Gossamer Wings Graphics

This tutorial is rated intermediate, and was written for Paint Shop Pro 7 but could easily be adapted for other versions.

You will need:

Paint Shop Pro - download a free trial version here.

Options: Plug ins to provide texture to your tag.

1. Open a new transparent document, 500 x 500 pixels and any tubes you want to put on your tag. Select two coordinating colors from your tubes for your background and your foreground of your color palette. To do this, double click on the color selected in the color palette and and eye dropped will appear as the cursor and you can run it over your tube a select a color from your tube. You also might consider making your tag a neutral color, like cream or white.

2. Select your prest shape tool. On the Tool Options select rectangle. If you cannot see your Tool Options, go to View: Tool Bars and make sure it is selected. Draw a rectangle the size you want:

3. Go to Layers: Convert to Raster Layer. Go to View: Grid, then View: Change Grid and Guide Properties. Change the Horizontal and Vertical spacing to 100 and leave the other settings at their default position. Line up your rectangle so one corner it matched up with the grid.

4. Select your Freehand Selection Tool (the Lasso). On the Tool Options, the Selection type is Point to Point, Feather is 0 and Antialias is checked. Click on one point of the grid and then the other and all the way around to where you started to cut off the corner. When you are ready to select, right click and the "marching ants" should appear around the corner. Press delete or Edit: Cut.

5. Line up the other corner with the grid and follow the same steps to cut off the other corner.

6. If the grid lines are bothering you, turn them off. Go to View: Grid. Now select your Selections tool (the dotted-line rectangle) and select Circle with Feather at 0 and Antialias checked on your Tool Options. Draw a circle at the top of your tag and press delete or Edit: Cut:

7. Go to Selections: Select All then Selections: Float and then Selections: Modify: Expand by 3. Go to Layers: New Raster Layer and flood fill the selection on this new layer with a coordinating color. Go to Layers: Arrange: Move Down so this new layer is below your original tag layer.

8. Add your tube and texture to your tag. For my tag, I added the tube, lowered the opacity of the tube to 65% and merged my tube to my tag layer. I then added texture with Filters Unlimited and Xenofex on the crumple setting. The possibilities are endless!

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