This tutorial is written for both Version 8 and Version 9 of Paint Shop Pro and will work in Version X and X1. There are a few differences in some of the tools used and the differences will be noted by these arrows in the tutorial.

  

Step 1: Open New Image

Start with a new image:
Size: 350 x 350 pixels
Resolution: 72 Pixels/inch
Image Characteristics: Raster Background
Color Depth: 16 Million Colors
Color: Transparent

We will be keeping all of our Layers named and organized so name your first Layer Trans Background.

Use the second button on the Layer Palette and create a New Vector Layer. Name this new layer Pumpkin.

Step 2: Add Preset Shape

To access the Preset Shapes in Version 9, click on the icon located 3rd from the bottom in the Tool Bar and choose the shape that looks like a call-out shown in the example on the right. Hint:  A quick way to access the correct tool is to just type "P" on your keyboard. Then choose Ellipse from the drop down list located in the Tool Ribbon at the top of the work area.

Activate the Preset Shape Tool and choose the Ellipse from the Shape List drop down arrow.

Use these settings:
Retain style: Checked
Anti-Alias: Checked
Create as Vector: Checked

Draw a circle starting in the upper left area of the image going down to the lower right. Make the circle fairly large but away from the edge to give yourself enough space in which to work.

• Hint: To draw a perfectly round circle, hold the Shift Key down while drawing.

Your Layer Palette will now show an ellipse as a sub-layer under the Pumpkin Layer

Step 3: Add Nodes

Activate the Pen Tool and set the Mode to "Edit" in the Tool Ribbon.

If the circle isn't selected showing the nodes, click once on the outline to select it.

Hold your mouse near the edge of the circle and you will see a wavy line appear. Press the Ctrl key down and the wavy line will change into +ADD. This means that you can add a Node. Add Four nodes so that your circle matches the example on the right and you will now have Eight nodes.

Note:  The examples from now on are shown with white background so that they will show up better on the page. Your image should remain on a transparent background.

Step 4: Select and Move Top Node

Keep the Edit mode of the Pen Tool active, click on the Node at the top of the circle to make it active. When you do this an arrow will become visible and will be attached to the Node. These arrows will be referred to as handles. they can be stretched and twisted to enable you to create even more shapes.

For our Pumpkin we will only move the Nodes and not manipulate the Handles.

Hold the node with your Left mouse button down and drag the node down. Imagine the shape of the pumpkin that has a little indentation in the top rather than straight across and move the node enough that you have that little "Valley" at the top of the pumpkin.

Repeat this procedure with the node at the bottom to give it a "Valley" also. this time just drag the node up a bit.

Note: You might need to click outside of the circle you have drawn to deselect everything before you can select only one Node.

Step 5: Select and Copy Shape

Keep the Edit Mode of the Pen Tool still active and draw a rectangle all the way around the outside of your shape the same as you would draw a rectangle with the Selection Tool. When the rectangle has been drawn, all of the Nodes should be black meaning that they are all selected and a rectangle will surround the entire shape.

Click Edit/Copy and then Edit/Paste/Paste As New Vector Selection. You will now see that a new pumpkin outline is attached to your mouse and you can place it anywhere. The example on the right shows that I have placed it just a little above my previous pumpkin shape. We will be resizing our new shape a little and placing it exactly in line with the previous one but for now that would make it more difficult to see.

Your Layer Palette will now show two sub-layers named "Ellipse" under the Pumpkin layer. Right click on each layer and choose Rename from the menu. Rename the lower layer "Ellipse One" and the upper layer "Ellipse Two".

Step 6: Object Selector Tool

Make sure your new layer, Ellipse 2 is active and click on the Object Selector Tool

Activating this tool should cause a rectangle to be drawn around your pumpkin shape. Use this tool to drag ONLY the sides of the shape a little bit toward the center. We are only resizing the shape's width.

Once the sides have been moved in, hold the mouse over the dot at the center and drag the newly resized shape down until the top and bottom line up with the previous shape.

• Note: We used the Object Selector Tool to move the sides instead of the Pen Tool set to Edit as in Steps 4 and 5 because we wanted the entire width of the pumpkin on this layer to be decreased. The Edit Mode of the Pen Tool would have only moved the Node and would have deformed the side rather than moving it.

Step 7: Copy and Paste More Shapes

1.  After resizing and placing the second shape, copy that one the same way as in Step 6. Edit/Copy and Edit/Paste/Paste as a Vector Selection. Rename the new sub-Layer "Ellipse Three. Then resize this new shape the same way as in Step 7.

2 and 3.  Repeat again from "Copy and Paste" above two more times until you have a total of 5 layers and shapes. Rename the sub-layers accordingly.

• Note: You may have areas at the top and bottom of your shapes that don't completely line up as in the last layer in the sample shown. We'll fix that next.

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Step 8: Repair out of line areas.

If you have areas that do not line up nicely at the top and/or bottom, activate the Pen Tool and set it to Edit Mode. Click on the layer with the shape you wish to fix to activate it. This will made the nodes on the layer visible. Grab the node that is nearest to the area to be reshaped to make it active.

Drag this Node until you see the outline of the shape matching the outline behind it. Be careful to only drag the Node and not twist the Handles.

Once you have one side placed where you want it, drag the Node on the other side. The example shows the left side has been reshaped and the right side is being worked on.

If you need to make any other adjustments to any of the shapes, just click on the sub layer that you need to make it active and you can do adjustments using the nodes. If you feel you need more nodes, you can add as many as you would like.

  Save     More of the Pumpkin Tut on the "Next Page".