PSP Tutorial - Windmill Painting

YOU WILL NEED

	Paint Shop Pro - Download a trial version
	windmill photo - photo.zip
	Foreground-Background gradient Brush tip: Line horizontal
	The zip file includes the Line brushes [I don't think these work in PSP7] and the gradient for PSP7 and for newer versions
	Basic knowledge of vectors and layers

Remember to SaveOften
STEPS - These are the steps I used.

Lets Begin

New Image 600x400
File/Save As: windmill.pspimage

The Sky

Foreground Color: #c4d9ec
Background Color: #5e77a4

Foreground Style: Gradient
Gradient: Foreground-Background

Style: Linear
Angle: 0
Repeats: 0
Invert: NOT Checked

Flood Fill Tool [F]
Fill the image

Add Some Hills

New Vector Layer: hills

Foreground Style: NULL
Background Color : #8f874c

Rectangle Tool [G]
Draw out a rectangle in the bottom third of the image

Objects/ Convert to Path

Pen Tool [V]
Add nodes as needed to shape some hills

Double click on any node
Ctrl+1
Ctrl+2

Adjust as desired

When working with curves I like having the nodes in Cusp mode but once I have finished I change them to smooth and rotate the arm back and forth a little to smooth the curve

Layers/ Convert to Raster Layer
Adjust/ Softness/ Soften More
OK

Adjust/ Add and Remove Noise/ Add Noise
Uniform 15%
Monochrome: Checked
OK

Repeat the Add Noise

Smudge Brush
Brush Tip: Line horizontal
Size: 32
Hardness: 50
Step: 10
Density: 100
Thickness: 1
Rotation: 90
Opacity: 40
Sample merged: NOT Checked

Use the brush to smudge out the grass

The Clouds

Active layer: Raster 1
Rename: sky

Move Tool [M]
move the sky up so more of the light blue shows

Foreground Color: #f0f0f3
Background Color: #cecdcf

New Raster Layer: clouds

Airbrush
Brush Tip: +Default
Shape: Round
Size: 45
Hardness: 25
Step: 25
Density: 50
Thickness: 100
Rotation: 0
Opacity: 15
Blend Mode: Normal
Rate: 5

Using the Foreground color, spray on some light wispy clouds

Smudge Brush
Change
Size: 45
Hardness: 25
Thickness: 100

Smudge the clouds some

Airbrush
Change
Hardness: 50
Density: 100
Opacity: 25

New Raster Layer: clouds 2

Spray on some heavier clouds using both of the colors

Smudge Brush
Smudge the clouds as needed

Duplicate the clouds 2 layer
Lower the opacity to: about 66

Smudge Brush
Change
Size: 55
Opacity: 40
Smudge some more

The Windmill Legs

New Vector Layer: windmill

Foreground Color: #3a3c3f
Background Color: #7b7e7e
Background Style: NULL

Pen Tool [V]
Mode: Draw Lines and Polylines
Connect Segments: NOT Checked
Create On Vector: Checked
Show Nodes: Checked
Line Style: +Solid
Width: 3
Anti-alias: checked

Draw a small line just below the edge of the hill
{331x297 to 371x300}

Mode: Edit
Click on any blank space

Add a node in the center of the line
Click on the new node and move it up to {341x121}

Click Apply

Click the Swap Colors arrow

Pen Tool [V]
Mode: Draw Lines and Polylines
Draw another line
{313x292 to 356x300}

Mode: Edit
Click on any blank space

Add a node in the middle of the line

Click the new node and move it to {340x108}

Foreground Color: #626364

Pen Tool
Mode: Draw Lines and Polylines
Connect Segments: Checked
Change Line Width to: 2.00

Place the cursor at {326x205}
Click once
Move to {347x205}
Click once
Move to {356x213}
Click once
Move to {334x213}
Click once
Move to {325x206}
Click once

Foreground Style: NULL
Background Color: #201a0d

Rectangle Tool [G]
Mode: draw Rectangle
Show Nodes: Checked
Create On Vector: Checked
Line Style: +Solid
Width: 1.00
Anti-alias: Checked

Draw a small rectangle
{326x146 to 364x152}

Objects/ Convert to Path

Mode: Edit
Click on one of the right nodes
Hold down the Shift Key and click the other right node
Tap the up arrow 5 times

