This tutorial was written on December 28th 2002 and © by Lady Oz.  You may make a copy of this tutorial or print it out for your own personal use ONLY.  Do not send through emails nor put on your own site, but if you would like to LINK to my tutorials please do so.  Also what you create belongs to you, I only own this tutorial and wish it to stay on this page. *s*.

*Disclaimer*  I got this cute idea from an Australian Muffin recipe book called 'Muffin Magic' by Diana Linfoot... not only does it have the most delicious recipes but also the cutest illustrations. I thought that it would be a good idea to do a series of these fun tutes for the Cafe menu in 2003.  My muffins aren't exactly like the ones in this book as I try to give them a personal touch, but they are similar and based on their ideas.

 

This tutorial uses vector shapes and some shading, though it is not really hard....you can save the Muffin as a preset shape as well as a tube. *s*  It is assumed that you have a good working knowledge of PSP as this is for advanced users.

Please email me if you encounter any problems due to my instructions or mistakes, so that I in turn can correct them.   I'd love to see your results and don't forget to share any good ideas or additions you may have!    *s* 
 

What I used for my muffins.

• PSP 7      download a free trial version.....you won't be sorry...but you will be hooked. *s*

• Eye Candy4

 

Tools you will be needing to do this tutorial are as follows:  

Preset Shapes   Object Selector   Draw Tool  Retouch tool  Layer Visibility Toggle

 

Now to make the Valentine Lemon & Poppy seed Muffins! *s*

Step 1*  Open up a transparent image size around 500 x 500  16 million colours (24 bit).    Don't forget to save as you go along....name your layers as we finish each one, unless you choose to do otherwise. *s*

 

Save as a PSP file!

Step 2*   Foreground  #3B3826                Background  #F9E18D These are the colours that I used on these muffins. Yes, there are two of them this time....well it is Valentine's month. *s*

     

Step 3*   Add a new Vector layer... (Layers....New Vector Layer)    Preset Shapes, Rectangle.       Antialias...checked       Create as Vector checked       Line width 1 Draw an oblong shape to the left or right of your canvas....it doesn't matter which. This is for what I will refer to as  'lady's head'.  Now before we go any further with this shape...duplicate this layer and mirror it...this is going to by the man's head.  Click on the glasses in the Layers Palette...we don't need him yet. LOL Go back to the 'lady's head' layer and grab the Object selector....node edit....select bottom left node and change to 'Symmetric'...move handles until you get the shape something like the one on the right.

    Save!

Step 4* Add a new Vector layer...   Preset Shapes, Ellipse Keeping the same colour and settings.....draw an ellipse for the muffin top.    Object selector....node edit...add a few more nodes....for mine I changed some of the nodes to Symmetric and others I left as Cusp. The top can also be done by using the Draw tool settings as on the right......the choice is yours. Duplicate this layer and move to the right side for the man's top...hide this one too for us to work on later.

Save!

Step 5*  With the 'lady's head' layer highlighted, add a new Vector layer.  I named this one 'eyes'. Draw Tool...settings as above right... Foreground : #3B3826 Background: Null Draw a shape for the eyebrow. Then a curved line for the eye, thickening a part of it...as in the pic to the right....add a few lashes.  Object Selector...hold the shift key down and select the eyebrow, eye line and lashes...right click and choose 'group'.  This keeps them tidy and all in one place.  Add a new Vector layer and repeat above step for the other eye. OR duplicate the first eye and mirror...move into place on other side of head.  Now these are cartoon characters so don't get too perfect with the details...no matter how much you don't like those shocking eyelashes etc. *g* Step 6* Add a new Vector layer.  Using the same method as above, make a nose shape...just a little one. *s*

 

Save!

Step 7* Add a new Vector layer.    Preset Shapes, Heart 1       Antialias...checked       Create as Vector checked       Line width 1       Foreground: null       Background:  #3B3826 or shade of your choice Make a heart shape for the mouth, add some nodes and move the nodes around for the shape you want....but make it big.  (fig. 1) Draw Tool... foreground null and background white....draw a shape inside the mouth shape for the teeth. (fig.2)

fig.1 fig.2

 

Save!

Step 8* Highlight layer 1 and add a new Vector layer.   Preset Shapes, Foreground : #3B3826 Background: white Draw a long narrow ellipse for one of the legs.   Rotate the shape to the right until it looks like the one on the right.  Add a few more nodes and with the Object selector....node edit...Move the nodes around until you get the shape something like this one.  Duplicate this leg layer and move over to the right...rotate this leg to the left and move the knee nodes around like in this pic on the right.

Save!

