Hanging Basket

Filters and programs used in this tutorial :-
Paint Shop Pro
Dragonfly's Sinedots II

Materials :-
My sg_windchime.cfg, selection file and some wood, brick and copper patterns.
Put the patterns into your patterns folder Here
Some flower tubes of your choice.

some images have been made smaller to shorten file size

Step 1.
Open a new image 300 x 300 transparent.
Flood fill with a dark colour and
add a new layer, naming it 'basket'.
Go to Effects...Plugins...Sinedots...
Open the 'windchime.cfg' and choose the
'shallow dish' setting.
If you are new to sinedots and don't know how to
open the .cfg file click Here for more information

Some presets use different 'blend' settings and it is
important for this tutorial to make sure that the blend
in the sinedots setting is set to 'screen' like this:-

Step 2.
Go to Edit...Copy...This image will be needed
again later so minimize it for now (or save it).
Open a new image 600 x 600 transparent
Flood fill with a dark colour, then go to
Edit...Paste...Paste as a new layer
Go to Effects...Texture Effects... Sculpture... use these
settings (if you haven't already got it, the copper pattern is
in the materials zip for this tutorial, place it in your patterns folder.

You could duplicate the layer and merge down to make the basket thicker

Step 3.
Add a new layer, naming it left side loop. We will be duplicating this loop
and renaming the layers as we go along in the next step, this will make it
easier to find the correct layers for adding cords and merging them later on.

Activate the Presets Shape Tool type=elipse width = 3 antialias ticked,
retain style=unticked create as vector=unticked.
Make the Foreground of the materials palette white (#ffffff).
Make the Background style=Transparent.
Draw a small circle on the top left of the basket

Go to Effects...Texture Effects...Sculpture...
Use the settings given in step 2, but change the depth to 3

Step 4.
Go to Layers...Duplicate...Rename the duplicate layer 'right side loop'

Use the Mover Tool to move this loop to the right side of the basket
If you zoom in it makes it easier to pick up the loop with the mover tool
Duplicate this layer and rename it 'front left loop' and move it to the
front of the basket on the left side, as in this screenshot

Duplicate the layer, rename it 'front right loop' and move into position
at the front of the basket on the right

I also made 2 loops in the same way, for the back of the basket,
and renamed them 'left back loop' and 'right back loop'
it's up to you whether you do this, as they may be covered by the
flowers, depending on how many are added and how they are arranged.

Step 5.
Go to View... Grid, Guide & Snap Properties...
In the Current Image section change the grid sizes to 100
Then View... Grid... this will make it easier to see where to draw the lines
Make the layer 'left side loop' active and and add a new layer

Use the Pen Tool
Mode=Draw Lines and Polylines
Create on Vector=unticked
Connect Segments=unticked
Show Nodes=ticked
Line style=Solid
Width=2
Antialias=ticked

Draw a line from the loop to a point in the centre horizontally and
above the basket, this is the first of our hanging cords.

Go to Effects... Texture Effects... Sculpture and
Apply the same sculpture effect used in Step 3
Go to Layers... Merge.. Merge Down....
In PSP 2018 the merged layer keeps the name of the lower one of the two
(eg. left side loop), if you are using a different version and it hasn't
then rename it back to whichever loop name the line was merged into.

Make the 'right side loop' layer active and add a new layer
Draw a line from the loop on the right side to meet with the
left one at the top, the apply the same sculpture effect.
Layers...Merge... Merge down...

