|
This tutorial was written May, 2002 using PSP7.04. It is assumed that you have some working familiarity with the vectors tools in PSP7 as well as the KPT plugins. If you would really like to learn more about these tools and how to use them correctly - and have a fun time while doing so - I would highly recommend that you consider taking both of the LVS Online PSP7 Cartooning with Vectors classes taught by Ron Lacey and Sonja Shea. And, to learn more about how to use all the KPT plugins, and so many more filters and plugins, there are three classes called Filter Frenzy taught by Sally Beacham and Sonja Shea, also at LVS Online. It was through these classes that I learned not only about vectors but also about so many filters and plugins and how to use them. These classes are at LVS Online and you can get more information HERE.
If you do not already own Paint Shop Pro, you may download a trial version. If you own an earlier version of PSP, you can download or purchase the upgrade to PSP7.04. You can find and download them HERE.
The KPT plugins are available through Corel. You can find and download them HERE.
If you want to use my bjw_pink_flamingo gradient (bjw1) you may download it HERE. Place this gradient in you KPT5 Gradients folder.
************************************************PART I - Creating The Vector Flamingo Preset Shape
Most of the screen shots used have been resized by 75% and optimized.
Open 500 x 500 transparent canvas.
Start by saving your work in PSP format. Then remember to save every few steps so you won't lose all your hard work. You might also want to save the URL to the tutorial with your image by first right clicking on the URL. Then go to Image, Image Information, Creator Information and right click to paste the URL in the Description box at the end. The next time you want to work on your flamingo all you'll need to do is open the image, highlight the URL, right click on the URL and paste it into your browser.
The PSP7 tools that you'll be using are:
The Preset Shape tool: 
The Object Selector tool: 
The Deformation tool: 
The Retouch tool: 
Set Foreground color to #C000C0 and Background color to #FCA1FD.
Use Preset Shape tool and set to Elipse; hold down your shift key and draw a circle for the body:
Draw another Elipse for the tail, but do not hold down your shift key as you want this one to be longer and not as wide. Get your Object Selector tool and right click on the canvas and then select Node Edit (at the bottom of the flyout). Click on the top node and when you see the arrow, put your cursor on the left point until you see the circular arrows. Click and pull the arrow out to the right. Then do the same on the left side so we can widen the tail at the top.
Get your Object Selector tool and right click on the canvas and then select Node Edit (at the bottom of the flyout). Then start adding nodes by holding down your Ctrl key and when you see the + sign, left click to add a node. Continue adding nodes until you have something similar to the one below. After you've added your nodes, to make your feathers start pulling down on every other node. Use the arrow handles to make the feathers narrower or wider, as you like. You can see how I've adjusted mine.
Now we need to make that tail a part of the body. In Node Edit, add a node on the lower left where the tail meets the body. Then also add a node on the right. Next, click on the node in the middle of those two on the bottom of the tail, and hit your delete key. Now that line is gone! Like so:
While we only have a couple of layers in our Layer Palette, click on the + sign to open the vector layers. The elipse on the bottom is the body, so click on that, right click and Rename it 'body'. Then click on the elipse layer above that and Rename it 'tail'. You'll want to continue to name your layers since we'll be saving your flamingo as a preset shape later. With all of the body parts named you'll be able to make changes in the future.
Now to start adding the wings. Use your Preset Shape tool and draw an elipse, same settings, on the left of the body. Then click on the node in the top middle and just move it up to give the wing an arch.
And we'll need to add some nodes for the feathers and adjust those nodes. Just experiment and have fun! Your wing should be similar, but doesn't have to be exactly like, what I've done here:
Now we've got the wing on the top of the body, but we want it to be under that part of the body. With the bounding boxes around the wing, and your Object Selector tool the active tool, right click and then click on Arrange and then click on Send to Bottom:
To make the right wing, with the bounding boxes still on your left wing and your Object Selector tool active, right click and then on the flyout click on Copy (up near the top). Then right click, Paste as New Vector Selection:
We now need to get that wing turned the right direction. Put your cursor on the left middle bounding box handle until you see the little white two headed arrow. Then hold your cursor while you drag it to the right.
All we have to do now is move the wing into position and then do a little more node editing on it. Hold your cursor over the middle of the bounding box until you see a little 'x'. Then click and hold your cursor as you move the wing into position on the right.
We want the right wing on the top of the body, but we want it to be a part of the body. So, lets get rid of some of that line where the wing will connect. Add two nodes about where I have, and then click on the node in the middle of those two and hit your delete key.
Now that I have my wings in place, I think they're a little to wide. To change that, just click on your Object Selector tool and click on the left wing. Then click on the left middle bounding box square and push it in toward the body. Then do the same on the right wing, only click on the right middle bounding box square and also push it toward the body.
