Vector Birdhouse
My hubby and I were in a store the other day and I was looking at the Wind Chimes (I collect these lovely music makers). I have 10 hanging on our patio and love to hear their soft metallic melodies whenever the wind blows. We saw glass ones, wooden ones, ones with sea shells, I wish I could have boughten one of each. There was one the had a tiny birdhouse with the metal chimes hanging from the bottom. It was a simple design so I thought I would recreate the birdhouse.
#1 Open a new canvas 450X450, I want to have extra space to work with, but it can be trimmed when you are done. REMEMBER to SAVE often. I have learned to save after every layer. This way, if your program locks up, you will not have to start from scratch, just your last saved place.
#2 Choose what colors you would like to use. I choose a cream color, #e7e0c9, and what I call a Periwinkle Blue, #4f7aa1.
#3 Click on your Preset Shapes Tool (the Chat Bubble) and scroll through the Drop Down window for RECTANGLE. Foreground color NULL, background color #e7e0c9, antialias and Create as Vector BOTH checked, solid line and line width 1. Make an square in the center, lower width of your canvas. Right click on the Vector layer and Convert to Raster Layer and name the FRONT. DELETE your Raster 1 layer, as you will not need this layer. SAVE AS birdhouse.pspimage.
#4 Change your background color to a slightly darker shade, I am using #ded2ae. Clicking on the Preset Tool, using the RECTANGLE, make a narrow rectangle to the LEFT of your square, making sure that the sides are touching.
#5 Holding down the SHIFT key, click on the upper left node and move it down to angle the top of the small rectangle. When you are happy with how this looks, Convert to Raster layer and name this SIDE.
#6 Change your foreground color back to the color you used for the FRONT rectangle. Click on the Perset Shapes Tool and in the Drop Down window, locate the TRIANGLE. Hide your SIDE layer (Red X). Draw a TRIANGLE on top of the FRONT square. You might need to click on the CENTER LEFT and RIGHT nodes to align the bottom of the triangle to the top of the square. When you have it looking like you want, right click on the Vector layer and Convert to Raster, naming this layer, TOP.
#7 UNhide your SIDE layer, making it visible. Change the background color to your contrasting color, I am using my Periwinkle Blue #4f7aa1 and keep your foreground NULL. Make another TRIANGLE but slightly larger than the TOP. Click on the Vector layer, Arrange/Send to Bottom.
#8 You will need to click on the nodes to adjust the ROOF to extend past the sides of your birdhouse and extend over the top. See image above for positioning. When you are happy with how it looks, Convert to Raster layer and name this ROOF. Merge/Merge Visible.
#9 Click on the Preset Shapes Tool and locate the ELLIPSE. Still using the same color as the ROOF, make an oval on the FORNT of your birdhouse. Convert to Raster Layer. Selections/Select all. Selections/Float. Click on Effects/3D/Cutout and use the following settings.
Select NONE.
#10 Click on the Preset Shapes Tool and locate the ROUNDED RECTANGLE. Make a small rectangle just under the oval. Convert to Raster Layer. Selections/Select all. Selections/Float. Click on Effects/3D/Inner Bevel and use the following settings.
Select NONE. Your birdhouse should look something like this.....
#11 Merge/Merge Visible. Now you can add tubes to decorate your birdhouse as you like. Remember to add a NEW raster layer for each tube so that you can position where you like them the best.
#12 When you are done adding your tube decorations, Merge/Merge Visible and Export as a tube.
I hope you enjoyed making this Birdhouse as much as I did writting it.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
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Designed by ŠPJ Keplinger 2006, 2007
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