Patriotic Web Graphics

Out of all the patriotic graphics that exist on the Internet a vast majority of them are rooted in the American culture and with the Internet being available in even the most rural of locations there are millions upon millions of patriot graphics dealing with the United States.

The Beginning of Patriotism

Over the course of its young life, America has had many growing pains in a relatively short period. These range from the Civil War and Revolutionary War to the Korean War, Vietnam Conflict and, more recently, the Iraq War.

Following the attacks of September 11 the feelings of patriotism among many Americans has increased to staggering levels. As a result, Americans create websites and graphics that show the pride that they hold for their country. This naturally applies to any country that has experienced any kind of hardship or conflict.

For many people the Internet represents a place for a person to voice their thoughts, bad or good, without fear of persecution. Websites are created daily that serve to show their pride in their country.

Many Types of Patriotic Web Graphics

Not everyone with a computer is a graphics wizard. With that said there are many websites now available that provide free graphics that are patriotic in nature regardless of what country.

American patriotic graphics make a great example due to the tremendous number of them that exist. The patriotism in America is manifested through many different symbols and sayings that have become known worldwide and they include:

• The yellow ribbon, which has become one of the most recognized symbols in the world as a means to support the troops
• The American flag has long since been a symbol and an icon of freedom
• The bald eagle is representational of struggle and strength as well as a sign of freedom and is used a lot in conjunction with other symbols to convey one solid message
• Military vehicles, combined with other symbols and sayings, are used to get their personal message out

Creating Your Own Custom Patriotic Graphic

Even though there are many free resources for patriotic web graphics it can be very easy to create your own. Many programs are available to help you accomplish this. One such program is Photoshop which can be downloaded free and used for a trial period.

What follows is an easy tutorial on how you can create a simple patriotic web graphic. This will be accomplished by making a flag wave. The image that you make can be used in conjunction with any website design regardless of the design software you use.

To make the flag “wave” you will need an image editing program such as Photoshop (which the following tutorial is written for) and an image of a flag like the one below which can easily be a Union Jack, Indian flag or any flag graphic that you make (or find that is free) that is free of a background (which could be added later).

Generic flag

Step by step instructions:

1. Open Photoshop and create a new image that is 600 x 600 (don’t worry, when you are done you can shrink it down to a usable size) with a white background
2. Create a new layer by clicking on Layer->New->Layer (or you can use the “hot key” of shift+control+N) and you can simply click on the “create new layer” option on the layer pallet and click on the new layer to make it active
3. Open your flag image and select the move tool then click and drag the flag to the new canvas to the new layer and let go of the mouse button (newer versions of Photoshop will automatically create a new layer)
4. Select the magic wand tool then click on the white background, which will select everything except the flag
5. Now you want to select just the image of the flag by clicking on Select->Inverse or pressing shift+control+I
6. Create another new layer and select the gradient tool then click on the gradient shade at the top of the screen in order to edit it. When the edit gradient comes up you will move the selectors to match the graphic below (it is helpful if you color pick light gray and white for your background and foreground then select the rainbow preset and click on the tabs to change the colors, alternating them)

Gradient edit example

1. With your new layer active and the gradient tool selected, drag it across the flag to create columns of gray and white the select the “blending mode” box on the layer pallet and select multiply
2. Merge the two layers by pressing control+E one time then deselect all images by clicking on Select->Deselect or use the hot key control+D
3. With the new layers merged click on Filter->Liquify and select a large brush size (157 will do). Use the shading as a guide and pull the flag up at the light areas and down at the dark. It may take some practice but you can always cancel the filter and try again. When you are satisfied click OK and it will be applied with your final image looking something like this after you flatten the image and crop it:

Image should look something like this

By using the waving flag you just made, you can add other variations to it depending on your country. The following were easily created with the above tutorial in mind:

Live Free	Live Free Yellow Ribbon
Never Forget	Ghost Soldier

Voice your pride in your home country by adding elements that mean something to you and your nation. A Union Jack, for example, could add to a waving flag Tower of London, Parliament or the crown. The same ideas can be added to the Iraq or Afghan flag, Canadian, French as well as every other country in the world. You are only limited by your creativity.