©Cathy's Corner - Indian Maiden Tutorial Page 4

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

This tutorial written by Cathy on July 7, 2003.

This tutorial was inspired by a painting I have by
Marjorie M. Anderson.
I bought this painting years ago and have always loved it.

To learn more about Marjorie M. Anderson, you can visit her site:
http://hometown.aol.com/marcnart/index.htm

Better yet, you can send her an email at:
marcnart@aol.com

PAGE 4

In this section, we will continue blending our
colors to finish our Indian Maiden.

*** THE BASKET ***

1. Turn off the visibility for all but your "basket" layer and your Raster1/Layer1 layers.
2. Click on your Smudge Brush (PSP8) or Retouch Tool (PSP7) and change the size to 10.
3. Using this tool, blend the colors on your basket:

4. Okay - I couldn't get it to look like a basket, either!
5. Click on your Paint Brush tool and choose the custom brush you downloaded:
PSP7

In your Tool Options window, click on the paintbrush, then choose Custom from the fly out menu:

Click on the small arrow to open up your custom brush files and click on the new brush you saved:

PSP8

Click on the small arrow to open the box for your custom brushes, click on the new brush you saved, then OK:

6. Change the settings as follows:

SETTING

PSP8

PSP7

Brush Type
Custom Custom

Shape
Custom Custom

Size
15 15

Hardness
N/A N/A

Step
10 10

Density
N/A N/A

Thickness
100 N/A

Rotation
0 N/A

Opacity
70 70

Blend Mode
Normal Normal

7. Change your foreground color to various shades of brown (I used 3 shades, started with light brown and worked my way up to the darkest shade) and paint the different colors on your basket, defining the shape as you go:

8. Switch back to your Smudge Brush, changing these settings: Size: 22; Step: 5; Density: 30; Opacity: 50.
9. Gently blend your basket colors:

Save

*** THE ARMS ***

1. Turn off the visibility for all but your "arms" layer "dress" layer and your Raster1/Layer1 layers. Make sure your "arms" layer is active.
2. Switch back to your Smudge Brush, changing these settings: Size: 10; Step: 5; Density: 75; Opacity: 75.
3. Using this tool, blend the colors on your arms ONLY.
4. Change the settings on your Smudge Brush to: Size: 4; Step: 5; Density: 75; Opacity: 75; and blend the colors for the hands, being careful to keep the definition of your fingers:

5. Switch to your Soften Brush with the following settings:

SETTING

PSP8

PSP7

Brush Type
Custom Custom

Shape
Round Round

Size
4 4

Hardness
100 100

Step
1 1

Density
100 100

Thickness
100 N/A

Rotation
0 N/A

Opacity
100 100

Blend Mode
Normal Normal

6. Using your Soften Brush carefully go over the fingers to soften the finger definition:

(Image at 400%)
7. Change the size of your Soften Brush to 6 and soften the edges of your upper arms.

Save

*** THE LEGS ***

1. Turn off the visibility for all but your "legs" layer and your Raster1/Layer1 layers. Make sure your "legs" layer is active.
2. Switch back to your Smudge Brush, with the following settings:

SETTING

PSP8

PSP7

Brush Type
Default Normal

Shape
Round Round

Size
10 10

Hardness
100 100

Step
5 5

Density
50 50

Thickness
100 N/A

Rotation
0 N/A

Opacity
75 75

Sample Merged
unchecked unchecked

3. Using this tool, blend the colors on your legs:

Save

*** TWEAKING (YET AGAIN) ***

This is what I have so far:

1. Move your "arms" layer above your "legs" layer.
2. Use your Smudge Brush, adjusting the size as needed, and switching from layer to layer, do any tweaking you may need at this point.
3. Use your eraser tool to remove any of your base layer, as needed.
4. Once you are happy with your colors, switch to your Burn Brush and use the following settings:

SETTING

PSP8

PSP7

Brush Type
Default Normal

Shape
Round Round

Size
50 50

Hardness
50 50

Step
25 25

Density
100 100

Thickness
100 N/A

Rotation
0 N/A

Opacity
10 10

Sample Merged
unchecked unchecked

5. With your Burn Brush, and switching layers as needed, touch the areas you want to be in the shadows to darken them. (The Dodge Brush will lighten.) Remember that on layers such as the "face", you can touch outside the face area to "shade" just the edge of the face; and touching the headband will give you a slight shadow on the forehead.
6. Using the various tools we've used in this tutorial (and any others you may think will work) make any adjustments you think you need. I chose to soften my face with the Soften Brush. Here's what I ended up with (before and after tweaking):

7. Once you are happy with your image, delete your Raster1/Layer1 layer; then "merge visible" your remaining layers.
8. Export your image as a Picture Tube for later use.
9. I used Barbara's Creating Backgrounds Using Materials Tutorial to create a background for the Indian Maiden in my header graphic.

Save

*** FINAL NOTES ***

This was my first ever "painting" tutorial. As with most of my tutorials, I usually see something that inspires me (in this case the painting I have that I have always loved) and write the tutorial as I am creating the image. While this may sound strange to some, it is the only way I can write. I simply cannot remember all the steps I take when creating an image unless I write them down. This kills two birds with one stone. I also find this easier, since I can make my screenshots as I go.
As always, I sincerely hope you enjoyed creating your "Indian Maiden" as much as I enjoyed writing the tutorial. I also hope that you learned something new about Paint Shop Pro.