Barnyard Animals

You will just need PSP7 for this tutorial.  Eye candy is optional........I used it for inner bevel, but PSP's would work also.   

And you'll also need an adventurous vector spirit!   I love them.......you can get such a great precise, smooth "no-jaggies" shape using them.   Are ya ready?  I just "node" you can do it!

I have the 3 animal templates in this zip for you to download.  They are simple drawings I scanned in from a piece of folk art in my home.  I've also included my bow I scanned off my folk art piece.  

Get the zip here.

We will draw each animal as a separate image, and then combine them in the final step.  Ok......are ya ready?  This is lots of fun and great vector practice!

CREATING THE LITTLE CRITTERS:

  1. Open up the pig template in PSP.  We will be "tracing" our pig on a new layer using vectors and nodes.  Add a new layer.  Set your foreground and background colours to a soft pink.....(#D1B9C3).
  2. Using your shape tool, create as a vector, antialias checked, draw a long elipse over your lil piggie (not your toe, our critter!) lol. 
  3. Click on your object selector tool button, and choose node edit in the tool options.  We will be working with cusp throughout this tutorial.  It will give us nice smooth curves for these guys.   Move the nodes into place around the outline, and add nodes (ctrl/click) wherever there is a curve inwards or outwards as below:
  4. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, you can always go back and move the nodes around........just do it very roughly and we'll go back to each node to edit it.  Right click in the image and choose "quit node edit", to see how it's taking shape.  Now, go back into node editing as we did above, and right click on each node that needs adjusting.  Choose Node Type/Cusp and move the arrows on both sides of the node, if necessary to make it conform to the shape of our piggie.  Don't worry if it's not perfect.....just as long as it has the basic shape.  After all, this is a country art piece :)
  5. When you're happy with the shape, right click and choose "quit node edit".  Now turn off your background layer (template) and check it out.  Howzit lookin'?  If it's wonderful, (and I bet it is!), then pat yourself on the back!  You've created your first lil nodie piggie!
  6. If you want to add this great shape to your shape collection in PSP, just click on the vector + sign, click on the vector "ellipse".  Right click and rename it Pig.  Go to File, export shape, name it and voila!  You now have Miss Piggie in your shape collection!
  7. Now you can delete your background layer save her as piggie.psp, and set that gal aside.  You may want to tube these critters later on :)
  8. Onto our next victim.....(I mean animal!)  Let's go with Mr. Cow.  Looks simple enough right?  Ya.......you're getting good at these nodes now!  Ok we're going to do this the same as Miss Piggie......pick a soft beige foreground colour, and draw another elipse on a new layer of our cowtemplate.psp image.
  9. Now choose the object selector tool, Node Edit and go to it!  Move those nodes, add more nodes!  Go wild!   Here's mine so far:

      (and you thought YOUR'S looked silly!!) 

    When they're all in place, right click on the ones you need to adjust and choose Cusp again. Now, isn't this getting easier?  Practice makes perfect right?  Ok once he's done like a dinner, delete the template layer, save him as a shape, as we did for the piggie, and then a .psp file and let him have a rest for a bit.

  10. Alright, go grab a coffee or soda, (or a stiff drink!), and let's do that lonely lil chicken!  (He he he......chicken little!)  LOL  Oh boy, these vectors must be going to my head!  I'm in rare form tonite!  lol  
  11. Open up the chicken.psp template.  New layer.  Change your foreground and background colour to a dark red.
  12. Draw another ellipse, and edit those nodes!  Just like we did with our other 2 guys.  No problem now right?  Piece of cake?  Ya, I know you've got it now!!
  13. Once he's done, delete the template layer, save him as a shape, and then a .psp file.  Wow!  You did it!!!  It's time to put these critters together!

GETTING ALL YOUR CRITTERS IN A ROW:

bulletOpen up a new image,  400X600 transparent background.  Now, you can do this 2 different ways.  
bulletFirst option:  copy and paste the each animal into this new image.   It is rather large so we'll resize it down by 50%.  Image/resize 50%, all layers unchecked/smart size.  Now sharpen it.....effects/sharpen.  Skip the next step.
bulletOr 2nd option:  (This is what I chose to do).  Just use your new cow, pig and chicken shapes in PSP,  (shape tool), each on their own layer,  background colour of your choice, I used an off-white for Mr. Cow......(this will be the shapes colour) and let's draw your cow :) 
bulletSelect all/float to get that guy floating.  Flood fill with black and wood texture on if you'd like to add some woodgrain.    With it still floating, turn the texture off, and add some black spraypaint, size 31, round, 18 opacity, step 40, density 20.  Then add some pink for those ol' udders.  Now use more  black and darken up the edges of the wood. 

 Add an inner bevel, as below and drop shadow of offsets at 3,2 opacity 66, 6.2 blur.  That's it.  He's done......and you thought it was udderly impossible!  (Ooops........guess I should call him a "her".)

bulletNow do the same for the pig - draw some black in the center using the airbrush tool as above.  Add the same inner bevel and drop shadow as the cow.
bulletOk.   It's chicken little's turn....... I used a dark blue for the main colour, and spray painted red on the head and tail (change brush size to smaller).....then a little gold #E8C268 on the beak and feet. 

 Now add the same inner bevel as the cow and drop shadow.

How are they lookin?  Awesome I bet!

THE WIRES THAT TIE THE CRITTERS TOGETHER:

  1. Alright, now lets use the mover tool and set them up in a line..... Whichever order you prefer.  Add a new layer, and draw a black freehand line, background colour off, width of 3, from the top animal to the bottom.  Move to the bottom layer.  Apply my wrought iron inner bevel preset as below:  

    (do "save as" to save the settings for future use).  Add a drop shadow.  Turn off your background layer, and merge visible.

  2. Now draw another line on a new layer from the top animal's head to his ummmm, well, his backside.  Move it under this critter's layer.  This is the hanging wire.  You may also add a little curly section of wire on a new layer,  to place on top of each animal.   Change the curve tracking to 3.  Draw curls as I have.  Apply the wrought iron inner bevel to each curly wire.  I also used my country bow tube as the final touch.  

    And here it is:

 

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial. :)

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me :)

 

İAngie's Arts 2000, March 2001

 

 

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İAngie's Art 2000-2008

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