Hi, Elly here,

I will show you how you can create your own heart-patterned paper.

Part one

  • Open a new transparent document 600 x 600 px, 300 dpi
  • Activate the Custom Shape Tool, if the tool is not selected then click on the little arrow and choose Custom Shape Tool
  • We want a heart shape. In the newer versions of Photoshop it’s in the folder Legacy Shapes and More. If you don’t see that folder, you have to go to the Shapes panel. Open the Shapes panel, click on the menu icon at the top right corner and choose Legacy Shapes and More
  • Now go back tot he Shape menu at the Menu bar, choose the folder Legacy Shapes and More / All Legacy Default Shapes / Shapes and choose Heart Card
  • Set Forground Color on 50% gray (808080) (or any other color)
  • Place a New Guide at 50% Horizontal and 50% Vertical. Go to Menu View / Guides / New Guide / Vertical 50% and then repeat these steps and set to Horizontal 50%
  • Be sure that the Custom Shape Tool is still active
  • Hold Shift+Alt, click in the middle of your document and drag to one of the corners so that a heart shape is drawn in the middle of your document from about 400 px width. In the Properties Panel check the chain (default it is checked) and change the Width into 400 px, Deactivate Stroke, it’s default at 1 px.
  • Now duplicate the Heart Card 1 layer
  • We are going to apply a filter to the duplicated layer (top layer)
  • Make sure the heart shape is exactly in the middle of the document.
    Go to Menu Filter / Other / Offset
  • A pop-up screen will appear, click on Convert To Smart Object
  • Fill in Horizontal +300 px right and Vertical +300 px down. Check Wrap Around if it’s not checked
  • Your duplicated heart is split into 4 parts and put into the 4 corners. If your document looks different, you did somewhere something wrong. You will have to do it again otherwise the pattern will not be okay.
  • To fill the gaps, duplicate the first heart layer, transform (smaller, rotate).
    Repeat this as many times as you like
  • Select all the layers and merge them. Menu Layer / Merge Layers (Ctrl+E) and name the layer Pattern
  • If your document looks like my screenshot above with the heart(s), you finished part one.

Part 2

  • Create a New Document 3600 x 3600 px, 300 dpi
  • Go back to your first document with the Pattern layer
  • Menu Edit / Copy
  • Go to the new document. Menu Edit / Paste
  • With the Move Tool drag the Pattern to the left uppercorner, make sure it’s right up against the edges
  • Duplicate the Pattern layer 5 times
  • Activate the top layer (Pattern copy 5), hold Shift and drag to the right uppercorner, make sure it’s right up against the edges
  • Select all 6 pattern layers
  • Activate the Move Tool
  • Click in the Menu Bar on Distribute Horizontally
  • All 6 layers are now in a row at the top of the document.
  • If you see any gabs between the pattern layers, it means that one of the two corner patterns (or both) were not exactly against the edges.
  • Select the 6 pattern layers
  • Menu Layer / Merge Layers
  • Name the merged layer pattern
  • Duplicate the merged layer 5 times
  • Activate the top layer
  • Make sure the Move Tool is activated
  • Hold Shift, click on a heart of the top layer and drag the layer to the bottom, make sure it’s right up against the edges
  • Select all 6 layers
  • Click in the Menu Bar on Distribute vertically
  • You did it, your paper is filled with hearts

Create a pattern

  • Menu Edit / Define Pattern
  • A pop-up appears to name the pattern, you can give it any name you want. I gave mine the name Hearts
  • Click OK
  • Now we are saving the pattern for future use
  • Go to the Pattern Panel. If you don’t see it go to Menu / Window and check Patterns
  • In the Patterns panel, select the pattern you just made
  • Click on the menu icon at the top right and choose Export Selected Pattern
  • Name the Pattern whatever you wish and save it in the Folder where you know where to find it.

Use the pattern

  • Create a new document 3600 x 3600 px, 300 dpi
  • In the Layers panel click at the bottom on Create new fill or adjustment layer
  • Choose a color of your choise and click OK. I used color # dfd4c7. You can always change the color afterwards if needed
  • Create a new layer
  • Name the layer pattern
  • Fill the new layer with any color
  • Set Fill at 0%
  • Add a layer style on the top layer
  • Click on the fx icon at the bottom from the Layers panel and choose Pattern Overlay
  • If you don’t get the pattern you created then click on the arrow and search for your created pattern and click OK
  • If you don’t like the size of the hearts, you can change it
  • Double click in the Layers panel on the layer style Pattern Overlay
  • Decrease the number of the Scale to your choice
  • Once you’re satisfied with the size of the hearts, click OK
  • Right click on the pattern layer and choose Rasterize Layer Style
  • Add a new Color Fill layer with a color of your choice for the hearts, mine is #8a0003
  • Clip the top Color layer to the pattern layer
  • Add Overlay or Texture to your paper to make it more realistic
  • I choose one of PapierStudio Silke’s overlays (SILKE_happy_painted_overlays_06), changed color into black&white and added the overlay as top layer with Blending mode on Overlay
    https://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/digital-art/paper-making-tools/cu-happy-painted-overlays/
  • Then I added PapierStudio Silke’s SoftArt Texture (which comes with the Paper Action Soft Art Nr 13) at the top with Blending mode on Overlayhttps://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/digital-art/tools/action-soft-art-13-gesso-bits-and-gesso-art-papers/

My patterned paper is ready to use

My finished patterned papers, 1 with the pattern overlay size at 100% and 1 with the size at 50%.

I made a freebie template for those of you with incompatible software to follow the tutorial or those of just short on time today.

Download this freebie Here