Open a new document.

850 px X 850 px.

Resolution: 100

Fill it with color # 000000 (Black).

Leave layer name, "Background".

The Background.
In this step we will add some color to the black background.

Open a new layer, do not name it.

Use a 200 px soft brush, with a 25% Opacity, and a Flow of 30%.

Start painting around the frame, using a different range of colors. I used Green, Red, Purple, Blue and White.

The colors will look kind of blurry, as you are painting with transparency.

After you are satisfied with the result. Merge the layer down, and leave the name, "Background".

This is the source image you will use for the creation of the flowers. This image was provided by Pxleyes, for a contest.

To download the image:

Click over the right side of your mouse.

Save Image As:

When window opens, save image in your pictures, or in a place where you can have access to it. Give the file a name.

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool ( L ), to make a selection of the golden area from your image source.

Copy (Ctrl + C) and Paste (Ctrl + V), the selection. This will open a new layer. Name layer, "Gold".

This is the part of the ship wheel, that we will use to form the petals of the flower.

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L).

Copy (Ctrl + C) and Paste (Ctrl + V), a shape like shown in image.

Name new layer, (Petal 1).

Filter - Liquify (Shift + Ctrl + X).

Warp (W).

Brush Size 64.

Brush Pressure 50.

Warp the shape of the golden piece, to form the shape of the petal.

This is an important step. As I will guide you to the making of your first petal for the flower.

Fig 1.- Use the Dodge Tool (O).
5 px hard brush.
Range: Highlights.
Exposure of 45%.

Fig 2.- Use the Dodge Tool (O).
With a 3 px hard brush, draw some little veins to the petal.
Range: Highlights.
Exposure: 100%.

Use the Smudge Tool (R).
Spatter 12 px brush.
Strenght of 60%.

Fig 3.- Filter - Liquify - Warp.
Give your petal the form shown here.

GIVING COLOR TO THE PETAL.

Open a new layer, on top of layer, "Petal".

Name this layer, "Color". This layer has to be selected.

Set the Layer Blending Mode to "Overlay".

Use a soft 35 size brush.

Opacity: 75%.

Flow: 35%.

Use this colors:
# 003399
# 330066
# 000033
# 330099
# 3300FF

This is a range of purple colors, that you will use to give color to the petal. The idea is to paint all around inside the petal. As you have a selection made, the colors can not go out of your selection. Try to blend the colors, but do not put color over the center, where the smudged area is.

Use the Dodge Tool (O).
Same 35 px soft brush, that you used to apply the color.
Range: Highlights.
Exposure: 50%.

Do some dodging over the petal to give some highlights.

Instead of layer, "Petal". It should be "Petal 1".

Your petal is finished, and should look like the one shown in the image.

Use the Transform Tool (Ctrl + T), turn "Petal 1" just a little to the right.

Drag layer, "Petal 1" to the new layer button, located at the bottom of your layers column.

Use the Move Tool (V), to separate the layers.

Edit - Transform - Flip Horizontal.

Place the two petals, close to each other.

Name new layer, "Petal 2".

Drag layer "Petal 2", to the create new layer button as you did before.

Name new layer, "Petal 3".

Position layer "Petal 3", as shown in image.

Filter - Liquify (Shift + Ctrl + X).

Warp (W).

64 brush size.

Pressure: 50.

Distort the leaf, making it wider.

Join the three petals together.

Merge down layers, "Petal 3", "Petal 2". This will make a new layer with "Petal 1". Name new layer, with the three petals, "Lower Petals".

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L).

Copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl + V), a piece like shown in image.

We'll form the upper petals, from this golden piece from image source, as we did with the lower petals.

Name new layer, "Upper Petal 1".

Filter - Liquify (Ctrl + Shift + X).
Warp (W).
Brush size 64.
Brush pressure: 50.

Try to get the shape given in Fig 2. After you are happy with the result, use the Smudge Tool (R).
9 px hard brush. Strenght 75%, and work over the edges, as shown in Fig 3.

We'll work more on fig 3, to enhance the result of our warping.

Use Filter - Liquify (Ctrl + Shift + X).
Warp (W).
Make the petals wider at the top.
Use same 64 px brush, and pressure of 50.

Use the Dodge Tool (O).
3 px hard brush, to draw little lines, along "Petal 1", to form kind of veins.

