For this tutorial, you will need a nice, light grain wood image. For this tutorial I am using a Maple. You can click "here" and save it to a folder of your choice. Just remember where you saved it.
First open a new image 300X300, 16 million colors, and transparent background. We can resize it later on. I am using a white background for this tutorial so that the images will show up better.
Open the Maple image and minimize it, as we will use it soon.
Click on Preset Shapes Tool and select Ellipse from the drop down window. Antialias and Create as Vector both checked, solid line and width of 1.
Click on your Background and then click on Pattern and look for the Maple image in the drop down window. Angle 0 and Scale 100. Make your Foreground Null.
Put your mouse over the canvas until you see x100 y115 in the lower right of your bottom bar. Left click with your mouse and move the curser down till you get the numbers of x208 and y280.
Click on the Pen Tool and holding down the Control key, move the mouse over the vector outline and add a few nodes at the bottom and on each side of the top node. Clicking on the bottom nodes, move them slightly upwards to form a small arch. Then click on the top left and top right nodes and move them slightly inwards so that your shape looks like a rounded arrow.
Right click on the Vector Layer and Convert to Raster Layer and name this BODY.
Click on Effects/3D/Inner Bevel and use the settings below..
Click on Preset Shapes Tool and with the Ellipse still selected, move the mouse to the settings of x115 and y75. Left click with your mouse and move the curser down till you get the numbers of x180 and y120.
Use the nodes to shape the ellipse so that it overlaps the top of the BODY layer a bit. Right click on the Vector Layer and Convert to Raster Layer and name this HEAD.
Highlight the HEAD layer and click on Effects/3D/Inner Bevel and use the settings as above.
Click on Preset Shapes Tool and with the Ellipse still selected UNCHECK the Create as Vector. We do not need the Vector anymore.
Make a NEW layer and name this FACE. Change your Background to BLACK color and make two small circles for eyes. Then change the Background color to a RED #FF0000 (or any color that you prefer for the mouth). Make a small oval from side to side for the mouth.
With the FACE layer still highlighted, click on Effects/3D/Inner Bevel and use the settings below.
Make a New layer and name this HALO. Make the Foreground color active and click on Gradient and find Metallic Gold, angle 0 and scale 0. Click on Preset Shapes Tool and with the Ellipse still selected, change the Width to 3 and make an oval above the head.
Use the Deform Tool to shape and position it where you would like it to be.
Make a new layer and name this HAIR. Change your Background to BLACK and click on the Paint Brush Tool. Use the following settings; Size 2, Hardness 100, Step 10, Density 100 and Opacity 100. The style of hair will be up to you. You can change the Background color to whatever color that you want for the HAIR. You can draw your hair curly or with ponytails, which ever you prefer. To be simple, I gave my Angel curly hair.
Change the Background color back to the Metallic Gold Gradient and click back on the Preset Shapes Tool. It should still be at Ellipse, solid line, width 3 and Antialias checked. Make an oval the size that you would like one wing section to be.
Duplicate this one wing three more times. Having a total of 4 wing layers. Use the Deform Tool to position each oval for the WINGS, shaping them and angling them to your preference.
Close out, RED X, all the layers except for the four WING layers. Then highlight the WING layer and Merge/Merge Visible, name the WING. Make all layers visible again.
Highlight the WING layer and drag it below the BODY layer.
With the WING layer still highlighted, right click on the layer and duplicate it. Then go to Image/Mirror. Now you have both WINGS behind the BODY. Click on the COPY and then Merge/Merge Down.
You can stop here; add a new layer for your name and then Merge/Merge Visible. Then save as a gif.
But, I want to decorate the wings a bit. So I will click on the WINGS layer and add a new layer naming it BEADS. Then I went into my Tubes and found a creamy pearl, with a scale of "25" I spaced tiny pearls around the WINGS.
Then I clicked on the HAIR layer, added a new layer and added my name, then I went to Merge/Merge Visible and saved the Angel.
That's all there is to this Wooden Angel. I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I did writing it.
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Designed by ©Susie Beary (GraphiX Anonymous) 2005
Please do not use without permission.