This is what we are going to make
This is my own tutorial and my own way of making an outline. After doing about 50 of them, I
figured out some helpful hints that make the job much easier. I am not saying it still isn't
alot of work, but maybe after following this, you will appreciate other pixel artists and the work
they put into their work.
Always make sure that what you are making an outline isn't breaking any copyrights and that you are
not selling the outlines. One of the easiest things to use is a coloring book outline. There
are tons of them on the net, just do a search for coloring pages!
So We are going to start with a coloring page of a pumpkin that I found on the net. You can
right click and save this graphic to your computer. Or you can right click, copy and then paste
it into your PSP program.
I am using PSPXI, but this would be the same in all versions.
When you get it in your program, you will notice it is a bit bigger than you may want it to be.
I found the easist way to get it smaller, without the blur! First you will need to find your
PrtScn/SysRq button, on your keyboard, it should be above the delete, home, insert and numbers buttons.
I personally use a screen shot program, so I can make very small screen shots of just what I want,
not the whole window. There are some free ones out there like the one I use Screen Hunger 5.
Now, in your program, you want to zoom out, so that the picture of the pumpkin gets smaller. I do this
with my mouse wheel, but you can also go to View/Zoom Out
and click it a few times. Until you get the pumpkin as small as you like it. You can make it tiny, or just smaller.
Now click the PrtScn button on your keyboard and then right click in your psp program, it has taken a picture of the picture in small size!
Now choose your crop tool.
Again, you may need to zoom in, to see where the borders are. Once you get your crop tool around the picture, click Ok and crop your screen shot.
You now have a perfect little picture to trace!
On your layers pallet, right click and Promote Background Layer(if it isn't clickable, you dont need to do this step).
Now you want to go back to your layers pallet and make the pumpkin a little see through, this just makes it easier to see your outline.
Again, go back to your layers pallet and add another raster layer. This will be your new outline!
When you are making your outline, make sure you are on that new layer at all time! You can rename
it outline if you need to.
Now choose your brush tool. Set it like this
And set your foreground color to black, actually you could use any color, but I usually use black.
Now zoom in, so your picture gets up close, this helps you see your brush lines. You can get it as close as you need to.
Now for the magic of make it wayyyyy easier than you think ;-) I want you to look at your key board. On the left, find the SHIFT key. As a pixeler, this will become your best friend...LOL! Now go back to your pumpkin. I want you to click one pixel right here
Now, click and hold down your shift key. And then go to the bottom of this line and click again.
Tada! This is a super fast way, it is like drawing with your brush, as long as you always click one, then hold the shift key and click again, you can draw large areas at a time. Your lines don't have to match perfectly to the graphic you are tracing, just as long as you follow the shape, once you delete the graphic, your outline will look wonderful! Here I have done a few steps
The more you use this, the better you will become at it. This method works on these outlines, photos,
clipart and other things.
If you need to see your outline, just click the eye in your layers pallet
Once you are happy with your outline, just right click the bottom layer and delete it. You now have a nice small new outline! And as you get faster, it takes less time!
Here it is all painted!
