We're Moving!!!

We're NOT giving up on our cartoon drawing project....just MOVING! 

We're giving the blog a new name and a wider focus!    Because I couldn't figure out how to re-name this Blogger Blog....we moving to a NEW Blogger Blog!  ;-)   This will be the last post here...all existing content is in the process of being moved to http://toon-time.blogspot.com/.

Come visit us at Toon-Time!

~ free cartoon drawing & animation tutorials ~

If you've signed up as a follower, for an RSS feed or email feed...please sign up again at Toon-Time and join us for a bigger, better selection of toon tutorials. In addition to the EggToon tutorials using Paint Shop Pro, we'll be adding GIF animation tutorials (Animation Shop) and cartoon drawing and animating with Anime Studio (export as GIF, movie or Flash with sound).   That sounds like more fun to me!   Join us!

Kat & Mary        

Easy Eggtoon Mouse, Vector Cartoon Tutorial

This tutorial was written for Paint Shop Pro version 7

Tutorial is offered here free of charge for personal use only!

Please read Terms of Use

©ArizonaKate.com 2001-2010, All rights reserved


(update for PSP 8-13 coming soon!)

If you are new to using vectors and haven't reviewed the Beginner Basics, please do so now.   On that page  is a review of the PSP tools, definitions of vector terminology, plus a tutorial for creating the Egg Preset Shape that we'll be using in all tuts.


This Easy Mouse tutorial was originally written in 2001 and is probably one of the easiest toons to draw with vector tools.   A great beginners project!   

Color settings for this tut: Select black for stroke color and any mouse color of your choice for fill. Pick a pastel, a bright color, a realistic color...doesn't matter...this is a cartoon!! I'll be using #BBA5AD, a lavender gray....for no particular reason! *G*    Both Texture boxes should be set to null.Ø


Remember, in Paint Shop Pro 7, to select any vector object for editing you must use the Object Selector.

Honey Bunny Tutorial, PSP v.8 or newer

This tutorial was written for Paint Shop Photo Pro X2 (v.12)

but vector tools in versions PSP 8 and newer are very similar.

Tutorial is offered here free of charge for personal use only!

Please read Terms of Use

©ArizonaKate.com 2006-2010, All rights reserved

Note:  PSP 7 users go here

~ Beginner Level Tutorial ~

The EggToon tutorials are a series of Paint Shop Pro cartoon drawing tutorials written especially for those just beginning to learn about the vector tools but I hope more advanced users will enjoy the toons also. 

If you're not familiar with vector tools, please review the series of posts explaining the tools and how to make the "egg" Preset Shape before starting this EggToon character tutorial.

Color settings for this tut:

Select black for stroke color and any 'bunny' color of your choice for fill.

Pick a pastel, a bright color, a realistic color...doesn't matter...this is a cartoon!!

I'll be using color #F0C5A2.

Use the Pick tool to select vector objects and the Pen tool for node editing.

Open new image 300x300 or 400x400. We'll use a large canvas, but don't make bunny so large that it fills canvas!  We'll  need  plenty of working room

A new vector layor is automatically created when you start creating an object and 'Create as Vector' is selected on the Tool Options bar.

You can also click the 'new layer' button at the top of the Layer Palette and add a 'new vector layer'.

MAKE A SET OF SHAPES                                       

First thing we'll do is make all the Preset Shapes needed for Honey Bunny and then edit each one by one.

Select the 'Preset Shape' option on the flyout menu for Preset Shapes Tool and then select the egg from the dropdown list in the Tool Options bar.

 ( Go here for step-by-step tutorial to create egg preset shape if you haven't created one already) )

Line width 1, style solid, retain style UNchecked, antialias CHECKED, vector CHECKED, colors as described above.

Draw an egg that is about 85x120 pixels in center of canvas.

Look in lower right section of PSP frame to see size of object being created or turn on rulers (View>Rulers)

Select the 'Ellipse' option on the flyout menu for Preset Shapes Tool and then select 'Draw Ellipse' on the Tool Options bar.    Draw 2 ellipses, any size (same settings, same colors).  Position them off to one side...anywhere on your canvas....they will become the ears, arms and legs later on.