Object Selection Tool
Right Click/ Copy [Ctrl+C]

Right Click/ Paste New Vector Selection [Ctrl+G]

Click Apply
Click on any space to deselect

Layer Palette
Click on the first New Rectangle and drag it to the bottom below the New Paths

Foreground Color: #201a0d
Background Style: NULL

Pen Tool
Mode: Draw Lines and Polylines
Connect Segments: NOT Checked
Change Line Width to: 2.00

Draw two lines connecting the two rectangles
Drag down until the line on the left is behind the front leg of the windmill

The Top Of The Windmill

New Vector Layer: windmill top

Foreground Color: #626364
Background Style: NULL

Ellipse Tool [Q]
Mode: Draw Ellipse
Show Nodes: Checked
Create On Vector: Checked
Line Style: +Solid
Width: 2.00
Anti-alias: Checked

Draw an ellipse
{307x67 to 372x122}

Objects/ Convert to Path

Layers/ Duplicate

Pen Tool [V]
Mode: Edit
Click on the new ellipse
Double Click on any node

Click the down arrow and select contract from the drop down window
Set:
Contraction X: 45.00
Contraction Y: 45.00
Click the check mark to the right of the contraction boxes

Pen Tool
Mode: Draw Lines and Polylines
Connect Segments: NOT Checked
Line Width to: 1.00

Draw 3 lines across the inner circle

The Blades

New vector layer: blades

Foreground Color: #717271
Background Color: #c0c0c0
Foreground Style: NULL
Background Style: Gradient
Gradient: Foreground-Background
Style: Linear
Angle: 90
Repeats: 0
Invert: NOT Checked
OK

Rectangle Tool [G]
Mode: draw Rectangle
Show Nodes: Checked
Create On Vector: Checked
Line Style: +Solid
Width: 1.00
Anti-alias: Checked

Draw a small rectangle
{333x62 to 340x80}

Objects/ Convert to Path

Pen Tool [V]
Mode Edit

Click on the top right node
Tap the up arrow 5 times

Click the bottom right node
Tap the left arrow 1 time

Click the bottom left node
Tap the right arrow 2 times

Object Selection Tool
Right Click/ Copy [Ctrl+C]

Right Click/ Paste New Vector Selection [Ctrl+G]
Use the Rotation Handle to rotate as needed

Continue pasting and rotating the blades until the circle is full
Click Apply

Foreground Color: #404040
Background Color: #808080

Object Selection Tool
Click on the bottom left blade
Hold down the Shift Key and click on each of the next 6 left blades

Click on the Background Window and select the Foreground-Background gradient again
This causes the colors to change to the new ones

Foreground Color: #9e9a9a
Background Color: #646262

Now select the next two blades toward the top and the right bottom one
Click on the Background Window and select the Foreground-Background gradient again

Foreground Color: #ae5149
Background Color: #743835

Ellipse Tool [Q]
Draw two small ellipses in the center of the wheel

Save the windmill as a Preset Shape - Optional

Finish The Painting

New Vector Layer: grass

Pen Tool [V]
Mode: Draw Point to Point - Bezier Curves
Connect Segments: NOT Checked
Create On Vector: Checked
Show Nodes: Checked
Line Style: +Solid
Width: 2.00
Anti-alias: checked

Using the following colors draw some long grass blades
#38452c
#b9936a
#999b5e

Note: I used several different layers for my grass
Then I duplicated the layers and using the Object Selection Tool
moved and reshaped the grass

Convert all the grass layers to Raster Layers and merge them together
Adjust/ Blur/ Gaussian Blur
Radius: 1.00

Active Layer: hills
New Raster Layer: more grass

Paint Brush [P]
Shape: Square
Size: 95
Hardness: 60
Step: 1
Density: 100
Thickness: 2
Rotation: 0
Opacity: 100
Blend Mode: Normal

Tap the F11 key to bring up the Brush Variance palette

Brush Variance
Color Blend: 100
Size: 31
Rotation: 5

Fade Rate: 100
Position jitter: 54
Impressions per step: 1

Foreground Color: #999b5e
Background Color: #77774f

Add some more grass

Adjust/ Blur/ Gaussian Blur

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial