Get a Free Illustrated Tiger Wallpaper for Chinese New Year

Decorate your phone screen for the Year of the Tiger with a pastel-hued water tiger background by Catherine Pearson

Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year) falls on February 1, 2022. So in addition to lighting lanterns and firecrackers, and getting those red envelopes ready, why not celebrate with a beautifully illustrated phone background?

2022 is the year of the Water Tiger. The tiger is associated with action, boldness, and strength, while water is associated with emotion, passion, and flowing towards your desires. Catherine Pearson (@catherinepearson), an illustrator and Domestika teacher, here celebrates this powerful combination using Photoshop. Read on to learn more about the tiger’s story, watch Catherine at work, and download the wallpaper…

The tiger’s story

The tiger is one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. The folk story tells that the Jade Emperor wanted to create an easier way for his people to tell time, and challenged the creatures to race across a river to his palace. The order they arrived in would decide which year they would become the guardian of.

Twelve animals completed his challenge in the following order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. These animals became what we now call the zodiac, a twelve-year cycle. In addition, each year is associated with one of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. This means that each exact configuration of animal plus element will only occur every sixty years.

The tiger crossed the river in third place, beaten only by the strong ox and the cunning rat (which hitched a ride on the ox’s back, then leapt to first place). The tiger’s quickness and confidence allowed it to place highly in the race, hence the animal’s association with leadership and strength.

Illustrating the water tiger

Catherine Pearson creates striking artwork using color gradients, texture, and details for clients including Adobe MAX and Absolut Vodka. A Swiss illustrator based on the hills of Lausanne, Switzerland, her style is instantly recognizable for its playful, soft colors that blend from one to the next in a fluid way. In her course, she teaches students how to design captivating illustrations from a client’s vision.

Now, she has used her enchanting style to bring the water tiger to life. Taming the fierce tiger with pastel colors, she adds lotus flowers and flowing water details with her trademark gradient effects.

Watch the video below to see how she began the project, by sketching out the tiger in Procreate, before moving into Photoshop to polish the final illustration.

Download a free phone wallpaper to celebrate Chinese New Year

After clicking on the button below, you will find a ZIP file in the Downloads folder on your computer titled Free Water Tiger Wallpaper for Chinese New Year.zip. Inside, you can learn more about Catherine and her course, and get the wallpaper for yourself.

This download will only be available until February 21, 2022. If you want to learn how to create your own emotive imagery using gradients, check out Catherine’s course, Illustration in Photoshop: Enchant with Color and Texture. Why not create your own tribute to the water tiger?

You can also explore all of Domestika's online illustration courses here.

You may also like:

- 5 Contemporary Chinese Artists You Should Know
- Essential Chinese Calligraphy Materials for Beginners
- 10 Great Drawing Apps for the iPad
- 4 Free Tutorials for Using and Creating Digital Brushes
- 7 Online Course for Learning How to Illustrate in Photoshop