Step 9* Preset Shape....With same settings as before, draw a long  narrow oval for the arm. Rotate to the right like in the pic. Object selector....node edit...add more nodes and move them around until you get the shape you want.  I zoomed in whilst I did the hand part...makes it easier to get the finger shapes and so on.  Don't worry if they aren't perfect...mine never are!....but it makes for great Vector practice. *s* When you are happy with it, duplicate this layer and move it over to the right side and under the 'lady's head layer. Play around with the nodes if you wish to change the hand position etc...though it isn't really necessary as this hand will be behind her lover boy muffin. *s* Woohoo!  Now she is looking rather kewl, huh?  You will never look at muffins in the same way ever again, I am sure of that...and I can already hear those brains ticking and the imaginations whirring around.

Save!              

Step 10* Now if you didn't think I was crazy enough for coming up with these muffin characters, you will do when I tell you how I made her shoe. *g* First of all, with the Background using the dark colour that we have been using and the foreground null.... Preset Shape. Choose the arrow shape as on the right......yeah...that's right...the arrow shape! *g* Draw out a small arrow shape bigger than you will need for the shoe, it makes it easier to work with.

Save!

 

Step 11*  Highlight this arrow layer in the layer palette and click on the +sign.  Look on the pic below and  you will see that I have put red crosses on numbers 2 and 3 to let you know which ones to delete...so go ahead...right click on '3' and delete...the same for '2'.  This gives you '1' to work with....make sure that you have this layer highlighted... Grab the Object selector....node edit...add more nodes and move them around until you get the shape you want.  I zoomed in whilst I did this...the shoe on the left is what I ended up with...not so crazy, huh? *s*  *note* The point of this exercise is to teach you to use pre-existing preset shapes that are sitting in our folder....you can do some wonderful things with these just by playing around with the layers, nodes and settings.  However, if you want to just make the shoes by using the common old ellipse...go ahead...but it is good fun learning new tricks. *s* Below I have really zoomed in to show you how I placed my nodes...some are cusp, others symmetric.  After much playing around...too much to show you in detail...and why spoil your fun? LOL...I then reduced the size to fit the foot by grabbing a corner and pulling down and in diagonally.  Now you can give the other foot a shoe too if you wish, but for this graphic it will be hidden by her lover's leg...you decide. Of course, you may want to give your muffin lady different shoes...something a bit more comfortable, maybe? *s*

You may want to save the lady as a vector shape at this stage...or even a tube.

Save!

Step 13*   Now bring that guy out of hiding and work on him in the same way as the lady muffin until you think that he makes a suitable partner for her.  I used the draw tool a lot for his features and detail.  I also used the lady's arms and adjusted the nodes for him. For his pants I made a long oblong and adjusted the nodes to make him look like he's dancing.  Make him a pair of dancing shoes. When you are duplicating layers to use, there is no need to add a new Vector layer...but do remember to add one if you are adding new shapes.  By doing it this way it keeps all your parts separate, otherwise they all go into one mass on the one vector layer, much harder to work with.

This is what I have to save as a Vector shape.

Save!

Step 14*   Step 14*   Grab the Object selector and draw around the complete image...right click and choose 'Group'.  Do not deselect.  Now make your Layer Palette active and look for this new group...which will be at the bottom of all the layers.   Change the name to whatever you wish to call it for your shapes library.  Also, more importantly, give this new name to the  Group 1 layer, which is just below the one you've just renamed....otherwise when you save the preset shape, it will save as Group 1 no matter what you may choose to call it.   *I have only just found this out after pulling my hair our so many times, wondering why my new shape could never be found under the name I gave it and that every one was saved as 'Group 1'......aaaargggggh!  LOL Please note that all the layers above this layer are now empty as they have been transferred to your new group....but don't delete them as when we are finished, we will undo the grouping and revert back to the way they were. Do not deselect. Right click on image again and choose 'export shape'.  Give your shape a name and OK it. You will get a warning message...that's okay just click OK. *Note* both these screen captures and the one below are from my original muffin tute...no need to do more copies...you get the general idea...don't you?  Good, I knew you would. *s*

Step 15*  **Open up a new image and test out this shape before going on to convert the layers to raster...better safe than sorry. *s*   To do this you need to look through your preset shapes until you find it.  Make sure that 'Retain Style' and 'Create Vector' are selected...then test it out on the new image.   Your new vector shape will show up in your Layer Palette as 'Layer 2' and will have a little plus '+'sign at the side of it.   Click on it and you will see all the vector layers that you saved in your group...sometimes we miss one or two....that's okay, just drag them into the group. *Note that even though it has saved in the name that I gave it...all the layers below reverted back to the name of the shapes that they were made with....i.e.:  Ellipse....Drawing etc.....now this bugs me, so if anyone knows a way of keeping the name that we give each of the layers...please, please let me know as it will save me a whole heap of time searching for the answer.  LOL Once you know that it is safely there and is correct...close it up and go back to your original image that you were working on. I find that if I right click my image and choose 'ungroup'...it stays grouped...so I just use the undo button on my taskbar...... you can do the same thing by going to Edit...Command History....highlight 'group'....hit the 'undo' command.... I don't usually use this unless there are lots of moves to undo.

Now onto converting to raster layers and dressing these 'sweet lovers' up a wee bit. *s*

Part 2