DESCRIPTION: Use the Bezier / Polygon Tool to create a pop-art type 2D face from a photo.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Save often.

1. Open the image you have downloaded in PI or use one of your own.

2. Save As and give it a new name so you don't change the original.

3. Zoom in to 200%.

4. Go to the Path Tools and select the Bezier/Polygon Tool.

5. Select 2D object in the drop-down box in the Attributes Toolbar.

6. In the Color Box enter #FBECE5 in the Hex box.

7. THE FACE: Select around the face. When you get around to meet where you started, double click to create the 2D selection.

8. Open the Layer Manager (top icon on the right hand side panel of your screen). Name the layer "face". Click on the eye icon. This will hide the layer to make the way clear to select the next sections.

(Name each object in the Layer Manager as you go to keep track. We'll end up with many bits and pieces. Don't forget to save often and use your Easy Palette to regularly store what you have done in case you wish to return to an earlier shape or colour.)

9. THE EYEBROWS: Use the Bezier tool to click around the eyebrows, having gone to the Color Box to pick out a colour for both. (You can use the eyedropper tool if you wish to get a similar colour from the image.)

Name each layer "eyebrow" in the Layer Manager. They should both be 1st and 2nd in the list. If they aren't, move them there.

10. Click on the eye icon to test and you will see the face and eyebrows on top. Not looking too bad at all :)...Click on all the eye icons to turn them off in order to start on the eyes. This is just a simple matter of shapes, remember. Even though this may seem fiddly, in the end we shall reap our reward, hehehe...

11. THE EYES: Again picking up your Bezier Tool, we'll start with the base of the eye. Eyedropper pick the whites of the eyes - white is too stark and you'll find my niece's eye has a soft yellowish tinge. Continue with the eyes - the base, the eyelashes, the pupil, the crease of the eyelid, iris, pupil, etc. Skip from one eye to the other so you have two of each section in the Layer Manager.

12. THE LIPS: Try to do these all in one go. Where you think you might touch the beginning of the selection as you work your way around, go just to the side of it and continue round.

13. THE MOUTH: select the mouth opening to get a one-colour 2D object.

14. The line BELOW THE NOSE.

If you find that any of your layers are not in the right spot, in the Layer Manager make sure the show/hide eye icons are all open and drag them til they all show above the face layer. Another way is to select the object you want to move, Right Click / Arrange and move it to the back or front as is appropriate. Having the face layer on the very bottom of the stack makes everything else stay above it.

TIP: An easy way to shut all the "eye" icons in the Layer Manager is to go to Object/Select all objects. Now you can click on just one of the eyes and the whole lot will show/hide.

15. Right click Select all objects / Group and use the Pick Tool to drag the whole lot as a multiple object file over to your Easy Palette.We don't want to lose all that work for anything. The beauty of paths is that you can change the colour or any part of your lady if you wish - the eye colour, skin colour, etc, even the texture.

We now have the base image for the face.

18. If you want to go a step further from 2D and add shading to the face: Right click Select All Objects / Merge As Single Object. I used the Pick Tool to move the 2D face off my niece but keeping it in the same window, had it next to her face to help me "copy" the shadow areas. I even cloned her teeth!

Here is what I came up with, a bit rough, there is more to do:

The following section is for the hair.

Hillie © 2004