Tutorial: Making Rope Stamp

PhotoImpact v.11 

Beginner.

Tools: Custom Path Shape, stamp tool, Paint on Edge.

Description: Learn how to make a rope with the custom path shape and how to use and how to add to your stamps.

By: Acadie

Example of what you could do with your stamps using the effect paint on edge.

 

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First let's open a white RGB canvas at 300 x 300 pixels.

Choose your path shape tool, and click on custom, it will open a new window.

Scroll down until you find the B51 shape, just like in the example on the left.

Now draw your shape onto the canvas, not to big since we want to use it as a rope. Select the 3d shape from the top bar. Any color will do, choose one that you would like to have your rope with.
Now we are going to adjust our bevel, click on the folder at the top bar, this is our material manager.

A new window open. Select the Bevel Setting just like on the image on the left.

Put a check in the Smooth spine just click on the check botton to do so, and make sure the Bevel outline is select at ( In). Click ok.

This is what you will get.

Now copy and paste as a new image, hide the background, you will find it under view.

Once the background is hide, save your rope as a ufo. Well I know it doesn't look like a rope, but once we use as a stamp and with some simple setting it will look like it, not to worry. :)

Now that we have save our rope image, we are going to select our stamp tool. This is the one highlight in blue on the left.
Next at the top bar, this is where I have mine, clcik on the arrow and a drop down menu will appear, select the add stamp. In the new window that did open, navigate to your rope file you just did save, and select and click ok.

As you could see, your rope ufo file did appear as your selected stamp. Have a look at the setting above. -Depending of how big you did made your original size image, which is 100 I did lower mine at 30.
-Next to it is the spacing, meaning how far apart it will be, I set mine lower of 5 pixels, this will give us the rope look we are looking for.
-The appearance I do leave at Always.
-The order since we have only one object in our stamp this one won't affect it. But if we had more than one stamp object in the same file, we would have to set how we want the order as we stamps.
-Next, we have the placement, click on it and choose trail.
-Then we have the object, if we want to have the stamps to be separated or the whole as a single object, I did choose a single object.
-For the last, I did leave it as freehand.

We are now ready, to try it on our canvas, just make a free line onto your canvas.

Cool, we do now have a rope. You may change the spacing if you want a more tide rope and the size as well, but always have the spacing at least a few pixels lower the the size you have chosen.

Let's explore further, let's click on the tool setting icon, example below what it look like. Should be on your top bar depending how you did set your workspace.

 

This is our tool setting window. Put a check mark in the Hue shift and put click on the radio button next to step. We will keep it as 10 each for now.

Now draw a freehand line, as you could see the color of our rope did change, pretty cool hey.

Ok, Let's move on and try an other one from our custom path shape.

This time, let's choose the star F106, well to me looks like a star but it may look like a flower to you, that's ok as long as we have the same.

We are going to proceed the same way, draw your shape onto the canvas, not to big, maybe around 40 pixels or so. Choose 3D Round.

This time instead of choosing a color, we are going to apply a preset. In your Easy Palette, under Text/Path Effect, select Material Attribute and then Realistic.

I have chosen T29. Double click on it and it will apply to your shape.
Open you Material Manager, as before we are going to select Bevel Setting and put a check mark on the Smooth spine, just click on the check botton to do so. We make sure that our Bevel outline is (In). Click ok.

This is what we have so far. Copy and paste as a new image, hide your background and save as a ufo with a different name, we could call it rope2.

As before, we are going to select our stamp tool, right click on it, and click on the down arrow and choose add stamp. Navigated to your rope2 file, select it and click ok.

Now this is what we have, we are going to change our setting, use about the same as mine, you could always adjust it later on if you feel it is not right.

Once your setting is done, just draw a freehand line on your canvas. Wow, what do you know, we got a fuzzy wool rope here. This is pretty cool.

Ok, Now for the last part am going to show you a quick fun way to use your rope stamp keeping the same setting for the rope.

Open a new white RGB canvas 300 x 300 pixels. From the custom Path Shape choose the heart shape.

Draw your heart about 250 pixels wide. Make it a nice Red color.

Cool, now keep your heart selected. Click on your stamp tool, if your fuzzy rope is not selected, click the down arrow and select it.

On your Top Bar, click on Effect, a drop down window will appear, click on creative a window will expend and then click Paint on Edges. A short cut key for it is Shift+P at the same time, and is faster to use. Now look at your heart, and the way it goes, it does place your fuzzie rope around it. Isn't it amazing and fun.

You could try other shapes as well to make all kinds of ropes, I'm not going to show you the other shape that looks great as rope but will let you discover them.

Here is what I did with mine, Did add a flower from the object library and a just add a diamond single diamond from the stamp gallery.

Hope you had fun with me, playing with the custom Path Shape and making ropes.

You are welcome to post your result in the Show and Tell forum at PhotoImpact International. You must be a register member and the good news it is free. Here is your Award, don't forget to grab it.

 

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Acadie's Art copyright 1998-2008