Gardening Angel
from the
"Heavenly Farm Angels Series"

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Tutorial written April 12, 2005.

This tutorial is written using PSP 8.1 but can done in other version with a little
modification of tool locations.

This is a vector tutorial so a working knowledge of PSP is helpful but I will try
to explain so that those new to vectors can follow. If this is your first time
vectoring I suggest you give my Vectors 101 tut a try first before attempting
this tut. Vectors 101

This is a long tut but I think the end results will be worth it. Those that are
pros at vectoring should be able to move pretty fast through the tut though.

Let's get started!

1. Open a New canvas 500x550 transparent. Name and Save our canvas.

2. Set your background color to a nice skin tone, I'm using #F9DDCB.
Foreground should be set to Null (turned off).

3. Preset Shapes set to these settings...

Note.. for this tut, when I say preset shapes all settings other than the type of shape will
be these settings unless otherwise stated.

4. Draw out a small oval for the face about center top of your canvas, leave room for
your hat....

5. Click on the Pen Tool to activate your nodes. Add two nodes, one on each side of
the existing bottom node. Use the handles on the existing bottom node to make a bit
of a pointy chin, use the two nodes you added to make a slight indent of the jowls...

Convert to Raster, rename as head.

File, Save!

6. Change your Background color to a nice hair color, I'm using #CEA284

7. Preset Shapes, same as for the head. Draw out an oval over the top part of
the head...

8. Click on the Pen Tool. Add two nodes on each side of the bottom existing node.
Change those two nodes to Cusp. Move the nodes so that you have something similar
to this....

I know it doesn't look much like hair yet but it will. The top doesn't matter so much
because her hat will cover it.

Convert to Raster, rename as hair1.

File, Save!

9. With the same color and Preset Shape, draw out another small oval on the left
side....

10. Use the Rotation handles to rotate this oval downward.

11. Click on the Pen Tool. Use the existing nodes to shape this section of the hair so
that it follows the curve of the first layer.....

Convert to Raster, rename as hair 2. Move this layer so that it is beneath your
hair1 layer.

12. Make your Head layer your active layer. Using the same color and preset shape,
draw out another small oval. Use the existing nodes to cover the area and shape the
hair so that it looks like it is showing from behind....


Convert to Raster, rename as hair 3.

File, Save!

13. Repeat the hair process for the right side....

14. Next, we will be making the facial features. I've chosen to use the same color
for those as I used for the hair. I switched the color so that it was my foreground
color though.

Zoom in so you can see better.

15. For the eyes I used the Pen Tool set to these settings...

16. Draw out a small line. Make the left node active, right click and change the type
to Curve After. Pull up on the handle. Change the right node to Curve Before and pull
down on the handle....

Convert to Raster. Rename to Left eye.
 

17. Duplicate and mirror this layer and move into position as the other eye. Rename
to Right eye.

File, Save!

18. Now for the nose. Use the Pen Tool with the same settings as above except change
the width to 1.

19. Draw out a vertical line between the two eyes. Change the bottom node type to
Symmetrical and then to Cusp. (Cusp won't be available until you first change to
Symmetrical.)

20. Move the node slightly to the right, then pull over to the left on the handle at the
top to form a U.....

21. You can leave the nose like this but if you prefer a pointier nose you can change
the top node to Curve After and pull over to the right on the handle a little....

Convert to Raster, rename to nose.

File, Save!

22. You can make some brows by using the Pen Tool set to the same setting as the nose.
Draw a small line over one eye, change the left node type to Symmetrical and pull in and
up on the handle to form an arch in the line. Convert to Raster, copy and paste as a new
selection, go to Image, Mirror while still selected and move into position as the other
brow....

23. For the mouth I used the Heart 1 Preset Shape and altered it slightly.
The Brown color set as foreground color, background color set to #FFC0C0 or
whatever color you would like her lipstick to be.

Preset Shapes set to these settings....

24. Draw out a narrow heart....

25. Click on the Pen Tool. Zoom in so you can see, move the left side node up just a
little, pull the handles to the left and down. Pull up on the bottom handle to close the gap
a little....

26. Repeat the same step for the right side....

Convert to Raster, rename as mouth.

File, Save!

27. Next is the hat. Make your top layer your active layer. Set your background
color to #D8DE94 or whatever color you prefer. Foreground color should be off.

28. Preset Shape set to Ellipse with these settings....

29. Draw out a small oval for the top of the hat.....

30. Click on the Pen Tool. Move the two side nodes down to about the hair line. Pull
up on the top of the handles to keep the circular shape at the top. Bring the bottom
node up to form a half circle, pull on the bottom handles of the left and right node
to square the corners at the bottom off. You should have something that looks kind
of like this...

Convert to Raster, rename as hat top.

31. Same Preset Shapes settings, Draw a large narrow horizontal oval across
the face area....

32. Click on the Pen Tool. Zoom in! In the Layer Palette click on the eye beside
this layer to hide your color. Place a node on both sides of the middle bottom node.
Place them right on the edge of where the hair or face ends.....

33. Change the two nodes you added to Cusp.

34. Move the center node up towards the top middle node....

35. Move the top middle node up to meet the bottom of the hat top...

36. Go back to the bottom left node you added. Place 3 new nodes along the line
between the left new node and the middle node. Use the nodes to contour the hat
around the shape of the hair and face, add more nodes if needed, change the type
to Cusp if you need to .....

37. Repeat the process for the right side of the hat.

38. Place a New node on the left top between the left side node and the middle
top node. Place a second node between the right side node and the middle top node.
Move these two nodes down just a little to form a slight dip in the hat.....

