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Paint Shop Pro 7
Cougar Portrait
Updated on July 16, 2004 for a more realistic look.
Create a new image.
» Settings: any size you wish, 72 dpi, background color = transparent, image type = 16.7 million colors.
Add a new vector layer. Name it neck.
Set the foreground to null and background color to medium brown.
» My color: #976D55.
With the Draw tool, create the cougar’s neck.
» Settings: type = point to point line, antialias + create as vector + close path = checked.
Add a new vector layer. Name it head.
Change the background color to slightly lighter brown.
» My color: #9C7D6C.
Add a new vector layer. Name it eyesblack.
Change the background color to black.
Create two shapes as shown below:
Add a new vector layer. Name it eyescolor.
Change the background color to a greenish grey.
» My color: #53504E.
With the Preset Shapes tool, draw two ellipses as shown below.
» Settings: ellipse, retain style = unchecked, antialias + create as vector checked.
Add a new vector layer. Name it nose+mouth.
Change the background color to black.
With the Draw tool, create the nose and the mouth shapes as shown below.
Add a new vector layer. Name it nosepink.
Change the background color to pink.
» My color: #A6695A.
Make the neck layer active and convert it to raster.
Hit the Lock Transparency button on the layer palette to remove the red x.
Set the foreground color to dark brown and background color to light brown.
» My colors: #5C4130 and #AD8A74.
With the Airbrush tool, spread both colors over the neck.
» Settings: shape = round, size = 100, hardness = 100. opacity = 100, step = 25, density = 15.
The pattern should look something like this:
With the Retouch tool, create the fur.
» Settings: Smudge, shape = round, size = 100, hardness = 0, opacity = 10, step = 1, density = 25.
Follow the neck line in order to create the fur.
Hit the Lock Transparency button again.
Smudge a little bit on the edges now to remove that sharp look.
Change the Retouch tool size to 50 and opacity to 25 and pull some more fur on the right side of the neck, to give a more fluffy look to that area (it is practically the beginning of the chest, which usually is more softer than the rest of the cougar’s neck and back).
Change the Retouch tool mode to Lightness Up and use it on the area you’ve just worked on (make it really lighter than the rest of the fur) and a little bit on the rest of the neck.
» Settings: shape = round, size = 100, hardness = 0, opacity = 25, step = 25, density = 100.
Change the Retouch tool mode to Lightness Down and use it on the top area of the neck and around the head.
» Settings: same as for the Lightness Up mode.
Make the head layer active and convert it to raster.
Follow the same steps for creating the fur.
The following screenshots will show you how you should use the Retouch tool on the head along with the settings.
» Settings: Lightness Down, brush sizes = 15, 25 and 50.
» Settings: Lightness Up, brush sizes = 25, 50 and 100.
Note: you might have to smudge a little bit the white edges.
Make the eyesblack layer active.
With the Object Selector tool, select both shapes (click on the first one, hold shift and click on the second one).
Right-click and choose Create Raster Selection.
Keep selected and convert this layer to raster.
Make the eyescolor layer active and convert it to raster.
Go to Selections – Modify – Contract by 4.
Invert the selection and hit delete.
Deselect.
Make the eyesblack layer active.
With the Retouch tool add a shiny feel to these shapes as shown below.
» Settings: Lightness Up, size = 3, hardness = 0, opacity = 10, step = 1, density = 100.
Make the eyescolor layer active.
By now you should already be used to the Retouch tool so I’ll show you how my eyes turned out and which modes I used. I’ll leave the making up to you.
» Modes: Saturation Up (to add some different color), Lightness Up, Lightness Down and Dodge.
Note: use small brushes and low opacity for working on the eyes.
Make the eyesblack layer active.
Smudge the bottom and top edges pulling from top to bottom just to break the sharp edges a bit.
» Settings: size = 25, hardness = 0, opacity = 15, step = 1, density = 50.
Make the nose+mouth layer active and convert it to raster.
Smudge the edges like you’ve done on the eyes.
Make the nosepink layer active and convert it to raster.
This will be just like the eyes: I’ll show you the modes and you do the rest.
» Modes: Darken RGB, Soften, Lightness Up and Lightness Down.
Note: use a maximum density of 80% with any of the modes above.
Finally, make the whiskers.
Add a new raster layer.
Set the foreground color to black or white (you’ll be using both colors) and background to null.
With the Draw tool, create the whiskers around the nose and a few over the eyes.
» Settings: point to point line, width = 1, antialias = checked, create as vector + close path = unchecked.
When you finish, go to Selections – All – Float – Modify – Feather = 1.
Invert the selection and hit delete about 3 or 4 times.
Creatures · Jun 25, 2002 ·