Use the Dodge tool again to make some highlights at the right bottom of this petal.

Use the Smudge Tool (R).
Spatter 16 px size hard brush.
Strenght of 70%.

Make some smudging, to form kind of hair at the bottom of the petal.

To give color to the upper petal, we'll do the same we did with the lower petal.

Open a new layer, name it, "Petal 2".

Use these colors:

# 9999FF, # 6666FF, # 3300FF, and a redish color for the bottom tip of the petal, # CC3300.

35 px soft brush.
Opacity: 35%.
Flow 35%.
Layer Blending Mode, set to "Screen".

Copy (Ctrl + C) and Paste (Ctrl + V), layer "Upper Petal 1".

Name new layer, "Upper Petal 2".

Edit - Transform - Flip Horizontal.

Place this layer behind, "Upper Petal 1". Darken the area where the two layers join together, using a # 000000 (Black).

Copy (Ctrl + C) and Paste (Ctrl + V), "Upper Petal 2".

Name new layer, "Upper Petal 3".

Place this layer, behind "Upper Petal 2".

Darken the area where this layer, joins the other two.

After you are happy with the result, merge the three layers together, name new layer, "Upper Petals".

We will form the flower now.

Join layers, "Upper Petals", and "Lower Petals", to form a single layer, name it, "Iris Flower".

As we have been working with our source image, provided by Pxeleyes. This time, we'll make a leaf.

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L), to make a seleccion of the area shown in image.

Copy (Ctrl + C) and Paste (Ctrl + V), a selection from the wooden area of the ship wheel.

Name new layer, "Leaf 1".

Make two more copies of layer, "Leaf 1".
Do not name layers, just put them together, one over the other, as shown in Step 21.

A column is formed. (Fig 1).

Use the Healing Brush Tool (J).
Make a pattern as shown in (Fig 2).
Use the Smudge Tool (R).
Spatter 20 px size brush.
Strenght of 60.
Smudge all the area from top to bottom, (Fig 3).

Filter - Liquify - Warp.
64 size brush.
Brush pressure: 50.

Try to give a nice shape to the wooden piece.

To color the leaf:

Image - Adjustment - Color Balance.

Midtones: Cyan -70, Green + 25, Blue + 50.

THE LEAVES.

With the first leaf colored, name the layer, "Leaf 1".

Make 9 copies of this layer, (In the image for this step, tells you to make 10 copies, but you have already a layer, named, "Leaf 1", so, you need only 9 more)

Name layers, "Leaf 2"...through "Leaf 10".
The idea of having all of these layers, is that, you will be working, one leaf at the time. Do not be confused using these layers.

Start with "Leaf 2".

Filter - Liquify - Warp.

Brush Size: 64

Brush Pressure: 50

Try to give every leaf a form. Your leaves do not have to be like the ones I made. Place them as shown in image.

Darken the green color.

Image - Adjustments - Curves.

Input: 85

Output: 50

Make a rectangular selection from the piece of wood, we used to make the leaves.

Use the Transform Tool (Ctrl + T), to make it thinner.

Use the Smudge Tool (R).

Spatter 24 px soft brush, strength of 50.

Name the new layer, "Stem 1". ( This layer has to be selected, before you do the smudging).

Image - Adjustments - Color Balance.

Midtones: Cyan - 70, Green + 25, Blue + 50.

Image - Adjustments - Curves.

Input: 85

Output: 50

Make a copy of layer, "Stem 1".

Use the Transform Tool (Ctrl + T), to make the selection longer.

Name new layer, "Stem 2".

Bring the selection down. (Make it shorter).

Position the stems as shown in image.

Duplicate layer, "Iris Flower" 2 times.

Name new layers, "Iris Flower 1", and "Iris Flower 2".

Place the flowers as shown in picture.

Use the Transform Tool (Ctrl + T), to make them smaller, or you can leave as they are, if you like.

The flowers, and the leaves are put together, we are almost at the end of this tutorial.

Use a 200 px size, soft brush, and a Opacity of 85%, to give more color to the background.

We arrived to the end of this tutorial. I appreciate your time and your dedication to following me through these steps. I hope you learned something new. As I told you before in the other tutorials that I wrote, do not hesitate, ask questions, because the easy way to learn, is asking.

Good luck in your journey through Art.