Now that you can see the joining point for the cords, you can turn the grid off

Repeat this sequence on all the other loop layers (making the loop
layer active, adding a layer, drawing a line from the loop to meet
the other lines at the top, applying the Sculpture and merging down).
The result should look something like this

Step 6.
Before we move on to the next step check the layers palette and drag
the layers into this order if neccesary. From the top the order should be. right front loop
left front loop
right side loop
left side loop
right back loop
left back loop
Raster 2 (this is the one with the basket on
Raster 1 (this is the background layer)

The back of the basket needs to be separated from the front for the flowers to
go in between. To do this, the back has to be selected you can either use my
.sel file or make your own selection using the point to point selection tool

Firstly, make the basket layer (Raster 2) active.
If you are making your own selection, use the Freehand Selection Tool (lasso)
type=point to point, feather=0, antialias ticked,
carefully select along the V shape at the front of the
basket and around the outside of the back.
If you are using my selection file (in the materials zip file)
instead of making your own, go to Selections...Load from disk...
and load the hanging-basket.sel the selection should look something like this

Go to Selections...Promote to layer...
Rename the promoted section 'basket back', but don't deselect yet.
Make the basket layer (Raster 2) active and press the delete key.
Select None

Go to Layer ...Arrange...Bring to Top...then
Layers..Arrange... Move Down... twice
Duplicated the layer to thicken it the front of the basket, then go to
Layers...Merge...Merge Down...
This is a good time to save the basket for future use with different flowers.

Step 7.
Use any tubed flowers to fill the basket, placing each tube on a separate
layer so that they can be moved. The scale will need adjusting, you will
have to try out different sizes to find what suits your basket.
Depending on the flowers used you may want to add a small drop shadow to them.

The arrangement is up to you, most will be on layers between the front and
back of the basket and you may want to put some trailing ones at the front.
You can drag the layers up, or down in the layers palette to see where they look best. This was how mine looked with the flowers in place

Finish by adding a new layer and with the preset shapes tool
style = Ellipse, width=3 foreground = white, background = transparent
create a small loop at the top for hanging the basket, then
apply the texture effect sculpture as before

Hide the background layer then
go to Layers... Merge... Merge Visible,
then turn visibility of the background back on.

Minimise, or save the filled basket for now, as we are creating the window next

Step 8.
Open a new image 600 x 600 and fill with a dark colour.

Open up the the sinedot image that you minimized or saved
in step 2. This is going to be used to make the lace curtains.

I am going to change the colour of mine to white, (but you
can certainly have coloured ones if you prefer). Go to
Adjust... Hue and Saturation... Hue/Saturation/Lightness...
Move the lightness slider to 100 and the saturation slider to minus 100

Go to Edit...Copy...this image is no longer needed

Back to the main image, make the background the active layer,
then go to Edit...Paste...and Paste as a new layer
The small image can now be closed
Go to Adjust... Sharpness... Sharpen More...

Step 9.
Go to Effects...Reflection Effects...Pattern...
I used these settings, or you can play around with
the settings to get different patterns

Change the blend mode for this layer to 'hard light' in the layer palette

Step 10.
Go to Effects...Texture Effects...Blinds...
Use these settings, or adjust them to your taste

Re-name this layer 'curtains'
The appearance of these curtains can be changed a lot
by changing the colour of the background layer, I
am going to do this near the end of the tutorial, but will
leave it as it is while we finish the window

Step 11.
Add a new layer, naming it 'bricks'
Go to Selections...Select all...(or ctrl+A)
Selections...Modify...Contract...contract by 60 pixels
Selections...Invert...(shift+ctrl+I)
you should now have a border selected around the edge

Change your foreground style to 'pattern fill'.
Left click the styles box to bring up the dialogue box
and from the selection of styles choose 'bricks', or
whatever you want your outside walls to be covered in :)
scale=75 angle=0 texture=unticked

Flood fill the selected area with bricks
and Select None.(ctrl+D)

Step 12.
Left click on the styles box and change
the pattern to 'finished wood', or wood
pattern of your choice. Angle= 0 Scale = 100

With the Pen Tool Mode=Draw Lines and Polylines
Create on Vector=unticked
Connect Segments=unticked
Show Nodes=ticked
Line style=Solid
Width=30
Antialias=ticked

Add a new layer, naming it wood frame.
Make a horizontal line across the top of the cental square.
Make it a bit wider than the square, we can trim any excess later .
If you hold down the shift key it will keep the line straight

Go to layers...Duplicate...
Image...Mirror... Mirror Vertical... (flip in older versions)
Layers... Merge... Merge Down...
Layers... Duplicate...
Image Free Rotate.... 90 degrees either direction

Step 13.
The corners need trimming next, we will start with the lower layer,
with the horizontal lines on, so make that active (wood frame).
Start with the top left corner, you will probably need to zoom in.
I selected around the part of the line that protrudes from the side
using the Selection Tool selection type = Rectangle like this

Then press the Delete key, select none. You could use the erasor if you prefer.

