This tutorial is written for PSP7.04. It was written November 11, 2001. While it is long and does use vectors, a lot of the length is due to my extensive use of screen shots to help you work with the vector tool and node editing. I do hope you enjoy making this guy! And, if you have not made the companion tutorial, the Skating Snowman, you can find that tutorial on my Tutorial Index page by clicking on the PSP Tutorial banner on the bottom of every page.

PSP7.04. If you do not already own Paint Shop Pro, you may download a trial version. If you do own PSP, then you can download or purchase the upgrade to PSP7.04. You can find and download them HERE.

This tutorial also uses the Texturizer filter. Since I cannot find a site where you can download it, other than via other tutorials, I have not included a link for you. If you do not have this filter, you should still be able to add texture to the mittens, scarf and cap by using the texturizer filter within PSP7.

I've also used Alien Skin Eye Candy 3.1 which you can download HERE.

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Open a new 450 x 500 transparent image.

Make your foreground and background colors both white. Then get your preset shapes tool, ellipse, with line at 1 and both antialias and vector boxes checked. Make an ellipse in the middle of the canvas, like this:

Get your node edit tool; right click; click on bottom node and pull the handles out, and down a little like so:

To make the lower part of the snowman a little fuller, click on the node to the left and you will see two long handles. If you pull the lower one out a bit, it will increase the bottom portion of the snowman. Do this on both sides. It will then look something like:

Layer Palette|Convert to Raster Layer. Go to Effects|Texturizer, with the following settings: Sandstone; scaling 100%; relief 3; light direction Top as shown below:

Select none. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float. Effects|CutOut Effects with the following settings: Horizontal and Vertical both 5; Opacity 65; Blur 31; Shadow Color medium gray; fill interior box not checked. Click OK, then apply the cutout again but change the Horizontal and Vertical to -5. Select None.

Next we'll add some feet. Add a layer. This time using your preset shapes tool with the same ellipse settings, make a circle on the left front of the snowman, like this:

To flatten out the bottom of the foot, select your node edit tool, right click and select node edit, then click on the bottom node. Pull the handles out a bit to flatten out the bottom of the elipse/shoe, like this:

In your layer palette, right click on the shoe layer and convert to raster layer. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float. Apply the same Texturizer settings. Add a layer and apply the same cutout effects. Hide the body layer and layer 1. Make sure you have one of the shoe layers highlighted. Go to Layers|Merge|Merge Visible.

Unhide the other layers. Highlight the left shoe layer. Right click and duplicate. Make sure the copy layer is highlighted, then go to image, Mirror and place the right shoe where you want it. I'd leave a little space in between the two shoes for definition.

Hide the bottom Layer and highlight one of the other layers. Layers|Merge|Merge Visible. Now we can move this guy down on the canvas if we need some more room above. This is what I have now:

Let's make the head before we start on the 'clothing'. Add a layer. Use your preset shape tool, ellipse, with the same settings as before. Start in the upper left and drag your cursor down and to the right. This should place your elipse where you want it, or close to it, anyway. :o) Here's what mine looks like at the moment:

If the head is a little too wide, just get your node edit tool, right click and select node edit. Then click on the left node, you can pull on the handles and make the sided a little longer, and then drag the node in a little to make the head a little narrower. Do the same on the right side. Don't worry about the shape of the top of the head as we're going to put a hat on him, or her, anyway. Here's what mine looks like:

Layer Palette; Convert the head layer to a raster layer. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float and apply your Texturizer to the head. Next, apply your two cutouts to the head, then deselect. This is what mine looks like now (and for those who noticed, yes, I did change the grid colors as I was having some trouble seeing the snowman against the light gray squares):

TIP: You may want to tube your snowman body so that you can dress it in different ways. To do this, hide the bottom layer, make sure you have one of the body part layers highlighted, and go to Layers|Merge|Merge Visible. Then go to Edit|Copy and Edit|Paste as New Image. You can then go to File|Export|Export as Tube and your basic snowman body will be available for you to work with in the future. If you do not want to tube the body, you can also save it in PSP format.

