| Making A Template
Open a new image 400x400
pixels.
With the Path Drawing
Tool, choose the Line and Arrow Tool, Width: 1, Style: the first line. For Shape
choose the Spline, Color: a dark brown. Draw a simple curve as shown. It
doesn't have to be perfect but try to make this curve as smooth as you can as this will be
the center "stem" of your feather. Minimize your window to use this canvas
for later on.
Open
up a new image approximately 300 H x 100 W. With the Path Drawing Tool, Shape:
Ellipse, Color: RGB 209, 202, 160, and Mode: 2D, make an ellipse the size shown
here.
With
the Path Drawing Tool, click on the Path Edit Tool. Click on Toggle.
Next
to the Toggle button, click on + sign underneath Edit point. With your mouse, add
points as shown below. This is how you will shape the left side of your feather.
Using your mouse click on
the points and move them to make a shape similar to the one shown here.
Once
you've finished shaping this part of your feather, click on Toggle. This will be the
template for the left side of your feather.
Open
up another canvas 300 H x 100 W. Make another ellipse with your Path Drawing
Tool of the same height but about half the width. Using the same method as above to shape
the ellipse so it will curve against the center "stem" of your feather.
Note again, the shapes don't have to be perfect as you'll be painting this later on.
Maximize
the initial canvas of the "stem" as you'll be working in here now. Drag
both sides of the feather you just made into it and place them as shown here.
While holding down the
shift key, click on all three objects. You will need a copy of this for further use
later on. It can also serve as a template for making more feathers.
Right click and click group. While it's active, duplicate it, drag it off your
canvas and it will appear on a new canvas. While it is active save this copy as a
.ufo and save it in a file or in your Easy Palette. Return to the original image,
while the template is still selected, right click with your mouse and Merge All.
This is the template for
your feather.
Painting The
Feather
From the Tool Panel, Click
on the Paint tool, Airbrush, Shape Round, Transparency 0 and Soft Edge 50, Preset none.
Choose a medium brown color (RGB 117, 66, 33) and airbrush a couple of vertical
strokes on either side of the stem. Choosing a darker brown color (RGB 96, 53, 27)
airbrush a couple of vertical strokes on the outer edges of the medium brown strokes.
From
the Tool Panel, click the Retouch tool and choose Smudge. Shape round 20, Level 30
and Soft Edge 50, Preset none. These values can be changed for different
effects. Start blending outwards and up and also blur the stem of the feather.
Back on the Tool Panel while still using the Retouch Tool, choose Bristle Smear.
Shape round 20, Level 65, Preset None. Use the same outward and up motion until you
achieve something similar to the above picture. Minimize this for use later in this
tutorial.
Adding Texture
Maximize the template that
was saved in your Easy Palette. You'll be adding your texture to this template.
Expand this by going to Edit, Expand Canvas and expand all sides by 50 pixels.
You'll need room to work putting the texture in. Right click the feather
template and Ungroup.
Save this grid to use as
your fill texture and open it up in PI.
Right click and copy the
grid to the clipboard. Click on the left side of the feather to select it, go to
Edit, Paste, Into Selection. Move the grid until it fits completely over the left
side of the feather.
To do the right side of
the feather: Select the grid, go to Edit, Rotate & Flip, Flip
Horizontally. Right click and copy this to the clipboard. Select the left
side of your feather and repeat the step above to paste this into the selection.
Your image should look like the one shown here.
Putting It All
Together
Maximize your painted
feather and keep it beside the template we added the texture to above.
On the template, click on
the left side of the feather to select it. Right click and duplicate. Drag
this over to your painted feather and place it over the left side. Right click and
click on Properties. Set the transparency to 85. Repeat this step with the
right side of your feather. Your feather should look like the image shown here.
The Final
Touches
To add some final touches
to your feather and clean it up a bit, make tiny triangles and/or rectangles with the
Selection Tool to make little cuts in your feather and clean up around the uneven edges of
the grid filter. Rotate the selections to get the right angle and perspective.
And here would be the
final result.
You
can use this feather to make more just by colonizing it using the Format, Hue &
Saturation tool. Below I have an example of feathers colonized from the one made
here.
I hope you've enjoyed this
tutorial.
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