Dragonfly Tutorial by BearMistress

Before You Start:

Version 10: Standard Mode vs Basic Mode

PhotoImpact 10 has two work modes, Basic and Standard. Please use the Standard Mode in this tutorial. To check your mode, click Workspace on the Menu Bar. If the Standard Mode is greyed out, that means you are already in the Standard Mode. If not, click Standard Mode now.

Warning: If you switch from Standard to Basic Mode, and you have custom settings, you will lose all your custom settings.

Version 11

Please use the Advanced Mode. You can find out which mode you are in by the checkmark next to the current mode in the My Workspace menu. If you have created a mode based on the Advanced Mode, feel free to use that.

Changing modes in PI 11 does not alter your custom settings, assuming you have saved those into a mode or profile of your own.

1. Open a new image — Canvas color=white; 500x500.

Outline Drawing Tool On the attribute bar, choose Ellipse / color - any / Mode - 3D Round. Draw an elongated ellipse, about 225x75 pixels.
In PI 10: Click the Material icon, click gallery, click Material Attribute Gallery, tab group Metallic, double-click the preset of your choice. In the Bevel Settings tab, set the Width at 3. Click OK.
In PI 11: Click the Open Gallery icon on the Attribute bar; click on Material Attribute Gallery. Select the Metallic group and double-click the preset of your choice. Back on the Attribute Bar, click Adjust Material Options, click on Bevel Settings; set the set the Width at 3.

Outline Drawing Tool Change the shape to Custom Shape / Heart. Draw a heart. Use the Transform Tool to Rotate Left 90. Then use the Resize (first icon on the left) tool (check to make sure the lock is UNlocked). Grab the nodes and pull in the direction you want to go to flatten the heart so that it fits in the ellipse, and to stretch so it fits the long way, as shown. Be sure the lock is unlocked. It will take a couple of tries to get the heart to the right shape.

When you're happy with it, select both objects (click on each piece while holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard).

—> Merge As Single Object <—

Rotate Horizontally

Rotate by Degree

2. With the wing selected, duplicate (right-click, Duplicate) it.

Select the Transform Tool, and click on Flip Horizontally. Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, move the still-selected wing to the right, leaving a space between the two for the body. Don't worry if the right one is partly off the canvas—if that happens, select both objects and again using the arrow keys, move them both back to the middle.

Duplicate the right wing and rotate it to the right 25 degrees. Duplicate the left wing, rotate 25 degrees to the left. Arrange the two on the right so that the points of the hearts are close to matching, and then do the same to the two wings on the left. Again, the arrow keys on the keyboard make this a snap. Right-click / Select All Objects and then right-click / Group.

Deselect wings.

becomes

3. Outline Drawing Tool / Circle / 3D Round... Draw a 3D Round Outline Circle for the head, about 99 pixels across; it will automatically be the same preset you used for the wings.

*Duplicate. Go to Adjust / Resize, Click Selected Object and User Defined, check Keep Aspect Ratio, enter 90 in the Width or Height box, unit percent. Click okay.

Repeat from * until you have 5 graduated circles, each time duplicating the last resized circle.

Click on your Pick Tool. Select all the circles, go to Object / Align / Center Horizontally. Click away from the circles on a blank piece of canvas. Using your up and down arrow keys, arrange as shown, overlapping the bottom four circles just slightly. Deselect.

4. In PI 10: Path Drawing Tool / Rounded Rectangle / Border 6 / Depth 20. Click the Material icon, click gallery, click Material Attribute Gallery, tab group Metallic, double-click the same preset you used for the wings.

Draw a rectangle to fit from top circle to the second and wide enough to attach both wings—however it looks best to you. In the Path Panel, set Roundness at 64. Deselect.

In PI 11: Path Drawing Tool / Rounded Rectangle / 3D Round / Border and Shadow unchecked. Click the Open Gallery icon on the Attribute bar; click on Material Attribute Gallery. Select the Metallic group and double-click the preset you used for the wings.

Draw a rectangle to fit from top circle to the second and wide enough to attach both wings—however it looks best to you. In Tool Settings-Path, set Roundness at 64. Deselect.

5. Path Drawing Tool / Circle / 3D Round... Draw a 3D Round Circle, resize to 98x98. Duplicate and change size 90% four times as you did for the Outline Circles in Step 3. Select one of your rounds.

Open the Easy Palette's Material Gallery (under Text/Path Effects).
Select the Gel gallery. Right-click the preset you wish to use, and click on "Modify properties and apply". Open the Shadow tab and uncheck shadow. Click Okay and the preset will be applied.

Note: If you use different presets, you may not have the shadow to deal with, and you may have to adjust the border/depth to 49/30 to give the circles a nice-looking roundness. Open the different tabs in the Material Panel and see how they affect your preset and the path object you are working with. Don't be afraid to change anything :)

Click on the Pick Tool. Center the round over its metallic circle and click the send-to-back arrow.

Repeat for each round path shape.

6. Next-to-the-last thing: a pair of antennae.

Go to Outline Drawing Tool / Custom Shape / Heart / 3D Round. Draw a heart the same size as the head, or thereabouts. Apply the same preset you used for the wings, then select the Bevel Settings tab and change the Width to 2. Go to Object, Convert Object Type, and click From Text/Path to Image.

Click on the Object Eraser Tool, soft edge 0, erase the left half of the heart, and click Trim. Duplicate this piece. Select the Transform Tool and flip horizontally. Arrange the antennae on the head, using the Transform Tool to Rotate Freely and maybe Distort or Perspective until the placements suit you. They don't have to match!

Optional -- Path Drawing Tool, heart, 3D. Draw two tiny hearts (either with your metallic preset or matching one of your colored presets) and attach to the ends of the antennae.

7. Now, a Shadow: Object / Select All Objects

Object / Merge as Single Object

Object / Shadow — click Shadow, the far left style, X- and Y-offset 7, the rest as is. Right-click in the color box and choose "Color on Screen". Click on one of the colors in your Dragonfly. Right-click on the color box again and choose "Windows Color Picker". On the color bar at the far right, click near the bottom to make the shadow color very dark (keeping in mind that it will appear lighter as the shadow). Click OK, and OK again.

Try making your dragonfly with different presets, different metallics. Try making another bug with this same technique!

Well, there you have it, an update of my first tutorial. I hope you have fun with it!
Any questions, comments, please drop me a note at the address below :)

Virginia