Next we need to have a head. Get your Preset Shapes tool , Elipse, and holding down the shift key, make a circle. Then get your Object Selector tool and start adding some nodes to make some tufts on the top of his head, and also nodes so you can delete the one on the bottom of the circle to make the head become a part of the body. This is what mine looks like with all those nodes edited, but yours may look different:
If you need to reposition the head, click on the middle bounding box square when you see the 'x'. Then you can move the head into the position you want.
I don't know if this bird can fly so we need to give this beauty some legs. Set your Foreground color to Null and your background color to a bright yellow. I've used #F8A23C. Then get your Preset Shapes tool , Rounded Rectangle, and draw a line on the left of the body, like so:
Let's make life easy and copy this leg and place it on the right so we'll be starting out with legs that are the same. Get your Object Selector tool and when you see the bounding boxes around the leg, Right Click, Copy. Then Right Click, Paste at New Vector Selection where you want the right leg. You don't even have to flip this one! :) And, if you don't like where you've placed the leg, you can always reposition it later.
Before we put the legs under the body, let's do the node editing first. Get your Object Selector tool and click on the left leg. Then Right Click, Node Edit, and add some nodes. Start at the bottom and pull each of those nodes out to the side, and then add three more nodes (hold down your Ctrl key). Then starting with the second node from the left, push that node up, skip a node, push the next to last node up. Then pull the middle node down a bit until you have something that looks sort of like this:
We need to give this guy a knee or he won't be able to walk. With your bounding box around the left leg, add a node on the left in the middle. Then add a node on the right in the middle. While that node is still highlighted in black, hold down your Shift key and click on the left node that you just added. Now both nodes are black. This means that you can move both of them at the same time. So, click and hold on that left node and move the knee out just a bit so give the leg a little bend, like this:
Let's do the right leg nodes in the other order. We'll add the knee first and get that at the angle we want, and then we'll add the foot nodes so the foot will point in the correct direction. Add the knee nodes and bend the knee like we did with the left leg. Then click on the canvas so those nodes are no longer black. Next, holding down your Shift key, click on each of the four nodes at the bottom of the leg. Hold your cursor on one of the nodes on the right, and pull the leg up and to the right a bit. This is how mine looks now:
Mine needed some more node adjusting to get the leg a bit higher. Once the knee has been added, add the nodes for the foot. This is how mine looks with the foot in place and after making the adjustments. I also adjusted the left leg by moving the top nodes to the right a bit.
Now let's move each of the legs to the bottom so they're under the body. Using your Object Selector tool, click on the right leg. Once you have your bounding box visible, Right click, then Arrange, and Move To Bottom. Then do the same on the left leg. This is what your Layer Palette and pink flamingo should now look like:
Well, this guy now needs some detail for a face. Let's start with his beak. Get you Preset Shape tool, Triangle, Foreground color set to Null and the Background color the same as the legs, and draw out a fairly narrow triangle in a blank area on your canvas. Make the triangle larger than you'll want at the end because we need to do some node editing and will need the room. Hold your cursor over the beak until you see the circular arrows and then turn the beak so the narrow point is to the left. Sort of like this:
Edit the nodes as follows. First, add three nodes on the bottom near the right. Then take the middle node that you added and move it up and to the right a bit. Next pull the left node that you added a little toward the third added node - to close the beak some. Now, with your Shift key held, click on the two nodes on the right and the one on the top. Once they are all black, Right click, Node Type, and click on Symmetric. This will add some curve to the beak. It will look something like this:
Your beak is still too big so we need to adjust that. With your Object Selector tool make sure you have the bounding box around the beak. Put your cursor on the lower left node, right click and drag the box inward. By doing this, you'll make sure that the resizing will keep everything in the same proportion. Once you think your beak is the correct size, then move the beak into place on the face. If the beak is still too large, repeat the process to make it smaller. If you've made it too small, then drag the box outward this time. Here's how mine looks now:
Now for the eyes, and then we can get on with adding some fluffy feathers to this bird. Set Foreground color to Null and your Background color to White. Get your Preset Shapes tool, Elipse, and in a blank area on your canvas draw an elongated elipse. Change your Background color to #8D92FD, or any color that you like, and draw an elongated elipse inside the white elipse. You may have to move this one so it's centered. Finally, change your Background color to Black and draw an elongated elipse for the pupil.