Honey Bunny PSP7 Tutorial

This tutorial was written for Paint Shop Pro version 7

Tutorial is offered here free of charge for personal use only!

Please read Terms of Use

©ArizonaKate.com 2006-2010, All rights reserved

Note:  Users of PSP 8 and newer,
click here for updated Honey Bunny tutorial.


~ Beginner Level Tutorial ~

The EggToon tutorials are a series of Paint Shop Pro cartoon drawing tutorials written especially for those just beginning to learn about the vector tools but I hope more advanced users will enjoy the toons also. 

If you're not familiar with vector tools, please review the series of posts explaining the tools and how to make the "egg" Preset Shape before starting this EggToon character tutorial.

Color settings for this tut:

Select black for stroke color and any 'bunny' color of your choice for fill.
Pick a pastel, a bright color, a realistic color...doesn't matter...this is a cartoon!!
I'll be using color #F0C5A2.

Remember, in PSP 7, you must always use the Object Selector [OS] to select a vector object for editing.

Open new image 300x300 or 400x400. We'll use a large canvas, but don't make bunny so large it fills canvas!  We'll  need  plenty of working room

Create with a white background layer. Click the 'new layer' button on the layer dialog box and add a 'new vector layer'. All vector drawing will be done on this layer.

MAKE A SET OF SHAPES                                       

First thing we'll do is make all the Preset Shapes needed for Honey Bunny and then edit each one by one.

Select Preset Shapes tool and select the egg shape. ( (go here for step-by-step to create egg preset shape if you haven't created one already) )

Line width 1, style solid, retain style UNchecked, antialias CHECKED, vector CHECKED, colors as described above.

Draw an egg that is about 85x120 pixels in center of canvas.
Look in lower right section of PSP frame to see size of object being created or turn on rulers (View>Rulers)

Select ellipse shape and draw 3 ellipses, any size (same settings, same colors). Position them off to one side...anywhere on your canvas....they will become the ears, arms and legs later on.

The Vector Edit Menu

There's just a little bit more preliminary stuff to discuss before we can actually start doing something with the Paint Shop Pro vectors tools! ;-)  

In addition to Node Type, there's many other editing choices available when creating with vectors. There's familiar choices such as Undo, Copy, Paste, Delete, Select All and Select None. There's also a few choices that are unique to vector drawing. You'll learn how to use these as we go along...but the following notes will help take the mystery out of another bunch of new terminology.

BREAK: You can break apart a line (contour) at a node. When you use BREAK, the selected node is converted into 2 nodes and the line segment is 'broken' into 2 lines.

JOIN: You can join the start point or end point node of one line (contour) with the start or end point nodes of another to form one continuous line (contour). To join the nodes, press Control key while dragging one node over the other. When the two overlap, the word 'Join' appears. Release the mouse button.

CLOSE: Closing a contour adds a NEW line segment that connects the start point and end point of the selected nodes. (JOIN does not add a line segment).

MERGE: Merging a node removes it and merges the two line segments that were on either side of it into one continuous line. This is handy when you find you have many more nodes than you actually need!! (Too many nodes is not good.)  You can merge one or more nodes along a contour (line). If you merge every node along a contour, it will delete that contour.

DELETE: Deleting a node removes the node and removes the two line segments (one on each side).

REVERSE CONTOUR AND REVERSE PATH: These will reverse direction of the start and end point. Used a lot for creating text that follows a curve.

There are many other options in the various dialog boxes that appear when editing vectors, two of the handiest ones are:

GROUP & UNGROUP: You may 'Group' different vector objects in your drawing in order to keep them together without merging them.  When grouped, objects may be moved about in unison. You must 'UnGroup', however, in order to edit each individual object.

PROPERTIES: In the Vector Properties box you can easily change all kinds of things...all in one place! Layer name, line & fill color or pattern, textures, line style, etc. 

We've gone over the purpose of  the tools and the meaning of some new words, so, next time we meet, we can get started drawing our toons!!