Let's make the sweater next! I kind of like working with the elipse shape, so let's use that one. Place your cursor to the left of the upper middle body and then draw your ellipse over to the right, and pull down about mid-way on the snowman. It doesn't have to 'fit' as we're going to work with the node edit tool to get it the way we want it to look. Here's where my ellipse is at the moment:

To start your node editing, start on the left by clicking on the left node. First move the node in toward the body, and then pull up and some to the right on the top handle. This is what you'll have:

Now do the same on the right side of the sweater. You'll also want to move the top of the sweater up a bit, too.

Keep adding nodes (Hold down the Ctrl key and when you see the + then left click). Then you can use the handles to make the hemline wavy by pulling one of the handles out a little and up, or down. This isn't rocket science so you can do what you like. And, the nice part is, if you don't like it, just click on Ctrl-Z and what you did will be erased! Here are the nodes on my sweater:

When you are finished node editing, the sweater will be white. Layer Palette|Convert to Raster Layer. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float. Now apply a gradient or other color or pattern of your choice. Select the top box for the gradient and change the angle to 90. Once you have done that, apply your Texturizer with the Texture = Canvas; Scaling = 100%; Relief = 4; Light Direction = Right; Invert = NOT checked. Then apply your cutout effects only change the shadow color to one that is complementary to your sweater color. Here's the way mine looks:

To give the body some added dimension, add an inner bevel. Here are the settings I used:

Deselect. Now it's time for the arms. For this one I've made the snowman standing with his arms behind him. (Well look at that! No hands or mittens to make! :) But, they really aren't that hard to make.) Get your preset shapes tool; elipse; antialias and create as vector both checked; line width 1; foreground and background colors both white. Make an ellipse like so:

Hold your cursor over the shape until you see the arrows going in the circle. Left click and rotate the elipse so it looks sort of like mine in the image below. You may also need to reposition the elipse so that it is higher up on the 'shoulder', but not on the neck:

Get your node edit tool and begin to shape the arm. I added two nodes, one on each side of the lower arm so I could make an elbow shape. Remember, use the handles to pull your shape and to make it curve. You can also click on the node and move it. At the top node I pulled the handle to make the top less rounded. The part on the lower right really doesn't matter as we're going get rid of it since it's supposed to be behind the snowman. This is what my nodes look like before I do that:

Make sure the two nodes where I've put the red arrows are close to the sweater body. These are shown in the screen shot below. Next, add the node in the middle of those two nodes. Click on each of the nodes with the red arrows, then click on the one you just added and hit your Delete key. You will be left with an opening between the two red arrows, but I'll show you next how to fix that.

Right click on your node too, Node Edit mode, and first make sure the bottom edge of the arm is where you want it. If not, just click on that node and move it up a bit. Then right click on the other node that is not connected, click on Edit, and click on Merge. Your arm will now be connected, and it will appear that the hand is behind the snowman. Right click, quit node edit, and you should have something like this:

Convert the arm layer to a raster layer. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float. Change your foreground color to whatever you used before. If you used a gradient and had the angle set at 90, you'll want to change it to 0 now. Next, apply your Texturizer, but change the Light Direction to Bottom. Next apply your cutouts with the same settings you used on the sweater body. And finally, apply the inner bevel with the same settings you used before. This is what my arm looks like now:

For the right arm all we need to do is go to our Layer Palette, make sure you're on the arm layer, and then right click and duplicate. Then Image|Mirror and you'll need to move the arm into place using your mover tool and/or your deformation tool. This arm is a lot easier to make! :o) Here's my snowman now with the sweater finished and both arms in place:

Let's do the scarf next. Get your preset shapes tool, ellipse shape, and make a narrow ellipse shape across the body where the scarf will go around the neck. (Make sure your foreground color is set to white.) Use your node handles to pull the scarf into shape. Add some nodes if you need them. I added some on the top because I needed to pull the scarf down a bit from the neck of the sweater. Here's what my nodes look like:

When you are satisfied with that part of the scarf, Layer Palette, Convert to Raster Layer. Select another color or gradient, or pattern fill for your foreground/scarf color. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float and apply your fill. Then go to Effects|Texturizer and using the same settings as for the arms, apply the Texturizer. Then apply your cutouts, and finally the inner bevel - all using the same settings as before. Deselect.

