The Plastic Wrap effect in Photoshop: Add dripping paint to a can
The Plastic Wrap filter provides you with a simple, easy-to-use way to add realistic gloss and moisture effects to photography and illustration. In this tutorial we will use the plastic wrap filter to render a realistic paint effect on a mug. Open up photoshop and load the following image.
No we need to draw the path that will represent the dripping paint. Use the pen tool (shortcut is P) to draw a paint drip shape. First connect a couple of vertical points, then drag out a semi-circle cap at the end and go straight back up. You can use an actual photo reference if you are finding it difficult. The drawing should yield something like this.
Then on a new layer fill the dripping paint with the colour of your choice using the brush. Now use the burn tool with 50% exposure and add shadows to the drip. Then enlarge the brush and add depth to the centre. The effect should be like this.
The last step is to apply the plastic wrap. Go to Filter -> Artistic -> and Plastic Wrap. You have to play a bit with the values to obtain the desired effect. Here is my finished product.