Nodes, Cusps and Contours

Before we start drawing any shapes with Paint Shop Pro, we need to review some terminology that may be new to you if you are just beginning with vector drawing!

Vector lines. shapes and text are edited by manipulating the Nodes.  Nodes are indicated by square points on line and curve objects. You can change the shape of an object by dragging one or more of its nodes.

The straight or curved line between two nodes is a line segment. 
A series of line segments and nodes create the contour of your vector object, also called path.  There are closed contours (when start and end nodes connect) and open contours (not connected).


You alter the shape of a vector object by editing the contour.  Edit the contour by adding, merging, moving or deleting nodes anywhere along a path. 


The arrows that stick out of each node are called Control Arms (also called "handles") and they determine the length, shape, and direction of the curve or angle of the line that is attached to the node.  

   

Pulling on the Control Arm to make it longer will also make the line attached to the Node longer, enlarging the curve.  See Control Arm examples above.

Every node has 2 possible handles. You can grab and drag a handle on either side of the node, depending on your intent. 

To change the size of a vector object, drag a corner or edge handle of the bounding box (all nodes selected).   If you want to resize while changing the current proportions, right-click and drag a handle.


We'll talk more about shape distortion later, but first you'll need to know how to change the Node Type.  This is an important thing to master.

There are 4 different Node Types:


1) With a Symmetric node, moving the Control Arm/handle changes the line on both sides of the node equally.    This will give you a smooth curve.


2) With an Asymmetric node, moving the Control Arm/handle will change the lines on both sides of the nodes at the same time, but not equally.  A curve made this way can have a different contour on each side of node.


3) With a Cusp node, you can pull each Control Arm separately for extreme changes in angle or have a different curve or angle on each side of the Node.   A simple square is a shape (contour) with 4 Cusp nodes creating the 4 corners.


4) With a Smooth node, you can create a smooth transition between straight and curved line segments. 


Changing Node Type: 
On the Tools toolbar, choose the Pen tool.  On the Tool Options palette, click the Edit Mode button.  Right-click a node, choose Node Type, and select one of the following options:


Convert to Line — straightens the segment before and after the node
Line Before — straightens the segment before the node
Line After — straightens the segment after the node
Curve Before — curves the segment before the node
Curve After — curves the segment after the node
Not that complicated, is it?   Just a few logical steps.


In older versions of Paint Shop Pro, the Object Selector is used to edit a vector object.  When Object Selector is active, right-clicking a vector object will open a dialog box of editing choices, including changing the type of node by selecting Node Type.


PRACTICE:  Draw a vector rectangle and experiment with changing the Node Type to see how it effects the shape (the contour).


To change two or more nodes at the same time, select each node before choosing Node Type. Hold the shift key down while selecting more than one node. Then right click and select Node Type.


In summation:  Although there are many combinations of node type that will influence the shape of adjoining line segments, there are 2 main concepts to remember....curve and corner. To make curves, use a node with symmetrical or asymmetical control arms. To make a sharp corner, use a cusp node combined with line before or line after (or both).   We'll go into more detail on this another time!


So, are you still with me? Not much more to review before we can actually start drawing something with these vectors tools! ;-)  


Note:   I'm having some trouble with Blogger here!  Won't change type size to anything other than 'small' and it's adding extra space between paragraphs.   Anyone know how to work around that?  :-/ 

Let's Review the Vector Tools

All the EggToon tutorials will be written for those that consider themselves newbies and beginners to vector drawing! So, we must begin at the beginning and review the Paint Shop Pro tools that are used in the creation of a vector drawing.   With these tools we can size, shape, or rotate vector objects.  We can also transform vector objects by editing their nodes.

The Toolbar should be docked along the left side of your workspace (unless you've moved it). Most of the tools are used for drawing raster images, but there are 3 tools that can also create vector images: the TEXT tool, the PRESET SHAPES tool and the PEN tool.

The PICK tool may also be used to do some editing and selecting.  It is found near the top of the Toolbar on the flyout menu with the MOVE tool.

