Updated on January 4, 2023
I love to create printables to give away for free here on the blog, in my newsletter, and for sale in my Etsy shop. There are a lot of different ways to create printables, but today, I am going to share with you how to create a printable art piece in Photoshop Elements.
Thank you to FontBundles.net for sponsoring this post. This post contains affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a portion of your purchase will go to support this site and help keep the content free. Please read my full disclosure policy here.
Supplies needed:
Since I offer my printables on my blog and to sell in my Etsy shop, I always make sure that I purchase or download graphics and fonts that come with a commercial use license. FontBundles.net and DesignBundles.net are one of my go to places to get designs from.
All of the images and fonts used in this tutorial are from The Big Design Bundle available on DesignBundles.net.
To start your project, open up Photoshop Elements and create a new blank file. I typically design my canvas to be 8 inches by 10 inches with a resolution of 300px and a transparent background. This way I know the final design will fit in a standard size frame.
Note: I am using Photoshop Elements 11 for this tutorial. Your version of Photoshop Elements may look a little different than mine.
Next, create a new layer and make it white using the paint bucket tool. Your final background doesn’t have to be white, but I find this helps with the initial stages of design.
Many of my printable art pieces have some sort of word art, so this is the time that I will add text. Use the horizontal type tool and add your text. You can play around with fonts at this stage. For this design, I chose the font Slender Spring.
Helpful tip: When looking at a font bundle to purchase, you can scroll down to the bottom and type in your text to see how it will look with all the fonts included in the bundle. This is a helpful feature if you are wanting to do a specific project with a font, but are not sure how it will look!
Next, add in your images. I added in a nest from the Watercolor Birds and Feathers graphics. I find it easiest to work with PNG images as they already have a transparent background, but if you use a JPEG with a white background, you can delete the background using the Magic Wand tool before adding it to your design.
I wanted the words to wrap around the top of the nest, so I selected my text, clicked on the ‘create warped text’ tool, chose an arch, and adjusted the bend to fit over the nest.
Finally, I use the grid tool (View > Grid) to align everything on my page. You can also select multiple images and text in the layers panel and use the move tool to align and distribute your images on the canvas.
Lastly, I save the image as a .pdf to either print or share with my readers.
Download Bless our Nest Printable Art
I am also including the printables in this series in myEtsy shop, but my readers get them absolutely free! (These downloads are for personal use only. Do not share the direct link to the .pdf/.jpg file. Please link back to the original post when sharing.)
I also created another free printable for you using more elements from The Big Design Bundle and some of the same techniques I showed you. I used the berry background from the Watercolor Fruits and Berries graphics pack, Hollyn Script font, and watercolor texture for the font from the 365 Watercolor Dream Textures. These are only teeny tiny sampling of what comes with the bundle, so you can see why designers buy these big bundles to create with!
Download Happy Spring Printable Art
Don’t have Photoshop? Don’t worry. You can still do many of these same techniques in free programs like Canva or Canva.
THE GIVEAWAY
My friends at FontBundles.net and DesignBundles.net are offering a great deal on The BIG Design Bundle for only $15. It includes 2000 design elements at over 95% off. One of my lucky readers will win this bundle including 9 fonts and tons of beautiful graphics.
A big thank you to DesignBundles.net for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!
Giveaway ends March 12, 2017, at 11: 59 PM MST. Winner(s) will be selected by Random.org and be notified by email. Winner(s) have until March 15, 2017 to respond before a new winner(s) is/are selected. Twitter and Pinterest are in no way associated with this giveaway. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner(s). Giveaway open worldwide. Please see full terms and conditions in giveaway widget.
Some helpful tips:
- How do I install fonts on Windows or Mac? Learn how.
- How can I do even more with Photoshop? DesignBundles.net has a full design school to show you how.
- Why would I use commercial graphics or fonts? Most fonts and graphics you find for free are only available for personal use. If you want to sell anything (or give it away for free on your money-making website) you will need a commercial license for your design elements.
- Did you know you can use all these fonts with your Cricut? I use the fonts on my computer all the time in projects like making t-shirts, and even writing using the pen feature.
Swathi says
I am confused about the “Reselling is prohibited” and “Handmade” thing on etsy. Does it land me in trouble even if I have commercial license for a graphic I used in my art work? I mean, I haven’t created the graphic, so it might not be handmade?
Laura Silva says
Swathi,
It will depend on each commercial license you get. I purchase licenses that allow me to re-use the graphics and then sell my designs made with those graphics. Most graphic designers don’t allow you to resell their graphics as-is. Meaning, you can’t buy the graphic and then re-sell it exactly how you received it. You have to do something with that graphic to make it your own. However, you have to read each individual commercial license you get, as there can be limitations on what you can do with the graphics or fonts. As for Etsy, even though you didn’t make the graphic itself, by creating a new piece of art using different graphic elements it is considered handmade. I hope that helps!
Laura
Jeanie @Create & Babble says
I absolutely am going to try this. I know just the basics of PSE so cross your fingers for me! Your printables are so pretty!
Laura Silva says
Jeanie,
You can do it! It is a lot easier that you think if you have beautiful graphics to start with. I would love to see your printable once you are done. Have a great weekend!
xo,
Laura