You’d be surprised as to how much you can pull off using simple tools in Photoshop. If you’re an intermediate or even an upper-beginner Photoshop user, you’ve probably used these techniques and tools in your works; this is just a simple experimentation with them.

This isn’t a tutorial for anything specific per say, it’s just an amalgamation of some basic ideas. Hopefully you can build on it to create something truly awe-inspiring!

Step 1: We’re going to start with a 512 x 384 pixel image at 300DPI.

Step 2: Select the ellipse tool and draw a circle while holding down the shift key; this ensures that a perfect a circle is drawn. Remember to keep the fill color tab selected when you draw the figure. Also remember that each shape you draw should be on its own unique layer.

Step 3: Using the rectangular tool and, just as the circle, keeping fill colors checked, draw a rectangle. Drag the rectangle layer below the circle layer and align it behind the circle layer as shown.

Step 4: For the legs, draw two rectangles each on its own separate layer and then rotate them by going to Edit > Transform > Rotate. Make a crude inverted ‘V’ by aligning the layers with each other, and after dragging them below the rectangle’s layer, align them as shown below.

Before we move on, hold down the Ctrl key and select both the layers that make up the legs, right click and merge layers.

Step 5: Using the ellipse tool draw a hand, an eye and a retina for the stick figure. Remember to keep each shape on its own unique layer.

Step 6: Let’s grow some green! Select the ellipse tool and while holding down the shift key draw a circle about the size of the eyeball. Duplicate this layer 6-7 times and move around the circles to form the foliage for the tree. Next, draw a trunk using the rectangle tool and merge it with the foliage layer to complete the tree.

Using the technique described above, draw 2-3 more trees and remember to keep all of them below the layers of the stick figure.

Step 7: Create a new layer below the trees and paint it blue. Now using the pen tool draw a shape similar to the one see below, when you reach back to the start the pen tool should show a tiny circle next to the cursor, click it to create the workpath. Right click the solid line left by the pen tool (the workpath), and click on Make Selection.

Step 8: While the selection is active, create a new layer and, using the paint bucket, fill the selection with a brownish-orange color, which will act as the ground.

Step 9: Now for the effects. Select the face layer and go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Apply the settings shown below.

Similarly apply noise to each layer that you’ve created, except the eye ball layer. Your image should look similar to the one below.

Step 10: For the shadows, right click one of the layers and select blending options. The settings to be applied are shown below.

Right click the layer that you’ve applied them to and select Copy Layer Style. Now select every layer, except the layers with the retina and the sky, right click and select Paste Layer Style. You’re done!

I added a grunge border and applied a few layer overlays to create variations of the image you see above, not bad for a bunch of shapes eh?