Folk Art Snow Family Tutorial


Folk Art Snow Family Tutorial GB is hosting Cassquilts' tutorials. They are ©Cassquilts. Tutorial: You will need to download Cassquilts set of gradients. Making a Folk Art Snow Family * All of the settings are guides! I encourage you to play with them and get the effect that you like. Because these instructions also teach how to create from scratch, all changes you make will give you a personalized graphic which will be entirely yours! Using the shapes and deformations are how I draw and thus this is also a mini lesson in drawing using shapes and selections:) All my images have been compressed by 50% and may appear a bit blurry. I have done this to aid with load time. Yours will be clear:) Save frequently in PSP format to preserve your layers:) Let's begin! Open an image 500 X 400, transparent background. Add a new raster layer. Go to layers palette and make the background layer invisible by clicking on the glasses. Leave this layer invisible throughout the tutorial. Using the selections tool, feather 0, anti-alias checked, ellipse, draw a large, fattened ellipse in the approximate lower third of the image. Flood fill with an antique looking white. I used #F7F7E5 (R 247, G 247, B229 - H 43, S 135, L 238). Deselect and move the ellipse down near the bottom of your image. It should look something like this. Select inside the image anywhere outside the ellipse with the magic wand. Go to selections, invert. Go to image, deformations, perspective vertical, settings -32, auto-proof, unchecked and and hit ok. Deselect. You should now have an egg shaped snowman body! Now using the deformation tool, select the egg shape, hold down on CTRL and move the bottom L square out a bit. This will fatten your egg shape a little. Apply the deformation. With the magic wand select anywhere outside of the egg, selections, invert. Leave selected for the next few steps until told to deselect Add new layer. We will now give the body some depth and at the same time add the Folk Art look to it. Go to images, effects, cut-out. Apply a cutout using these settings: Fill interior, unchecked, interior color white, shadow color: #622808 (R 98, G 40, B 8 - H 15, S 217, L 53), Opacity 50, Blur 26.8, V -6, H-10. Hit ok. Add new layer. Image, cutout and apply all the same settings changing only the V & H settings to V 6, H 10. Hit ok. Deselect and merge visible layers. Add new layer. Choosing the airbrush, Foreground color: white, settings: Round, Size 50, Hardness 100, Opacity 50, Step 10, Density 50. Make a half circle of color down near the bottom of the body. Go to image, blur, Gaussian blur, set to 8.00 and apply. This gives the body a highlight that will be subtle but add a bit more depth to the body. A small "paunch to the belly" if you will! Merge visible layers. While the body is still selected. Go to edit, copy, paste as new image. You may now deselect the body. Add new layer and drag it under the merged/body layer. Go to your new image and resize by 50%, check maintain all layers. Edit, copy and activate the original image. Now paste as new selection onto the layer you have dragged beneath the body. Using the deformation tool, grab the side handle and slim it down some. Apply deformation. Now turn the box using the turn handle in the middle. Turn it so that it will fit under the body with the pointed end towards the shoulder. Slide it under the body while still in the deformation box. Apply deformation. Edit, Copy and paste as new layer. You may need to make the merged/body layer invisible to see the copy. Move the copy out into view and make the body layer visible again. Mirror the image and place under the body layer in approximate position to the other arm. The reason I make my images on new layers within the same window that the body is on, is for perspective. This way I can judge the size and fit it just right! Merge all visible layers. * I went back layer by layer, selected the image on each layer and inverted the selection, then used the soften tool on it to soften the edges. I used these settings. Retouch tool, soften, round, size 19, Harden 100, Opacity 100, Step 1, Density 50. This is up to you if you want to do this. It will leave a small area of about 2 pixels slightly transparent which would allow the background that you place the snowman on, to show through just ever so slightly. I don't mind this, but you may not want that to happen. If not, just leave as is! As you can see it looks fine on a white background:) And not too much different on colored backgrounds. Add new layer. We will now make the head. Use selections, rounded rectangle, anti-alias checked. Draw a rectangle long enough to just about fit out to the arms. Flood fill with your body color except this time use a sunburst gradient, settings: Foreground color, white, Background color, your body fill color, vertical 50, Horizon. 50. Leave selected. Add new layer. Image, effects, cutout. Use the setting you used for the body. Apply only one cutout this time. Make body layer invisible and merge visible layers. Re-activate body layer. Make head layer active and using the deformation tool, hold CTRL down and move the bottom R handle out a bit to bring the head out a tiny bit at the bottom. Apply deformation. At this point you will want to do the following! Merge visible layers. Edit, copy and paste as new image. Export as a tube. Go back to your original image. Now apply any facial features you like:) Deselect and add new layer. On to the hat. Choose the lasso tool, point to point, anti-alias checked. Draw a hat on the top part of the head. Doesn't have to be perfect! And any type hat will do. Since I did a top hat, I flood filled with a sunburst gradient with foreground as gray and background as black, Vertical 50, Horizontal 50. I have added gradients to my site and have one called Stonework that would work well on a top hat! Now that you have your hat made you can embellish in any manner you wish! I gave mine a hat band and a small highlight by adding a new layer, painting a vertical white line over on the L and adding a Gaussian blur set at 8. Merge all visible layers. We'll be adding a vest now. Add new layer. Using the lasso tool at the same settings as for the hat, draw your vest over the body starting at either side. I flood filled it with my Barn Red gradient, linear, angle 135, 4 repeats. I then added a pattern from image, effects, pattern. I then copied the vest and pasted as a new layer, mirrored and moved into position over the R shoulder. Now it's time for fun! Add buttons, pockets, pocket-watch, anything you'd like! Merge all layers and copy, paste as new image and export as picture tube. Here is my snowman at 100%. And since I tubed the image at the blank face stage I can now make a snow woman and snow children! I can resize them, give them different facial expressions and change the clothes. This is how you can create a whole family:) I hoped you have enjoyed this tutorial. And learned a little bit on how to draw using shapes and deformations:) This tutorial written on 04/23/2000 and © 2000 Driftwood Cove Graphic Design. Written and designed entirely by Cassquilts. Please do not alter, offer in collections, copy nor claim as your own. Should you want to offer the use of it to your graphics group, please e-mail me for permission and I will be happy to grant it in writing! Should you wish to add a link from your site to it, you may do so as long as credit is given:) Roly Poly People: Dressing Them* This site, pages, logos and site name © 1999, 2000 by Driftwood Cove Graphic Design This site optimized for 800 X 600 monitor resolution.. Best viewed in MSIE4.0 & Netscape 4.0 or better. Site © 1999, 2000 by Cassquilts/Driftwood Cove Graphic Design. All rights reserved.