(Click on the above graphic for an 
explanation of the FBN skill ratings.)

WARNING - AS WITH MOST OF MY TUTORIALS, THIS ONE IS GRAPHIC INTENSIVE.  I HAVE USED MANY SCREEN SHOTS ALONG THE WAY.  

I'M TRYING SOMETHING NEW FOR THIS TUTORIAL.  I'M USING THUMBNAILS AND A NEW SCRIPT THAT I HOPE WILL REDUCE THE LOAD TIME OF THE PAGES. IF YOU CLICK ON ANY OF THE THUMBNAILS A LARGER IMAGE OF THE GRAPHIC WILL OPEN.  YOU CAN DRAG THE NEW IMAGE BY CLICKING AND HOLDING ON THE TOP BAR.  CLICK ON THE X TO CLOSE THE LARGER IMAGE.

We will be working with vectors

Here are the tool options which I always have available in my standard toolbar:

They are from left to right:
Tool Palette
Tool Options Window
Color Palette
Layer Palette
If you do not have these tools active, activate them now.

Open a new image 400x400, 16 million colors, transparent background.

Save this image as angel.psp to a folder on your hard drive. Now you can save your image at any time by holding down your control key and the letter s. I will be reminding you to save your image throughout the tutorial.

Add a new vector layer. (Layers/New Vector Layer.) Name this layer "head"

Change your foreground color to black and your background color to null.

Click on your preset shapes tool, click on ellipse, and use the following settings:

Starting at coordinates 200,175, use your right mouse button (this allows you to draw your circle from the center out) and hold down your shift key (this forces a perfect circle) draw a circle approximately 260 pixels in diameter.

Selections/Select None.

Starting at coordinates 200,210, use your right mouse button (this allows you to draw your circle from the center out) and hold down your shift key (this forces a perfect circle) draw a circle approximately 190 pixels in diameter The bottom of this circle should meet the bottom of your first circle:

(click to view larger image)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Click on your Object selector Tool: 

In your Tool Options window, click on Node Edit. Your image will look like this:

(click to view larger image)

Randomly add nodes around your circle by holding down your control key and clicking with your left mouse button. You'll need to add a few at the bottom and a lot at the top. (Don't worry - you can't add too many - in fact, you'll probably have to add more later!) Notice that while adding my nodes, I lost my perfect "circle", this is fine:

(click to view larger image)

Now we want to repeat this process on our larger circle. With your Object Selector Tool, left click on your outer circle to make it the active vector object. As we did with the smaller circle, add some nodes:

(click to view larger image)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Now we want to edit our nodes. Click on the Node Edit button and the nodes on your larger circle will become visible. (In case you lost them switching between PSP and the tutorial.)

Left click on your canvas to the left of, and above, your circle. Holding down your mouse button, drag your cursor to the bottom right of your canvas, so that you have surrounded your circle. All your nodes will now be black:

(click to view larger image)

Left click on any of your nodes and choose Node Type/Symmetric. Left click again and choose Node Type/Cusp. This will change the properties of all your nodes at once, which is so much easier than changing them one at a time, then click anywhere on your canvas to "unselect" your nodes. 

By changing all our nodes we have more control over the angles: we can adjust each side of the node separately. When you click on each node, you will see two "tails"; one has a circle at the end and the other has an arrow. By shortening/lengthening and moving these tails, you will form the different angles we need to form our "outer" hair. 

Now let's left click on individual nodes and move them to form our angel's hair. Start working on either side of your head and edit your nodes to form the tufts of hair. 

(click to view larger image)

Remember when I told you that you'd probably need to add more nodes? Add more nodes as needed by holding down your control key and left clicking along your circle. Repeat the process we used to change our node type: Left click on your canvas to the left of, and above, your circle.  Holding down your mouse button, drag your cursor to the bottom right of your canvas, so that you have surrounded your circle. All your nodes will now be black. Left click on any of your nodes and choose Node Type/Symmetric. Left click again and choose Node Type/Cusp. This will not affect any nodes you have already edited.

(click to view larger image)

Continue editing your nodes until you are happy with your "hair":

(click to view larger image)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Now we'll edit the nodes on our smaller circle.  Click on your Object selector Tool, then click on your smaller circle. In your Tool Options window, click on Node Edit. Repeat the process we used to change our node type: Left click on your canvas to the left of, and above, your circle.  Holding down your mouse button, drag your cursor to the bottom right of your canvas, so that you have surrounded your circle. All your nodes will now be black. Left click on any of your nodes and choose Node Type/Symmetric. Left click again and choose Node Type/Cusp.

