Create a Realistic Wine Bottle Illustration From Scratch

Step 1

Open up a new document and go to view>show>grid. Then use your path tool to draw a path in the shape of half a wine bottle. Take your time with this step in order to get a really nice shape. Use a photo for reference if necessary.

Step 2

Create a new layer called 'bottle shape'. Then go to your paths palette and click 'load path as a selection'. Then fill your selection with black. I had to go in with the lasso tool and tidy up a copy of edges. Duplicate this layer and go to edit>transform>flip horizontal. Then move the duplicate to complete the other half of the bottle shape. Then merge the two layers together.

Step 3

Then go to layer blending options for this merged layer and apply a gradient overlay ranging from black to 110202 back to black. The bottle will still appear almost black, but the very dark red middle part of the gradient will give it a slight 3d appearance. The gradient overlay settings and result are shown below:

Step 4

Now select your rounded rectangle shape tool (radius 30px) and create a large white rounded rectangle running down the left side of your bottle. Then do the same on the right with a red rounded rectangle and also a red oval above this. Finally, repeat this using smaller rectangles in the neck of the bottle. Then for each layer go to layer>rasterize>layer. Then merge all of your highlight layers together.

Step 5

Go to filter>blur>gaussian blur and apply a blur of 14px. Then reduce this layer's opacity to 40%.

Step 6

Now create a new layer called 'wine label 1′. Use your rectangular marquee selection tool to create a selection across your bottle roughly the size of a wine bottle label. Then fill this selection with white.

Then apply a gradient overlay. You want to create a custom gradient that ranges from transparent in the center (allowing the white to show through), to very light gray as you get towards the edges, to a darker gray right at the edges. This creates the illusion of depth and gives the bottle a roundness. You can use the 'location' tool whilst making your gradient to specify where each of these shades go. I chose to position my medium gray - light gray - transparent - transparent - light gray - medium gray, at 0%, 10%, 25%, 75%, 90%, 100%. You can see all of these settings below as well as the result:

Step 7

Now create a new layer called 'wine label 2′ and create a thin rectangular selection beneath your white label shape. Fill this with black, and then apply a gradient overlay ranging from black, to very dark gray, back to black.

Step 8

Now create a new layer called 'wine label 3′. Create a 2px high rectangular selection above your black label and fill it with the gradient overlay shown below. Then duplicate this layer and move it below your black gradient.

Step 9

Now create a new layer called 'wine label 4′ and create a dark blue rectangle below your current label shapes. Then apply a black-dark blue-black gradient overlay.

Step 10

Finally to finish off this part of the label copy one of the thin gold shape layers and move this below your dark blue label. Then finally apply a light gray - white - light gray gradient to a 1px line beneath this bottom bold line, and set this layer's opacity to around 65%.

Step 11

Select your text tool and drag a text box that covers the size of your label shapes. Then align your text centrally. Type out various bits of text to cover your labels. I've written the various fonts, text sizes and spacings to the right of the bottle for your reference.

Step 12

Grab an appropriate photo to use for the top of your wine label and then paste it onto a new layer beneath your text layer. I chose a lovely photo of some vine grapes (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1064352). Then go to image>adjustments>desaturate to grayscale the image. Finally cut around the top of the image, following the contours of the grapes/leaves, and delete this selection.

Step 13

Now cut away any parts of your photo that overlap the sides of the bottle. Go to image>adjustments>brightness/contrast and increase the brightness to +90 and the contrast to +50.

Use a large, soft eraser brush to erase away the bottom of your photo layer so that it blends smoothly into the white label beneath it. Now move this layer to be just above the 'wine label 1′ layer, and merge down. This should mean that your gray-transparent-gray gradient on the 'wine label 1′ layer now affects your photo also.

Step 14

Now type out some golden text above your wine label. Go to edit>transform>rotate to rotate your text very slightly anti clockwise. Then create a new layer and create a swoosh underline effect beneath your text, using your path tool. Then apply a gradient overlay to each layer, the settings of which are shown below. To apply the same gradient overlay to both layers be sure to right click on the gradient overlay in your layers palette and click 'copy layer style'. Then right click on your second layer and click 'paste layer style'.

Step 15

Now create a new layer called 'wine bottle top' and create a rectangular selection over the neck of the bottle. Be sure to make your selection 1px wider either side of your bottle neck, as we want to give the impression that the bottle neck coating is going around the bottle, and is not actually part of it. Then apply the gradient overlay settings shown below: