Red Currant

By using this tutorial you agree to my terms

Feel free to use your own colors for this.

For this tutorial you will need Jasc PSP 9 . This was written using 9 but it can be done in 8 or 7 with a few adjustments.

I use the Hairy brushes If you don't have them you can get the brushes HERE

You can get the alpha channel canvas HERE

For those using the alpha channel canvas: For each step load alpha channel selections, then flood fill with certain colors. To keep from typing the same thing for each layer I will just type the layer we will be working on. After you have flood fill the layer click on the lock in the layer pallet. I like to do my shading on the one layer for leaves and easy things.

Branch: Flood fill with first color on branch color chart. Start at the bottom use 3rd color to go around edges of branch. Use 2nd color for the center areas. Use 4th color on top of 2nd color as in screen shot. Smudge to blend.

At this point I found it easier to put the dark rings on the branch by flood filling the leaves and stems layers. Use the 5th color for the dark rings. Smudge to blend slightly.

We are going a bit out of order on the layers.

Berries: Flood fill with first color on chart. Duplicate 5 times. Move them over so you can see them and shade 4 of them as in screen shot. Use 2nd color for the edges, 3rd color for middle areas, 4th for the dark spots and the 5 color for the high lights. Smudge to blend. Move the 5th one under the stem layer and duplicate 4 times. Use 2nd color for edges and 5 for the center areas and white for the high light.

Make your clusters similar to what I have below. Some goes behind the branch to. Where the berries over lap each other use colors 2 and 4 for the shadows. Click on the bottom berry to add the shading to.

Do the same for the other berry layer as you did above. Below is how I laid out my berries.

Berry Stems: Flood fill with #827920 apply cut out vertical and horizontal 0, opacity 100, blur 6 and color # 3D461B. Smudge the ends where it connects to the branch to blend in. Add some shadows to where the stem is under the berries as you did above.

Leaves: Flood fill with first color on leaf color chart. Add new vector layer. Use pen tool size1 foreground color 7 on chart and background set to nil. Uncheck the connect segments. Draw some vanes as in screen shot. Convert to raster layer. Click back on the leaf layer. Lock the layer transparency. Airbrush 2nd color around edges and tips of leaf. Spray as in second screen shot with color 2. Use color 8 for the other side of the leaf.

Use the 5th color as in screen shot below. Smudge to blend. Change to 3rd color. Spray in the areas in next screen shot. I added a new raster layer for this part. For some reason I just couldn't get it right. LOL Lower the opacity of the vanes your going to spray under them heaver in some areas and light in others. Smudge to blend. Change the rotation to smudge along the line of the veins.