While you are on this layer repeat this for the other 3 corners

Next make the top layer (copy of wood frame) active and remove the
protruding sections of wood at the top and bottom of all the corners in the same way

You could leave the corners like this, but thought it looked better with
neat mitred corners on the window frame. With the top layer still active

Use the Freehand Selection Tool (lasso)
type=point to point, feather=0, antialias ticked,
Select a diagonally from the outside corner to the inside corner of the frame
then up and back to join the start of the selection, so
that you have an area like this screenshot selected

press the delete key and that small section of the vertical line
will be removed leaving a nice mitred corner like this

Repeat this on the other 3 corners Then Layers...Merge...Merge Down... Rename the layer 'Wood Frame'

Step 14.
Add a new layer
Change the width of the Draw Tool to 15.
Still using the wood pattern fill, hold down the shift key and
draw a line from the left side of the frame to the right .

Layers... Duplicate... Image... Free Rotate...
Rotate 90 degrees, it doesn't matter which direction
Then Layers...Merge...Merge Down...
Layers...Arrange...Move Down...
Make the Wood Frame the active layer and Merge down, so that your
wood frame and the cross sections are merged together

Step 15.
To give it a more 3D effect we will apply a cutout
With the Magic Wand
Use all layers=unticked, Contiguous=ticked, antialias=ticked
feather=0, tolerance=0, hold down the shift key and click
each of the squares inside the frame to select them.

Add a new layer, then go to
Effects...3D Effects...Cutout
Use these settings
vertical=-8 (minus 8), horizontal=-8 (minus 8), opacity=70, blur=75, colour=black

Select None

Step 16.
Next we will change the colour that shows from behind the lace curtain
Make the background (layer 1) active. I had a lot of fun experimenting
with different colours and colour combinations on this layer, so do
experiment for yourself and see what you can come up with.
I used a linear gradient, angle=332, Repeats=0
foreground=#000040, background=#8dcef5

Flood fill the background layer with your chosen colour, or gradient

Step 17.
To finish we are going to add a frame and hang the basket from it.

Go to Layers...and Merge All
Go to Image...Add Borders... Add a symmetrical border of 10 in white.

Select the border with the Magic Wand, go to
Effects...Texture Effects...Sculpture... and use these settings.
you will need the Finished Wood pattern (included in the materials)
placed in your patterns folder.

Go to Selections...Select All, then Image...Add borders...
Left click on the color box and use the dropper to pick a colour from your image,
I picked a light colour from the bricks. Add a symmetrical border of 25.
Selections Invert...

Go to Effects...3D...Cutout...
Horizontal and Vertical=0 Opacity=75, Blur=15

Select None.

Add a symmetrical border of 10 in white. Select it with the Magic Wand
and apply the same sculpture effect that we used on the first border.
Select None.

Step 18.
Open the hanging basket image that you minimised, or saved earlier
Go to Edit ... Copy... The basket can be closed now.
On your window image go to Edit... Paste as a New Layer...
Use the Mover Tool to move the basket so that the loop is on the first border

Zoom in so that you can get a close up on the loop and use the Eraser Tool to br> erase part of the loop, so that it looks like it goes behind the border

Finally add a drop shadow tou your hanging basket, these are the settings that I used

Merge All

This is one I made with different background colours
and different pattern settings for the curtains

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
To see my other tutorials click Here

If you wish to contact me you can find an email address to use included on my Site Map
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