MelissaVgraphics

SIMPLE HALLOWEEN TAG

 
Supplies Needed:

PSP (tutorial written in version 8)

Halloween Brush
I’m using an awesome brush from schematization on deviantART.
You can download it here.

Font of Choice
I’m using An Unfortunate Event.
You can get it here

This is a fairly simple tut. More experienced PSP’ers will already know where to find all of the commands.
But I have several friends who are fairly new to PSP and want them to be able to follow along without having to search too much.

  All settings given are those that I have used to create my tag.
Adjust accordingly to suit your taste and supplies.
Remember to SAVE OFTEN!


Import your brush
(File>Import>Custom Brush; locate the file you unzipped your brush to and select your brush(es). Click Add All).

Open your font and minimize it. PSP will recognize it without having to install it.

Open a new image, 500x300. Set your foreground to a “Halloween” color.
I suggest an orange, purple or green.
Set your background to black.


Flood fill your image with your Halloween color.

Create a new raster layer (Layers>New Raster Layer).
Select your brush tool and find the witch’s hat brush (rak_inadinkado_witchy_hat).
Set your size to 150. RIGHT click on your canvas to get a black hat.

Activate your bottom layer (Raster 1) by clicking on it in the layer palette.
Select your magic wand, with these settings:


Click anywhere outside of your hat and hit delete on your keyboard.
You should now have a black hat with the star, ribbon & moon filled in your color.
Now merge these two layers (Layers>Merge>Merge Visible).

Add a drop shadow to your hat, to give it a glow effect.
(Effects>3D Effects>Drop Shadow) settings:

RIGHT click on the color swatch to bring up the Recent Colors dialog box.
Choose your foreground color. Click OK.

Repeat this drop shadow 3 times.

Select your Text Tool. Choose Create as vector.
Find your font and set your size to 48 and stroke width to 2.
Type your name and apply. Move it to the right of your image,
so that you have room for your hat on the left.

Convert your text to a raster layer (Layers>Convert to Raster layer).
Now duplicate this layer. (Layers>Duplicate)

On your top layer (Copy of Raster 1) apply a drop shadow of 1, 2, 75, 2, black.

Click on your original layer (Raster 1) and do the following:
 Selections>Select All
Selections>Float
Selections>Modify>Expand>3.

Flood fill this selection with your foreground color.
Deselect (Selections>Select None)

Now apply a Gaussian blur of 2 to this layer (Adjust>Blur>Gaussian Blur>2).

Hide your hat layer by clicking on the eye next to it in the layer palette and Merge Visible.
Unhide your hat by clicking the eye again.
Now move this layer to the top by dragging it above the other Merged layer in the layer palette.

Mirror your hat (Image>Mirror). Select your mover tool and move your hat to left of your image,
so that it looks like it’s on the first letter of your name.

No copyright information is needed with this brush,
but you may want to add your tagger credit.

Now Merge All (Flatten) and save as a JPG and you’re done!

Here is another example, in purple, with the hat placed on the right and glitter added.
You could also add other accents, like a mask or another brush. Be creative and have fun!



I hope you’ve enjoyed doing my tutorial as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to show off your results.

This tutorial is © to MelissaV and was written on October 3, 2007.
This is my original idea, and any similarity to another tutorial is purely coincidental.
Do not copy or place this tutorial or any graphics in it to any other place.
You may share my tutorial by a text link only.
Please be sure to read the rest of my terms of use regarding all of my tutorials.

This tutorial has been registered with Tutorial Writers, Inc