First, draw your bat shape.


Then create a gradient to give your bat color and shape.


On a new layer, Create a rectangle selection over your bat and drag the gradient over it.


Now with warp tool or liquify bend the gradient layer to the shape of the bat. Drop the transparency of the layer so you can see the shape of the bat below.


Hit enter and now link the gradient layer to the bat shape layer.


Next make a selection at the top of the bat and airbrush a shadow across the top of the bat like this.






Now , create file of the same dimensions and rotate it 90 degrees.
Now draw a path with the pen tool while holsing down the shift key.
This will make a straight line.
Choose a soft brush and a good color for your wood grain.
Now go to the paths pallet pull down menu and pick "Stroke Path".
This will draw a nice straight soft line across the page.



Repeat this process a few times making the brush smaller each time and separate the lines at different distances. Mix it up a bit to keep it looking natural.



Now go to Filter/Distort/ Polar coordinates and apply these settings.



Now go to stylize/ Wind



Now with the warp tool, distort the image like this.




Now with a large soft smudge brush set to about 50, smudge the image up a bit to make it look natural.



Now drag this image over to the bat image and transform it with the warp tool to fit the bat.


You can now link this layer to the others. Set it to multiply and drop the opacity a bit.



Now create a new layer. Fill it with black. Now go to filter/ Noise/
and drag the setting all the way.

Add a motion blur to the layer.




Set the layer to soft light and link it to the others. Drop the opacity if needed.
On this layer you may want to make a selection at the top of the bat and warp the shape of the grain so it folows the shape of the bat.


Now on a new layer, create a logo. Fill it with a dark brown. Set it to multiply and add a bevel and emboss and an inner shadow like this.





Now add a highlight and some final touches and there you have it.

If your bat is too nice, you can mess it up a bit.
Find a grungy texture online or photograph your own.
Drag it over your bat. Neutralize the layer and set it to multiply or soft light. Drop the opacity if needed.
Link it to the other layers.

I got this one from Mayang.com
They have great textures.


Now you can add some nicks to it.
Create another layer and with a sharp brush draw some shapes for the nicks. Now drop the "fill" to zero and add a bevel and emboss to the shapes.

I tend to disagree. The instructions for making a bat as outlined above will not result in a bat that you can use to play actual baseball, but merely in a nice picture of a bat. ReyRey should post a disclaimer or withdraw the erroneous information.

If you want to make a baseball bat, try this recipe

Step 1
Purchase a piece of wood to be used as a bat blank. Choose a type of wood that has a close grain. The closer the grain, the tighter the wood and the stronger the bat will be. Ash is a good choice and you can find it at shops that sell specialty woods.

Step 2
Use a center marker to find the center of the piece of wood. Hold one end of the wood firmly against the back edge on your center marker. To make a baseball bat that will be balanced, strike the wood with another piece of wood. The indention made will make a straight line to serve as a centering mark. Rotate the piece of wood 90 degrees. Strike it again, marking the center of the wood blank. Now, on the other end of the wood blank, do the same thing. You should have a clear "x" perfectly marked in the center of each end.

Step 3
Line up the center of the piece of wood to the drive center on a large lathe (machine that spins the wood). If the wood is balanced properly, it will spin smoothly. If it spins out of control, it's not balanced and you must repeat Step 2.

Step 4
Spin the wood on the lathe while using a 1 ½-inch roughing gouge to sculpt the bat to the size you want.

Step 5
Take a skew (finishing tool that cuts and smoothes) and complete the defining of the shape to make a baseball bat. It's a good idea to have a bat on hand that you can look at to help you get just the right definition.

Step 6
Shape the round edge of the bat top and the handle by using a spindle gouge. Turn the handle against the sharp spindle gouge slowly and carefully to make a baseball bat. Then, use an electric sander to smooth the bat completely as it spins again on the lathe.

Step 7
Put the finishing touch on when you make a baseball bat by spraying with a varathane clear spray. Once the finish dries, smooth it out by rubbing it gently with steel wool. Spray another coat of finish and allow it to dry for at least 48 hours.

Nice tut.
And here is an exellent way to use it:

well done, now fix that F*$&@^?G bat!!! where's the hilt?

I was not interested in the whole bat. I just wanted to show people how to make the wood and dirty it up. You can figure out the rest yourself you pain in the ass.

Very nice tut, Rey. Maybe you can show us how to make the handle of the bat.
I'm sure one member would benefit from that.

Ask the experts

I can feel the love here.

Cool tut RR!

This tut sponsored by Reyreyzine.

"ReyReyzine. Putting your wood to use since 2010."

Nice

Most excellent Reysquared...some day when I have enough time I may try making one!

Couldn't you just use a soft brush and draw the straight line? Shift-clicking with the brush does straight lines too.

It makes a straight line but doesn't keep it level.
You need these lines to be at a 0 degree angle