Click on the eye in the layer palette so that your color is visible once again, check
to make sure that the hat covers all the blank area around the outside of the face
and head, we don't want any transparent background showing!
Once you're happy, convert to Raster and rename as Hat Brim.

File, Save!

39. The wings are next! Make your bottom layer your active layer. Set your
background color to #FBF8EF Foreground should be off.

40. Preset Shapes to the hat settings. Draw out a nice oval on the left side.

41. Click on the Pen Tool and let's start shaping our wing. Pull the right node over
so it's a little below her left cheek.....

42. Add 3 new nodes on the bottom line close to the left side node. Change the
type of the new nodes to Cusp. Move the middle added node up and pull out on
both sides of the handle to create a rounded top. Use the handles on the other
two nodes to round them. You want something like this....

43. Add 3 more nodes, use the 3 new nodes and the one existing node to make
two more rounded dips....

Convert to Raster, rename as Top Left Wing.

44. Make your bottom layer your active layer. Preset Shapes same as above. Change
your Background color to white. Draw out a long vertical oval starting at the left bottom
of your first loop in your top wing.....

45. Use the Rotation handle to rotate the bottom to the left.

46. Click on the Pen Tool. Use the existing nodes to shape your oval something
like this....

Convert to Raster, rename as feather 1.

File, Save!

47. Make your bottom layer your active layer. Draw out another long vertical oval.
Rotate to the left, use the Pen Tool to adjust the nodes until you have something like
this....

Convert rename to feather 2.

48. Make your bottom layer your active layer and do those same steps two more times to
make 4 feather layers, shaping and renaming as you go.
You should end up with something like this....

50. Make your Top Left Wing your active layer. Go to Selections, Select All,
Selections, Float, Selections Invert.

51. Go to Effects, 3D Effects, Drop Shadow with these settings and this color
#9E7718....

Select None.

52. Select and Invert each feather layer. Apply the same Drop Shadow to them
EXCEPT, lower the Opacity to 40 and the Blur to 10. This is what you should end up
with....

53. Go to Layers, View, None. On the Layer Palette click on the eye beside your wing layers
(feather layers 1 thru 4 and top left wing layer) to make them visible. Go to Layers, Merge,
Merge Visible. Rename this layer to Left Wing. Go back to Layers, View, ALL.

File, Save!

54. Go to Layers, Duplicate, Image, Mirror. Rename this layer to Right Wing. Move into
position as right wing.....

As you can already see in the above screenshot the outline of her shoulders is starting to
take shape.

55. Next we will make the dress arms. Set your background color to a nice spring color.
I've chosen to use #FFB573

56. Preset Shapes same as the wing. Draw out a narrow vertical oval on the left,
rotate the oval downward so that it goes along the left feather edge....

57. Click on the Pen Tool. Using the existing nodes shape the sleeve like this ....

Convert to Raster and rename as Left Sleeve.

File, Save!

58. Go to Layer, Duplicate, Image Mirror. Move into position as Right Sleeve, rename
as so.

59. The next step will be to make her a bow. It will consist of several steps so I will
just explain them quickly using screenshots of the steps I took, merge each vector down
to a raster layer before starting the next step.
I will be using the same orange as I used for my sleeves. If you prefer another color use
it.

Preset Shapes, same as above.

Draw out a small oval, Click on the Pen Tool and shape as I did below...

next...

Move this layer below the above layer.

next...

next...

Move this layer so it is below the layer above it.

next...

next...

Switch to the Rectangle Preset Shape. Make sure this layer is below the first bow
layer.

Duplicate and mirror this layer, move into position as the right tie.

File, Save!

60. The dress is next. I've chosen to use #F3E6B7 as my background color.
Make your Right Wing layer your active layer.
Preset Shapes, set to the rectangle settings we used for the tie on the bow.

61. Draw out a large vertical rectangle. Leave enough room at the bottom to make her
shoes....

62. Click on the Pen Tool. Add one node between the two top nodes, change it to
Cusp and move it up. Use this nodes to round the shoulders a little.
Look at the screenshot below to see the changes and position
I made to my nodes....

Convert to Raster, rename as dress.

63. Add a New Raster Layer naming it Checks.
NOTE: if you're using PSP8 or 9 there is no need to set line to Create as a Vector,
you will still be able to edit your nodes .....BUT, if you are using PSP 7 or below, you will
need to set to Create as a Vector to edit your nodes.
Set your foreground color to 2 or 3 shades darker than your dress color, I'm using #E3C56B
Pen Tool set to these settings....

64. Draw out a straight line across the breast of the dress....

Draw a second line above it, then another above it....

Change the nodes on the 3rd line to Symmetric and pull up on the handles a little
to create a slight arch.

65. Add a new Raster layer naming it Checks 2.
Use the Pen Tool to draw 4 vertical lines across the lines you just finished....

66. Hide all layers except Checks 1 and 2 layer. Merge these two layers visible
renaming as Checks 1.

File, Save!

67. Add a New Raster Layer naming it bottom checks1.

68. Use the Pen Tool settings above to draw a line across the bottom of the dress.
Change the left node to Cusp, pull down on the handle so that you have something
like so....

Draw another line above it, add nodes and shape as below....

69. Add a New Raster Layer naming it bottom Checks 2.

70. Use the Pen Tool to draw out vertical lines from the bottom of the dress to the top
of the first line.....

Close all layers except Bottom Checks 1 and 2. Merge these two layers visible, naming to
Bottom Checks.

71. Next is the sun and heart on the dress. Change your foreground color to the orange we
used on the sleeves #FFB573

Add a New Raster Layer. Pen Tool to the above Checks settings, except change the width to 2.
Just above the waist, draw a horizontal line.....

File, Save!

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