Bluebird's Tuts: Pretty Pastels

YOU WILL NEED:

* Paint Shop Pro. I used version 10 but you should be able to make this tag in any version.

* Tube of choice. I am using the artwork of Caron Vinson and you can purchase her art at CILM.

* Brushes of choice. I am using the Grasses and Plants brushes by Stephanie Shimerdla which you can download from HERE (under Nature).

NOTE brushes are in abr format but an image pack is available. For the best result you can use ABRviewer to convert the brushes to png format which you can then import to PSP.

* Font of choice - I used Nueva.

* My Pretty Pastels scrapkit HERE.

* Charm of choice. I used one from my It's So Blue scrapkit HERE.

LETS START!

1. Open a new image 500 x 500 with a white background. Open the bows, ribbons, doodles and flower frame from the Pastels scrapkit.

2. Copy and paste the flower frame to the canvas and resize to 72%. Sharpen using the settings below.

3. Add a new raster layer. On your frame layer, use your magic wand to select outside the frame. Selections - Invert - Modify - Expand by 6. Floodfill on the new raster layer with the purple colour from the scrapkit (colour swatch is included). Select none. Apply a Gaussian blur of 20. Apply Blinds twice (once vertical, once horizontal) at the settings below. Reduce layer opacity to 80%. Drag this layer below the frame.

4. Copy and paste the doodles you want to use to the canvas. Make sure this layer is below the blur layer you just did. Resize and position the doodles to your liking. I resized to 80% and resized a second doodle to 80% twice. If you have more than one layer of doodles, merge the doodle layers together. Select your Colour Replacer tool

. Set your foreground on the Materials Palette to the glitter tile you want to use (I scaled my pattern to 65%) and the background to black (the colour you want to change). Using the settings shown below, click on your doodle and the black will change to glitter. Click on this icon

to colour all the black pixels on the current layer.

5. Sharpen the doodles using the same settings as before. Add drop shadow at the following settings to the doodle and frame layers.

6. Add a new raster layer above the doodle layer. Activate your paintbrush tool with the purple from the scrapkit as your foreground colour. Add your brushes to the canvas. Use the rotate function to change the brush angle.

7. Activate your frame layer and copy and paste a ribbon to your canvas (I used a thin one). Image - Free Rotate - Left 10 degrees. Position to your liking. Back on your frame layer, use your magic wand to select outside the frame. Go back to your ribbon layer and press delete. Select none. Use your soften brush to smooth any rough edges. Copy and paste the matching bow to the canvas and resize to 90%. Position the bow along the ribbon (no need to rotate it). Copy and paste the charm to the canvas between the ribbon and bow layers. Position it so that the chain is roughly in the middle of the knot on the bow. Carefully erase any of the chain that is above the bow. Apply the same drop shadow as before.

8. Copy and paste your tube to the canvas. Resize and sharpen if necessary. Position to your liking. Add your copyright information and watermark. Close the white background layer off and merge visible. Control C then V to cut and paste your image, add a new raster layer and floodfill with white. Drag the white layer to the bottom.

9. Activate the top layer on your new canvas. Use your text tool at the settings below to type your name. The foreground on the materials palette is the purple colour and the background is the glitter (still at 65%). Add drop shadow at the settings shown below and then sharpen your name using Unsharp Mask at the same settings as before but this time change the strength to 112. Apply the drop shadow again.