POPTUTS ! Tutorials

HOW TO MAKE A SMALL CG
Without Using The Pen Tool
A tutorial by Ariel

I've realised that a lot of beginners have a hard time making CGs using the pen tool. I agree that it can be very hard to control, and the end result would be bleh. So I've made a tutorial that will help beginners make CGs without all the fuss and stress of using the pen tool.

PART ONE : SETTING UP

Step 1
Open up Photoshop. I'm using Photoshop CS4.

Step 2
Click on File (which can be found at the top left hand corner of your screen), then from the drop down menu, click on New.

Step 3
There will be a pop-up. Change the size according to mine.
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Step 4
Hit Ctrl and + at the same time a few times, to zoom in. Or if you prefer, click on View >> Zoom In (which can be found at the top).
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Step 5
Decide what you want to CG. For me, I'll be making a tiny bear.

Step 6
Next, let's get your workspace organised! 8D
Let's start with taking out all the stuff you need. Click on Window >> Workspace >> Essentials (Default).
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Step 7
Click on the square-shaped piece of paper with a dog ear on it that can be found at the bottom of the Layers menu to create a new layer. Whatever you do, DO NOT WORK ON THE BACKGROUND LAYER.
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PART TWO : CG TIME!

Step 1
Click on the newly created layer to work on it. Now it's time to start CGing!

Step 2
Click on the Brush Tool, or simply click the letter 'B' on your keyboard.
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Step 3
Pick a base colour for your CG. Click on the square box on top of another one at the bottom of your list of tools.
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Step 4
There will be a pop up of the colour palette. Play around with the colours until you find something suitable. Since I'm CGing a bear, I'll be choosing a nice brown for it. Once you're done, click 'OK'.
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Step 5
Look at the top of your screen. You should see this :
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Click on the arrow facing down, and change your diameter to something that would suit your graphic. Since I'm CGing the bear's head, my diameter will be around 34 px. Also make sure your opacity is 100%.

Step 6
Bring your cursor to the canvas, and make a circle by left clicking.
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Step 7
Now it's time to shade. Go back to the colour palette, and choose a slightly lighter shade of the same colour.

Step 8
Change the diameter of your brush to about 5-10px smaller -- you decide. Make sure the difference between the two different shades is easily visible. Repeat this step 3 more times.

Step 9
* You can choose to skip this step.
To make your CG shiny-looking :
On the 5th time, make sure the difference between the last colour you used has a very high contrast. Add a small dot of the lightest colour, then another even smaller dot near the first one.
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Step 10
Now you've completed the shading for the face! 8D Doing good so far? Alright, now let's continue. Create another layer. Make sure this layer is on top of Layer 1.

Step 11

FOR STEP 11, REFER TO THIS IMAGE : [click - pop up]

Now we go on to details. Change your brush size to 3 / 4 px (it depends on the size of the CG you're making). Also change the colour to dark brown. Put 2 dots on the face -- one for each eye.

Then choose a light reddish-pink colour for the nose. The diameter of the brush should be 1 / 2 px. The nose should look like an upside down triangle.

For the mouth, all you need is a striaght line going downwards from the nose. But of course, I encourage you to be original and think of other ways a mouth can be portrayed. Change the opacity of the brush to 45%. The brush size should be 1 px. Pick a suitable colour for the mouth.

You can also add 2 small lines above the eyes to make eyebrows.

To make flushed cheeks, change the opacity of your brush to 50%. Brush colour : pink. The ideal brush size would be 5 px.

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PART THREE : MORE CGING

Step 1
Now you're completely done with the face. WHOOHOO! You're almost done! Shall we start on the ears?

Step 2
Create a new layer. Drag that layer underneath Layer 1.

Step 3
Time to bring out your Brush Tool again! Change the opacity to 100%. Pick a suitable colour and brush size for the ears. The brush size I'm using is 17 px.

FOR STEPS 4 TO 7 REFER TO THIS IMAGE : [click - pop up]

Step 4
Position your brush where you would like the ears to be. Once you've got it, left click. TADA! Now you have a base for your ears!

Step 5
It's time to shade the ears. Let's start with the outline of the inner ear. Change the brush size to 1 px, opacity 100%, and a very dark brown. Draw a slanted 'C' on each of the ears.

Step 6
To shade the inner ear, change the opacity of your brush to 50%. Then change the size of your brush to around 9 px. Simply colour it in my left clicking. Click on it more than once if you want the inner ear to be darker.

Step 7
To make it more realistic, we have to make the top part of the ear lighter. Pick a lighter colour, but keep the opacity at 50%. You can change your brush size to 2 px. Trace the outline of the inner ear with the lighter colour.

Step 8
Now we have to merge layers. Click on Layer 1, then hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard while clicking on layers 2 & 3 as well. Right click on the selected area, and click 'Merge Layers'.
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Step 9
Click on the Background layer and then hit 'Delete' on your keyboard. We won't be needing that, unless you want a white background.

Step 10
Crop your image using the Crop tool, which is the 5th tool on your Tools List.

Step 11
If you want to add a white outline to your graphic, right click on your layer (the only one left), and click Blending Options. At the bottom left of the pop up, click Stroke. Change the colour to white, and the size to 2 px.
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Step 12
Click on File >> Save As, name your image, and save your CG as .png.

TADA!
Congratulations, you're done making your very first CG!

Here's your finished product :