Now we'll add the long parts of the scarf. Add a layer below the scarf part that you've made. Get your preset shapes tool, rounded rectangle, and draw a long piece. Here's what I have: (And yes, I didn't change the foreground to white because I'm just going to use that color for the flood fill anyway. )

To give your scarf tail some shape, get your node edit tool, right click and add some nodes. When using this shape, you'll have to change the node type in order to pull on the handles and use them to add the curves. After you've added your nodes (I put three on each side) right click on a node, Edit, Symetric, and then you should be able to work with the node more easily. Here's what I did with mine:

When you are satisfied with how the scarf looks, Layer Palette|Convert to Raster Layer. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float and apply your color. If you are using a gradient, remember to change the angle back to 90 for the scarf tails. Then apply your Texturizer, but change the light direction back to Right; then your cutouts; and finally, the inner bevel.

Now, we can make life a bit easier if we go to the Layer Palette, right click on the scarf tail and then Duplicate. Move the copy layer above the layer with the scarf piece that goes around the neck. Then use your deformation tool to angle the tail and to move it into place so that it looks like the scarf was tied with this piece coming over the top of the part that goes around the neck. Here, this is what mine looks like:

Next we need to add some fringe to each of the scarf tails. The fringe will go on a layer beneath each of the tails. We'll use the Draw tool, Freehand; anitalias checked and all others unchecked; Line Width of 2. Use your same foreground color, unless you prefer a complimentary color. The choice is entirely up to you! :o) Remember to make your background color Null. First add a number of lines. Then go to Effects|3D Effects| Drop Shadow and use the following settings: horizontal, vertical and blur all 1; and opacity at 65. Click ok and then apply the same inner bevel. Add a layer and add some more fringe. When you have enough fringe, add the drop shadow and the inner bevel to that layer. Then add a layer above the scarf neck and follow the same process. Don't forget to add a second layer of fringe. Here's my finished scarf and sweater:

And now for the hat. First, hide your first Layer and then merge all the other layers. Add a layer, get your preset shapes tool; ellipse shape; antialias and vector checked; line width of 1, and your foreground and background color set to white. Draw an ellipse across the head of the snowman.

Get your Node Edit tool; right click; Node Edit; click on the left node and first move it in toward the head, and then pull the handle down and a little toward the neck so the hat comes down over the snowman's 'ears'. :o) Pull the top handle up and to the left as we're going to make a stocking cap this time. Yours will look something like this:

Do the same on the right side, but instead of pulling the top node up and out, pull it up some and a little to the left. What you'll get will look sort of like this (sort of looks like something from outer space!):

Now you need to do some pulling and adding of nodes and just keep playing with it until you get something sort of like this. If you find that the cap is down too low on the forehead to leave enough space for the eyes, nose and mouth, then click on the node in the middle and move it up. If the sides move up, then click on each of the side nodes and pull the handles down again. Remember, each person will make their own version so it's okay for your hat to look different from mine. I never make them the same two times in a row, either. :o)

When you're satisfied, Layer Palette, Convert to Raster Layer. Flood fill with a color or gradient or pattern of your choice. Apply your Texturizer, cutouts - remember to change the shadow color to a complimentary color and to change the horizontal and vertical to -5 the second time - and then apply the inner bevel. Here is what mine looks like:

If you'd like, you can add a fur band around the face, and then a pompom on the end. Let's start with the pompom. Get your preset shapes tool, ellipse shape with the same settings as before. Make sure your foreground and background colors are set to white. Make a circle at the end of the cap. When you have the shape you like, you can move it into place if it's not where you like it. It will look something like this:

