I wrote this tutorial on my own.  Any similarity to another tutorial is purely coincidental.  I claim the copyright to my tutorial. You are free to do whatever you please with what you make, but please do not take my tutorial.  Do not send the tutorial through email.  Only share my link.

This tutorial was created for Cathy, a friend of mine, who had this idea and wanted to know how to create a graphic like it. It is intended for Intermediate to learn how to use plugins, deformation tool, and animation.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

To do this tutorial you will also need Paint Shop Pro.  I wrote this with  Paint Shop Pro 9, but the steps may also be done in any version.  You may download a free trial at Jasc.

Remember to save as a psp file often!

1.  Open a new, transparent image, size 400 x 400.

2.  Choose the selection tool and set it to circle.

3.  Draw a circle towards the top left corner (you can always move later).  This will be the ear.  So draw it what you think will be an appropriate size.

4.  Flood-fill the circle with the color you want your bear to be.  I chose a dark brown. Selections > None

5.  In the top menu, click Effects > Plugins > Eye Candy 3.1 > Fur.  Apply these settings:  Wave Spacing = 50, Waviness = 16, Hair length = 67, shininess = 10, smooth selected.

6.  In the top menu, click Effects > Plugins > Eye Candy 3.1 > Jiggle.  Apply these settings. 

7.  In top menu, click Layers > New Raster Layer.

8.  With the circle selection draw a circle to be the inner ear. 

9.  Flood-fill this circle with a light color of your choice.  I chose a lighter brown.  Selections > none

10.  In the top menu, click Effects > Plugins > Eye Candy 3.1 > Fur. Apply same settings as before.

11.  In the top menu, click Effects > Plugins > Eye Candy 3.1 > Jiggle.  Apply Same settings as before.

12.  In the top menu, click Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow.  Apply these settings:  Vertical & Horizontal = 0, Opacity = 60, Blur = 15, Color = black.

13.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

14.  Right-click on the layer, click on Rename,  and call it Ear.

15.  Right-click on the layer and choose Duplicate.

16.  In top menu, click Image > Mirror.  Right-click on the layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.  Rename merged layer as Ear.

17.  In top menu, click Layers > New Raster Layer.

18.  With the circle selection, draw a large circle to make the head.  Flood-fill this with the body color.  Selection > None.  Use the mover tool to move the head so that it is centered between the two ears.

19.  Apply the same settings for Eye Candy 3.1 > Fur as before.

20.  Apply the same settings for Eye Candy 3.1 > Jiggle as before.

21.  In top menu, click Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow.  Place a check on Shadow on a new Layer, other settings the same.

22.  In the layer Palette, click on the Ear layer.  With the magic wand select the region outside the ears.

23.  In the Layer Palette, click on the Head Shadow 1 Layer.  Press the delete key on the keyboard.  This will delete the shadow that is not over the ears (so when we save we will get a clean edge.)

24.  In the Layer Palette, click on the top layer.  Then right-click on the top layer and choose New Raster Layer, call it Muzzle.

25.  With the circle selection, draw a medium sized circle to be the muzzle of the bear.

26.  Choose the Air brush and set to size = 40, hardness = 50, step = 25, density = 100, thickness = 100, rotation = 0, Opacity = 100.

27.  Right-click and spray the lower part of the muzzle with the lighter color, see pic as below.  Selection > None

28.  Apply the same Fur setting as before.

29.  Apply the same Jiggle setting as before.

30.  Apply the same drop shadow setting as before except take the check OFF shadow on new layer.

31.  In Layer Palette, click on the Head Layer.  In top menu, click Layer > New Raster Layer.

32.  With the circle selection draw a circle to be the eye.  Flood-fill this circle with black.  Selection > None.

33.   In the top menu, click Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel.  Apply the round setting, which has these numbers below.

34.  Right-click on the eye layer and choose Duplicate.

35.  In the top menu, click Image > Mirror.  use the mirror tool to move the eyes into position.

36.  Right-click on the Muzzle layer and choose New Raster Layer.

37.  Set the selection tool to Triangle and draw a triangle for the nose, drawing from bottom up.  Flood-fill this triangle with black.  Selection > None

38.  Apply the same Inner Bevel settings as before.

39.  Right-click on the Muzzle layer and choose New Raster Layer, call this layer Smile.

40.  Set the selection tool back to circle, and draw a circle.  Flood-fill it with black.

41.  In top menu, click selection > Modify > Contract.  Contract by 3.  Press Delete.  Selection > None

42.  With the eraser tool set to size = 10, hardness = 100, erase part of the circle to make one side of the smile.  Use the mover tool to move that half into place under the nose.

43.  Right-click on the smile layer and choose Duplicate.

44.  In the top menu, click Image > Mirror.  With the mover tool move that part of the smile into place.

45.  Apply the Inner Bevel, same settings EXCEPT change Shininess = 35.

46.  In the Layer Palette, click on the other smile layer and apply the same Inner Bevel setting.

47.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.  Rename this merged layer as Head.

48.  With the mover tool move the head up to make some space at the bottom.  In top menu, click Layers > New Raster Layer.

49.  Set the Selection tool to the lasso tool and Freehand.  Draw a hand on the left side.  See pic below.  Flood-fill this hand with the body color.  Selection > None.

50.  Apply the same Fur settings as before.

51.  Apply the same Jiggle settings as before.

52.  Right-click on the Paw layer and choose Duplicate.

53.  In the top menu, click Image > Mirror.

54.  In the Layer Palette, click on the Head layer.  Choose the text tool and set to your font of your choice, foreground & background color of your choice.  I used size = 48, but you may need to adjust the size for your font and text.  Set the text tool to vector so that you can adjust the size as necessary.  Type your text:  Hugs, __

55.  Position and/or resize the text as needed.  Right-click on the vector layer and choose Covert to Raster Layer.

56.  Click on the eye for the head layer to HIDE that layer.   A red X appears.

57.  Right-click on one of the top layers and choose Merge > Merge Visible

58.  Right-click on the paws layer and choose Duplicate.  HIDE the bottom paws layer.

59.  Choose the deformation tool (2nd from top).  This places a vector box around the paws.  Push in the left CENTER and right CENTER nodes, each pushed in about 1 1/2 squares.  HIDE this layer.

60.  Right-click on this copy of paws layer and choose Duplicate.

61.  Use the Deformation Tool to push in the left Center and right Center nodes again, 1 or 2 squares.

62.  Right-click on the Head layer and choose Duplicate.  Repeat again so you have 3 head layers (because you have 3 paw layers.

63.  Drag the head layers upward so that the head and paw layers alternate like in the picture below.

63.  HIDE all layers EXCEPT the top two layers (a paw layer and a head layer).  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

64.  HIDE the merged layer, and UNHIDE the next two layers.  Right-click on one of the unhidden layers and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

65.  HIDE the merged layer, and UNHIDE the last two layers.  Right-click on one of the unhidden layers and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

66.  UNHIDE all the layers.

67.  Save this image as a PSP format image.

68.  Open up the saved image in Animation Shop.

69.  Click on the 2nd frame.  In the top menu, click Edit > Copy.

70.  Click on the 3rd frame.  In the top menu, click Edit > Paste > After Current Frame.

71.   In the top menu, click Edit > Select All.

72.  Right-click on one of the frames and choose Frame Properties.  Set Display time = 25.

73.  Click on the first frame.  Right-click on the first frame and choose Frame Properties.  Set Display time = 100.

74.  Now save the image.  File > Save As.

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