Using the same method we used on the first circle, edit your nodes to form the bottom of your face and the inner hair line around your "face". We need to line up our bottom nodes so that the bottoms of both objects meet EXACTLY. Zoom in on your image at a 3:1 ratio, so that the chin area fills your canvas: 

(click to view larger image)

Move the bottom nodes until your bottom lines are exactly the same:

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If you find that your nodes are getting too crowded, left click with your mouse and "surround" the top nodes and drag them all up to give yourself more room to work:

(click to view larger image)

Continue to edit your nodes until you have formed the tufts of hair around your face:

(click to view larger image)

Are you absolutely stumped? Are you sick and tired of editing your nodes and not getting the right angles? Okay, okay, here's some help: click here to download an image with the basic outline of my angel.  Open this image in PSP, copy and paste as a new layer on your angel image.  Move this layer to the bottom of your layer palette. With your mover tool, line this up as close as possible with your image. Now you can use this as a guide for editing your nodes. Keep playing with your nodes until you are happy with the "look" of your head.

By this time you should be pretty good at node editing! I think you've done a great job so far - after all, you are still here!

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Add a new vector layer. (Layers/New Vector Layer.) Name this layer "body"

Click on your preset shapes tool and choose dodecagon. Why dodecagon? Just because it's a shape I hardly ever get to use! (Plus it adds quite a few more nodes than the ellipse.) Starting at coordinates 200, 135, use your right mouse button to draw your dodecagon so that it is approximately 100 pixels wide by 65 pixels high. This doesn't have to be exact, it's just a guide: we're going to be changing the size with node editing: 

(click to view larger image)

Repeat the process we used to change our node type: Left click on your canvas to the left of, and above, your circle. Holding down your mouse button, drag your cursor to the bottom right of your canvas, so that you have surrounded your circle. All your nodes will now be black. Left click on any of your nodes and choose Node Type/Symmetric. Left click again and choose Node Type/Cusp.

Now we want to edit our nodes to form our Angel's body. You can add nodes as needed by holding down your Control key and left clicking on your vector shape. (Remember to change your node type whenever you add new nodes or you won't be able to edit them to get the angles you want.) You want to end up with a shape similar to this:

(click to view larger image)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Click on your preset shapes tool and choose ellipse. We're going to add our arms. Draw two ellipses as shown below. Remember, you don't have to be exact (that's the joy of vectors):

(click to view larger image)

We're going to form each arm by editing our nodes. Repeat the process we used to change our node type for each ellipse. (You can change the active ellipse by clicking on it with your object selector tool.): Left click on your canvas to the left of, and above, your ellipse. Holding down your mouse button, drag your cursor to the bottom right of your canvas, so that you have surrounded your ellipse. All your nodes will now be black. Left click on any of your nodes and choose Node Type/Symmetric. Left click again and choose Node Type/Cusp.

Edit your nodes until you end up with something similar to this:

(click to view larger image)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Add a new vector layer. (Layers/New Vector Layer.) Name this layer "cloud"

Click on your preset shapes tool and choose ellipse. Starting at coordinates 200, 370, use your right mouse button to draw your ellipse out to an approximate size of dodecagon so that it is approximately 210 pixels wide by 45 pixels high. This doesn't have to be exact, it's just a guide, since we're going to be changing the size with node editing: 

(click to view larger image)

Add more nodes and edit them to make your ellipse resemble a cloud. (Don't forget to change your node type to Symmetric, then Cusp) Line up your top nodes so that you overlap your body shape EXACTLY:

(click to view larger image)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Add a new vector layer. (Layers/New Vector Layer.) Name this layer "wings"

Click on your preset shapes tool and choose ellipse. We're going to add our wings. Draw two ellipses as shown below. Remember, you don't have to be exact (that's the joy of vectors):

(click to view larger image)

Add more nodes and edit them to make your ellipse resemble a wing. The inner portions of your wings won't show in your finished graphic, so don't be too concerned about them. (Don't forget to change your node type to Symmetric, then Cusp)

(click to view larger image)

Repeat the above step for your second wing:

(click to view larger image)

Move your wing layer below your head layer. (Left click on your wing layer in your layer palette and while holding down your mouse button drag this layer down to the correct position.)

NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE (CTRL +S)

Are you happy with your basic shapes? No? Well, now's the time to make any adjustments you want!  Yes? Good - you'll be happy to know that we're done with node editing! (Okay - stop cheering and let's finish this up!!!)

On to Page 2....