Then go to the Layer Palette and Convert to Raster Layer. Then Selections|Select All; Selections|Float; Selections|Modify|Feather 3 pixels. We're going to use a couple of techniques to get the fur. First, go to Effects|Texture|Fur and use the following settings to apply some fur:

Apply the same fur one more time. Then go to EyeCandy 3.1 Jiggle and apply the following settings:

Deselect. Now get your preset shapes tool; ellipse shape; same settings as before; make sure your foreground and background colors are still white. Then lay an ellipse across the face area. The ellipse should not be too wide as it's only going to be a band. Place some nodes so you can move around a bit more easily. Again, this does not have to be perfect, but it should cover the green. We'll also be adding those 3 feather pixels so it should all work out. Here are the nodes that I have made and the final adjusted shape:

When you are satisfied, Layer Palette, Convert to Raster Layer. Selections|Select All; Selections|Float; Selections|Modify|Feather 3 pixels. Then add the same fur, two times, like we did for the pompom and then the Eye Candy 3.1 jiggle.

Before we put on the face, let's add some creases to the hat. Add a layer. Find the layer with the hat base and got to Selections|Select All; Selections|Float. Highlight your new layer to make it active. Get your draw tool, line width of 2; make sure that vector is NOT checked; Freehand, and draw some lines where the hat would be expected to have some folds or creases. You may also want to use a color that is complimentary to your hat:

Now go to Blur, Gausian Blur with a radius setting of 4 and click OK. Then Deselect.

If you merged your snowman when your sweater was completed, highlight that layer in your layer palette. If you did not merge the layers, find the layer with the head and highlight that layer. Add a layer. Now we're going to add the eyes. You may use the paintbrush to make a small cirle of about 3 pixels. Or make an elongated eye by placing two paintbrush circles of 2 pixels, one below the other. Or you may use any eye that you'd like here. Be sure to add a white highlight to the eyes.

To make the nose you can get your preset shapes tool and select the cone shape. Check both antialias and vector, but make sure that retain style is NOT checked. Make your foreground color Null and your background color a shade of orange. Then draw out your carrot nose. If you start under the right eye, down where you're going to put the mouth, and then drag your cursor up and to the left, the cone will end up being in the correct position. If you need to make some adjustments, you can just move it. When you have a nice carrot nose, go to your layer palette and convert to raster layer.

Move your background color to the foreground. Left click on the color to bring up the color palette and move your cursor up above the current color to select a darker shade for the crease highlights. Then go to Selections|Select All; Selections|Float get your draw tool set to 1, antialias checked, vector NOT checked; Freehand. Add a layer and draw some crease lines. Then Blur|Gausian Blur with a radius setting of 1. Next, hide all the layers except the two for the carrot nose. Then Merge|Merge Visible. Now unhide the other layers so you can see this cute guy! Make sure you're on the merged nose layer. Then, go to Effects|3D Effects|Inner Bevel and use the following settings:

Deselect. Add a layer and get your paintbrush tool, change your foreground color to black, and using the following settings, make 5 or 7 circles for a smile. It's easiest if you start with your first circle right under the tip of the nose.

And that is it! Merge|Merge Visible and then tube your snowman. Go to Edit|Edit Copy; Edit|Edit Paste as New Image. Then go to File|Export as Tube. By doing it this way you will minimize the excess size of your tube. Here is my finished tubed Sweatered Snowman:

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Meneka, one of my FlyByNightGraphics friends was kind enough to test my Sweatered Snowman for me. While she thought it was hard, she said she learned more about vectors and is beginning to get the hang of them. :o) That makes me feel good as helping others to learn and grow is one of the reasons that I've started writing tutorials. I think Meneka did a wonderful job in making this adorable guy! Thank you, Meneka, for testing this tutorial for me.

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Finally, in this last image I have used the Sweatered Snowman in a scene with my Skating Snowman and another friend in a sweater:

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