Guide to Illustrating on PSP
Introduction
(Top ↑) Most people think that high quality illustrations can only be acheived via Photoshop, Illustrator or by using a Tablet. I have been using Paint Shop Pro (8 to be specific), for around 3 – 3½ years now and when you get so used to a program you learn how to manipulate it. You learn how to see something and immedietly have idea’s on how you would make that thing via Paint Shop Pro, even if it was made on Photoshop. You learn how to read/watch tutorials designed for Photoshop or other programs and alter them to match the program you use. Paint Shop Pro (8 – an old version), isn’t exactly a program everyone wants to get their hands on. In the past I’ve wanted to get my hands on Photoshop or other programs; but I realized that it will take ages for me to be as comfortable with that program as I am with my lovely Paint Shop Pro. ♥
In this tutorial I’m going to take you on a simple guide to the basics of illustrating on Paint Shop Pro, these tips and tricks will make people think that your illustrations were done via Photoshop or even Illustrator.
Tools: Your Best Friends
(Top ↑) Firstly, some tools, these are the tools that will become your best friends while illustrating:
What makes the pen tool 10000x better than the Freehand Selection Tool (which I used to mistakenly use in the past) is that it can give you the same interesting shapes, but just gives them to you with sleeker curves and none of those ugly choppy lines.
The shape tool, much like the pen tool gives you really nicely defined lines; the difference is – that unlike the pen tool it can give you even and correct shapes. Trying to make an even and correct shape using the pen tool (like a circle), is almost impossible.
So this isn’t a ‘tool’, but it’s something I use a lot. It adds definition to all the illustrations you make.
Where to start?
(Top ↑) Now you know what tools to use and you want to start making an illustration – but where do you start? Below I will take you through a guide on illustrating a very simple person and in the guide I will tell you the DO’s and the DON’T's.
Start off with the simple shapes, and make all of these shapes by using the shapes tool. A mistake I made it the past was using the selection tool and filling it in; this left me with choppy lines and made it hard to edit the shapes after. The shape tool leaves you with sleek lines and also lets you directly edit the shapes (EG: make it longer) without then making the shape low quality.
Use the shape tool to illustrate all of the simple shapes, when it comes to illustrating more complicated shapes, turn to the pen tool.
Always use your pen tool at a setting of ‘Point to Point’, and play around with the fill tool to change what is filled in and what is just lined. With the ‘Point to Point’ segment type you can do all, you can do straight lines, curved lines (described below), anything! This my main tool in illustrating on PSP.
Now, using the shape tool and the pen tool – draw your image. Drawing an image won’t take 10 seconds, you have to think about what you’re drawing, think about the colours, re-do some things, play with layers (EG: Which layers are on top, which are below), until you come up with your image. Be creative and do what you want to do, just go for it.
Above is the quick illustration I made for this article, I made it by using the pen tool and the shapes tool. Making illustrations is something that improves over time, it all takes patience and willingness to improve. You can’t always be walked through creating illustrations; most of it is down to your imagination and creativity.
Once you’ve made your illustration and merged all of it together; the last step is to add definition. Definition makes your illustrations look more aesthetically pleasing and interesting.
Defining and touching up
(Top ↑) I mostly touch up my images and add definition by using the inner bevel tool. What I do is merge my image visible, duplicate it and then access Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel.
Below are my most used settings, occasionally I may change the bevel shape:
In this case I’ve changed the duplicated image to an opacity of 38%, and rubbed out any bevel on the face (as it did not look nice, this is not always the case). In this case the bevel does not making much of a difference, but in some cases (for example on my theme “Welcome to the Carnival“, adding a bevel makes a huge difference.
And there it is, your starter guide to illustrating via Paint Shop Pro. All you need at the right tools and the right mind and there’s nothing stopping you from illustrating designs as good as those illustrated in Photoshop or Illustrator.
Feel free to leave comments and suggestions below; questions are also welcome.
