The Waxy Crayon (Photoshop) Tip of the Week by Jen White on March 22, 2011 I bet I ve colored a million pictures in the last 20 years. Our son loved to color when he was small, but, of course, children eventually outgrow crayons. Fortunately, I m getting a second run of coloring, now that my nieces and nephews are coming of age. I LOVE it! So, in honor of middle-aged coloring book addicts everywhere, this tip is for you! Check it out... Step 1: Prepare Your Workspace * Create a new (File > New) document that is 12x12 inches at 300 dpi OR open (File > Open) an existing scrapbook page that is ready to embellish. * On your keyboard, press the letter D to reset the Color Chips to the default of black and white. Step 2: Type a Template * In the Tool Bar, get the Horizontal Type tool. * On your scrapbook page, click and type out a bracket ( { ). * Click on the check mark in the Options Bar to commit to the changes. * In the Options Bar, choose a font size. I chose 335 pts. * In the Options Bar, choose a font. I chose Century Schoolbook. * In the Layers panel, Ctrl click (Mac: Cmd click) on the thumbnail of the bracket layer to get a selection outline around the bracket. Page 1
* In the Layers panel, click on the Visibility icon (eye) of the bracket layer to hide it. * Click on the Create a New Layer icon on the Layers panel to create a new layer above the bracket layer. Step 3: Get a Crayon * In the Tool Bar, get the Brush tool. * In the Options Bar, open the Brush Picker (see image below). * Open the presets drop down menu (see image below). * Choose Large List, then open the Preset menu again and choose Dry Media Brushes. * Double click on the Waxy Crayon brush (see image below). Step 4: Color It * Zoom into the top of the bracket. * Using the crayon brush, click and drag short strokes just inside the selection outline. It will look more natural if you do not touch the selection outline with your brush. The idea here is to draw the outline of a Page 2
bracket with your crayon. * When you are finished outlining one section of the bracket, hold down the Space Bar to temporarily access the Hand tool. Reposition your page so you can see the next section of bracket that needs to be outlined. Then let go of the Spacebar to go back to the Brush tool. * When you are finished outlining the bracket, use your crayon brush to make short strokes inside of the outline you just made. Try to resist the urge to just scribble. (Hee hee!) The end result will look much better if you use short strokes (see image below). * Don t worry about staying in the lines. The stroke outline will keep you inside the limits. * When your coloring job looks good to you, press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to deselect. * Admire your creative work!! Step 5: Trash the Template * I like to keep the Type layer around until I have completed my artistic scribblings. Why? Because if I lose the selection outline while I m still working, I can easily recreate it again by Ctrl clicking (Mac: Cmd clicking) on the thumbnail of the original bracket Type layer in the Layers panel. * When you re done coloring, click on the hidden Type layer in the Layers panel and drag it to the Trash. Page 3
Step 6: Embellish Your Page * I want my brackets to look like I ve drawn them right on my page. Because of this, there would be no use for a drop shadow. * To move the bracket into place, get the Move tool, click on the bracket, and drag it into place. * To duplicate the bracket, press Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J). * To rotate the bracket: press Ctrl T (Mac: Cmd T), hover your mouse near a corner handle till the double headed arrow appears, then click and drag clockwise. I ve finished my scrapbook page that features this tip check it out to the left. I created the title of the page using the same technique. I hope you ll find some time to try this technique and share it with me and the rest of the gang in the Tip of the Week Gallery at Digital Scrapper! Credits: Tip of the Week: The Waxy Crayon, by Jen White Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Photos: by Jen White Featured kit: Home Sweet Home by Leora Sanford Fonts: Century Schoolbook, Reservoir Grunge, Century Gothic Page 4
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