Next, take your Object Selector tool and click on a blank area of the canvas to remove the bounding box. Then starting to the left above the eye, drag your cursor to the right and down so that the entire eye is within a new box. Then Right click, and click on Group. Now you can move the eye into position on the left of the head. Of course, it's probably way to big, so you'll have to decrease the size like we did the beak. Once you have it the correct size, then Right click on it, Copy, Paste as New Vector Selection and position it for the right eye. Be sure to go to the Layer Palette and rename the beak and each of the eye groups. Here's what my pink flamingo finally looks like (before feathers):
Before moving on, you may want to save your pink flamingo as a Preset Shape so you can use it again. In your Layer Palette, while holding down your Shift key, click on the two eye groups and then on each of the other layers. The names will all become bold type. Once you have all of them selected, Right click and then click on Group. Then go to the Group layer in your palette and rename the group, perhaps 'pink flamingo'? Then go to File, Export, Shape and when the fly out box appears, enter the name of your shape. I name all of my preset shapes starting with my initials (bjw_) so they all appear together. If you do not name the group in the Layer Palette, the preset shape will only appear with the name 'Group' and that makes it tough to find.
************************************************PART II - Adding the Fluffy Feathers
Now to bring this bird to life! We're going to create a raster layer for each of our vector layers. Here's how. First, open your Layer Palette and click on the arrow on the top right so that it's pointing up. We want to keep the Layer Palette open while we're doing this part. Also, you'll want to make sure that it's long enough so you don't have to scroll back and forth. Increase the length by holding your cursor over the bottom of the Layer Palette and drag it down. My Layer Palette is almost the full length of my PSP work space. The basic steps you'll follow for each layer, starting with the top layer, are:
Click on the layer to highlight it.
Right click, click on Create Raster Selection (at the bottom of the fly out.)
Go up to Selections, Promote to Layer.
Then in the Layer Palette, Rename and name it the same as the vector layer.
Then click on the next layer and repeat the first four steps until you have converted
all of your vector layers.
Before we go any further, you may want to save all of this again now in PSP format. Once you've done that, hide your vector layers in the layer palette. We're only going to be working on the raster layers now, but we may need to re-do something so we'll keep the vectors for now.
NOTE: For each of the raster layers the basic steps will be:
In the Layer Palette click on the raster layer.
Go to Selections, Select All, then Selections, Float.
Apply whatever the effect is.
Select None.
In the Layer Palette click on the right wing and go to Selections, Select All then Selections, Float.
Open up KPT5, Fiber Optix, and in the Gradient bar click on the white arrow. In the fly out select Load Preset and find the bjw_pink_flamingo gradient and click on it. (It may just have the name 'bjw1'.) Or, you may make your own gradient if you prefer.
Set the Fiber Controls as shown below. You can play around with your settings to get the look you want. And, as a reminder, you can click on the little icon in the upper right of each effect box to get a flyout of the scale. You can move the sliders on the scale.
Mask:
Ambient
Mask Bevel Width 62%
Blend Noise to Mask 20%
Fiber Density:
Fiber Density 100%
Fiber Length 13%
Fiber Tapering 24%
Fiber Flatness 8%
Whorls
Direction Angle -138%
Direction Intensity 3%
Noise:
Perlin Noise
Noise Scale -50%
Fiber Color:
Plastic - Select a soft pink color
Mix Gradient Color 74%
Mix Flat Color 63%
Luma Variance 85%
Fiber Transparency 66%
Lighting:
Ambient Glow 45%
Select None. Next click on the left wing layer and apply the same KPT5 FiberOptix setting.
Select None. Click on the tail layer and change the Fiber Length to 30% before applying.
Select None. Click on the body layer and change the Fiber Length to 10% and the Direction Angle to 24%, the Direction Intensity to 3%, and the Lighting Ambient Glow to 60%. This should shorten the body feathers and make the body look fluffy.
Select None. Click on the head layer and apply the same KPT5 FiberOptix settings as used on the body. Before you deselect, apply a drop shadow using the color #EE4A9F and the following settings:
Select None. Click on the beak layer and apply an inner bevel using the following settings. At this point you may also decide that the beak is too large, or small. You can always use your Deformation tool to change the size.
Select None. Click on the right leg layer and apply an inner bevel using the following settings.
If you want to add some lines for wrinkles to the leg, get your Retouch tool and use the settings shown to draw in some lines. Your leg will look something like the one shown below.
Select None. Click on the left leg layer and apply the same settings as used for the right leg.
Select None. Click on the right eye layer and apply the same inner bevel settings. Next, add the same drop shadow used for the head. To finish off the eye, get your Paint Brush Tool and apply a white highlight - Foreground color white, Background set to Null. Use these paint brush settings:
Select None. Click on the left eye and do the same as for the right eye.
Now all you need to do is Merge All Layers Visible, tube your flamingo, and then display your flamingo however you wish. After you place your tubed flamingo, you may find that adding the same drop shadow I've used will fill him in a bit more. You can still add another drop shadow behind him, or on the ground at that point. Here's my completed Pink Flamingo:
I hope you've enjoyed making your fluffy pink flamingo. More importantly,
I hope you've learned a few new things about working with your PSP7 vector tools and
KPT5 FiberOptix.
Thank you for trying my tutorial! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
************************************************
