maintains its horizontal or vertical position.

Step Three: Create a Circle

• Click on the Foreground Color Chip to open the Color Picker.
• Choose a medium gray color. I’m using Hex #: 959595.
• Click OK.
• In the Layers panel, click on the Create a New Layer icon.
• Get the Elliptical Marquee tool.
• In the Tool Options, click on the New Selection icon and check Anti-aliasing. Set the Feather to 0 and the Aspect to Normal. (PS: Set the Style to Normal.)
• On the document, click and drag out a circle near the top of the document. To create a perfect circle, hold down the Shift key while you click and drag. To reposition while dragging, press and hold the Space bar.
• Press Alt Backspace (Mac: Opt Delete) to fill the selection with the foreground color.
• Press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to deselect.

Step Four: Add Layer Styles to the Circle

Photoshop Elements Only:

• In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Layer Style > Style Settings.
• In the dialog box, set the Lighting Angle to 120˚.
• Click on Drop Shadow to open the settings.
• Set the Size to 8, the Distance to 8, and the Opacity to 50%.
• Click on Stroke to open the settings.
• Set the Size to 1 or 2 px, the Position to Inside, and the Opacity to 100%.
• Click on the Stroke Color Chip to open the Color Picker. Choose white and click OK.
• Click OK.

Photoshop Only:

• In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow.
• In the dialog box, set the Blend Mode to Multiply, the Opacity to 50%, the Angle to 120˚, the Distance to 8, the Spread to 0, and the Size to 8.
• Click OK.
• In the left-side menu, click on Stroke to activate it and open the settings.
• Set the Size to 1 or 2 px, the Position to Inside, the Blend Mode to Normal, and the Opacity to 100%.
• Click on the Stroke Color Chip to open the Color Picker. Choose white and click OK.
• Click OK.

NOTE: The thin white stroke is there to mimic the look of cut paper.

Step Five: Clip a Paper to the Circle

• Open a patterned background paper (File > Open). You’ll find the one I’m using in the Download file.
• Get the Move tool.
• On the document, hold down the Shift key and click and drag the paper onto the circle flower document.
• In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
• Close the original background paper file.

NOTE: Depending on the size of the pattern in paper you’re using, you may need to alter the size of the paper.

Optional:

• Press Ctrl T (Mac: Cmd T) to get the Transform options.
• On the document, click and drag from a corner handle of the bounding box to change the size of the paper. If you cannot see the bounding box, press Ctrl 0 (Mac: Cmd 0).
• Click and drag inside the bounding box to reposition the paper.
• Click the checkmark to commit.
• Press Ctrl 0 (Mac: Cmd 0) to fit the document to your screen.

Step Six: Save As

• To preserve the layers for layer use, save the document (File > Save As) as a PSD file with a unique name.
• To create a flattened image, save the document (File > Save As) as a PNG file with a unique name. Then, close the working document without saving.

Now your circle flower is ready to use on any project you wish!

Here are some variations to consider:

• Add a second smaller circle with a second patterned paper above the base circle to give the circle flower more dimension.
• Add a button or other element as a center piece for the circle flower.
• Shorten the length of one of the stems to vary the height.

Here is how I used my circle flowers on a project:

Credits:
Page & Photo: Jenifer Juris
Tutorial: Circle Flowers with the Elliptical Marquee Tool by Jenifer Juris
Kit: Lean on Me by Anita Design and Kim B Designs
Fonts: Aurellia Script, BentonModDisp, Bebas Neue

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Author: Jenifer Juris | Contact Us
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