Materials Needed:
PSP 7. x - Get it here
Filter Factory Gallery B - get it here - be sure to read the directions for downloading and converting
Maple leaf selection - get it here. Unzip and place in your selections folder
Note: Whenever I say to add a new layer, add a raster layer
1. Open a new image 500 x 400. With your selection tool, antialias checked,
create as vector unchecked, feather 0, draw a rectangle from 100, 50 to 400,
200. Flood fill with white. Deselect.
2. Stay on the same layer and draw another rectangle from 100, 50 to 175, 200 and flood fill with red. I used #CF2B2B. Deselect. Draw a third rectangle from 325, 50 to 400, 200 and flood fill with the same red. Deselect.
Tip: If you have trouble getting the edges at the exact co-ordinates, you can save the selection in step #1 to alpha channel and then do step 2 without worrying about it going over the edges of the flag (just keep the inside edges at the correct co-ordinates), load your alpha selection, invert and hit delete to get rid of any red outside the flag)
3. Add a new layer and load your leaf.sel. Flood fill with your red and deselect. Image--->Resize by 30%, making sure all layers is UNchecked. With your mover tool, move the leaf into the middle of the flag. The reason for the big selection and then resizing is to get rid of most of those jaggies.
4. Turn off your background layer and merge visible these two layers. Rename the merged layer to "flag".
5. Add a new layer and name it "pole". With your selection tool, same settings, draw a rectangle from 70, 30 to 85, 390. Flood fill with the metallic gradient, style linear, angle 90, repeats 0. Colours--->Adjust--->Brightness/Contrast. Brightness 10, Contrast 0. Deselect.
6. Add a new layer and name it "pole top" Draw a small rectangle on top of the pole. Flood fill with the metallic gradient, same settings and apply the same Brightness. Deselect and apply inner bevel with the following settings:
7. Add a new layer and name it "ball". With your selection tool, same settings, draw a circle on top of the pole. Flood fill with the gradient, same settings and apply the same inner bevel but change the angle to 358. Layers--->arrange--->move down.
8. Go to your background layer and add a new layer called "string". With your line tool set to bezier, width 3, antialias checked, create as vector and close path unchecked, draw a line down the right side of the pole and click near the top right side to curve it. For those unfamiliar with bezier curves, there is a tutorial here explaining it. Alternatively, you can draw it freehand - my hand is not nearly steady enough!
Note: depending on how your curve turns out, you may need to adjust it with the deform tool and/or move your flag to make it appear the string is going through the left side. I had to do both.
If you like you can apply a sculpture - I used silver and changed the depth to 3.
9. Now, we need to make it look like there's stitching in the flag where the string goes through. Go to your flag layer and add a new layer. With your line tool, width 1, antialias checked, create as vector and close path unchecked, set to single line, draw a line down the length of the flag a few pixels in from the left side. Turn the opacity of this layer down to about 20. Turn off all layers but this layer and the flag layer, merge visible these layers and rename the layer to "flag". Turn the other layers back on.
10. To give the flag the look of being blown in the wind, apply Fluttering Flag of the Filter Factory Gallery B with the following settings (to the flag layer only):
You can play with the settings if you want to get a look and shading that you like.
With your mover tool, move the flag over so the left side is over the string. Don't worry about the jaggies, they will disappear when you resize the image to use in your images.
11. If you want your flagpole to be tall, resize your canvas to accomodate that, or use the resize function to make the flag smaller before doing step #5. I've kept it short for the tutorial just to keep my images clearer.
12. You are now done your Canadian flag. You can tube it if you like to use in your images. Don't forget to save final images as a .gif if you are going to put them on the web, as the web doesn't handle the colour red well in .jpg images.
Enjoy!
Tutorial and images © Margaret M. aka MsRosie of Rosie's Graphics
2000-2004 and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission
by the author. Please see my
terms of use page. If you have any problems or questions regarding the tutorial,
please email me.