| Vector Drawing Tutorial for Paint Shop Pro - Page 3 | |
(If you arrived on this page from a search, you can start the tutorial on page one.)
STEP 3...TAIL
We'll start with something easy! We can all draw a simple tail can't we? How hard can that be! With vectors it's quite simple to get a nice rounded shape!
Select the tail with the Pen tool ...all nodes should be visible. Drag a selection around the top 3 nodes of the TAIL shape or select by clicking the top node, holding Shift key down & selecting the other 2 nodes. Then right click, select Node Type > Smooth. This will give our kitty nice smooth curves. Deselect those 3 nodes by clicking anywhere in blank space.
Now select just the top node of the tail. Grab the end of the Node Handle and pull it to the left some to fatten the end of kitty's tail. Now select the node on the left and move it left a little to curve the tail. Do the same with the node on the right. Position the bottom node behind the other shapes ...we won't need to do anything with it, it'll be hidden. Your tail should look something like this first screenshot.
Let's add a few more nodes to help us bend and curl the tail a bit. Select the TAIL with Pen tool in Edit mode, hold the Ctrl key down as you hover over a line segment ...the word ADD should appear next to your cursor....click and add 2 more nodes somewhere along the left line segment of the tail and 1 more on the right. Select all the new nodes, right click, select Node Type > Smooth.
PSP 7 users: The only difference for you will be the tool to use...to add nodes, select object with Object Selector, select Node Edit in Tool Options box, hold Ctrl key down as you hover over a line segment and the word ADD should appear. Right click a selected node to change Node Type, etc.
Now, move each node and rotate each of the node handles to shape the tail into a reversed question mark shape. Try to keep the thickness of the tail fairly even. It's difficult to take a screenshot showing all node handles at same time, so I've marked them here in this 2nd screenshot to help you with placement of nodes and angle of node handles.
STEP 4 ...REAR LEGS
Select the ellipse on the REAR layer with the Pen tool, hold down Ctrl key and ADD nodes. Place 2 nodes on each side of the center bottom node.
Let's call the top center node on this ellipse node #1. Going clockwise, select node #2 (refer to screenshot), right click, select NODE TYPE and change to SMOOTH. Repeat and select SYMMETRIC ...resulting in a SMOOTH and SYMMETRIC curve with a CURVE BEFORE and a CURVE AFTER.
Next, select node #3, right click, select NODE TYPE and change to CUSP ....this will allow us to move the handles to create a sharp turn where foot joins hip.
Next select node #7 (the other ankle) and change NODE TYPE to CUSP. Also change NODE TYPE for node #8 on his other hip to SMOOTH, SYMMETRIC.
You can tell what node type you have by looking at the Node Type menu ...the name of the current node type will be 'grayed out'.
Refer to screenshot above for placement of nodes and angle of handles and shape the rear hips, legs and feet of kitty as best you can. We don't have to mess with the 2 center nodes as long as they are hidden by the front legs.