Note: The letters shown along the right margin of the flyout menus indicate keyboard shortcuts for these tools, if you like that option.   The main menu also indicates more keyboard shortcuts.

The little 'down' arrows adjacent to some tools on the Toolbar will show you a flyout menu when clicked.   The PRESET SHAPES tool has one of those menus.  There are 4 options on the flyout menu for this tool.

Preset Shape, Rectangle, Elipse and Symmetric Shape.  

Depending on which shape option is selected, a different set of choices will appear on the Tool Options palette.   

The Tool Options palette is located just above the workspace (by default).   It can be undocked and moved to other locations in the workspace.   In this tutorial series, we'll assume your Tool Options are above the workspace and the palette hasn't been moved.   Every tool in the Toolbar has a corresponding set of Tool Options and the Tool Options palette will change according to tool selected.

When Preset Shape is the active tool selection, an additional Shapes List will be available on the Tool Options palette that looks similar to the image below.

Many Preset Shapes come with PSP ...more than what's shown here....and even more can be downloaded to add to your Shapes Library.   In an upcoming tutorial, I'll be showing you how you can make your own Preset Shape when we make an "Egg" shape for our EggToons.

Back to reviewing the other 2 vector tools, the TEXT tool and the PEN tool.   They also have additional options. The image below shows a portion of the Tool Options palette that appears when TEXT tool is selected.

Choosing Vector on the Tool Options palette gives you many more editing options than creating with raster text.    You can easily move vector text around, stretch or compress it, change the text entry (what it says), change the color, size, outline, and other properties as many times as you want (without starting over).

There are some menu options that will require you to convert vector text back to raster.    We'll go over all these options as we use them.

Anybody can draw a straight line using the PEN tool.  No more shaky mouse-drawn pixel lines...take a little care and every vector line will be perfect!!! 

Use the PEN tool to draw straight lines, freeform lines and line segments.
There are 5 modes to select from on the Tool Options palette for the PEN tool.  Two modes for editing and three for drawing.
Edit mode (select)
Knife mode (cut)
Draw Lines & Polylines (line segments and curves)
Draw Point to Point (controlled draw) and Draw Freehand.

There are a number of other options on the Tools Options palette for PEN tool, such as 'line style'.   We'll go over all these options as we use them.

So that about covers the 'what' and 'where' for the tools and their options.  We'll talk about 'why' on another day.  But, before that, we'll need to go over some new terminology.   That'll be next....see you then!

.

Beginner Intro - Raster vs. Vector

The EggToon^© series of tutorials has been written especially for those that are just beginning to learn vectors. All images will start with the humble egg shape.....so if you can draw an egg....you'll be able to make a cat, a mouse, a bunny and other cute and easy toon characters.

EggToons are not only cute, they are easy and quick to create. We will create them using the vector tools in Paint Shop Pro.  Oh, oh...I think I can hear somebody groaning that vectors are too complicated...*G*....but you don't need to know anything technical to create these toons!!  We'll show you how easy it can be!   I did say.... "if you can draw an egg, you can draw these"...but you won't even have to draw, they are all made with Preset Shapes!

Step-by-step instructions will be provided all along the way.    We hope they are written so that even beginners to PSP and the vector-phobic *G* can follow along!   If you run into a problem, leave a comment and we'll try to answer!

But, before we start drawing the toons, we'll  need to discuss the tools used to draw vector objects and some terminology that may be new to you! 

Raster:  There are basically 2 ways to create digital drawings....raster and vector. The type of digital drawing you're probably most familiar with is referred to as raster, which are images made by combining pixels.   Photos are raster images.

Vector:  Vector objects are created in a different manner using coordinates.  Embedded in each vector object are a set of properties which are used as instructions for drawing the object.  These instructions are interpreted by the software to create the position, shape and color of the object. Each vector object is an independent element which can be moved around without effecting the rest of the image.  That means that we can re-size, rotate, distort and edit vector objects in a number of ways without getting all 'pixilated' or losing line quality.

Next time we'll discuss the vectors tools in the Paint Shop Pro 'Tools Palette'.