Sheaf of oats

© Louise G

This is what I give the birds in winter.
I always put the sheaf near my window, so I can watch the birds.

Get the bow here.  Unzip it to your PSP Image folder.

Save often!

Start with a New Image 400 x 400, transparent.

New Layer. Call it Ear. Preset Shapes, Teardrop. Color, Foreground #FAD248,
Background #F3E675. Line width 3.
Make it 10 x 30. Deformation Tool. Turn the piece a little.

Duplicate, Image, Mirror. Put the parts together.

Layers, Merge Visible. Call it Ear.

Now to the branches.

New Layer. Call it Branch. Draw as below. Close Background color.

Make the branches like I did.

Duplicate the Ear and put it at every end and some extras on the stem like this.

You can also copy the Ear and Paste it as a New Image. Resize it to 15 and
Copy and Paste some of these ears on the stem as well.

Layers, Merge Visible. Call it Oats.

Now to the rye.

New Layer. Call it Straw. Draw 2, Freehand Line.
Make a straw. The length is not important. You can always cut it off later.

New Layers. Use the same yellow colors. Make sure the Background is on.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make an oval 7 x 17. Deformation Tool. Turn the oval a bit.
If it is difficult turning it, zoom your picture and you will manage.
Duplicate. Image, Mirror. Put the two parts together.
Close Layer Oats. Layers, Merge Visible.

Now duplicate this Layer four times and put them on top of eachother.
After copying it four times, Copy and Paste as a New Image. Image, Resize to 15.
Copy and Paste as New Layer, two of these smaller parts at both ends of the straw.

New Layer. Make 5 straws at the top with Draw, Single Line 2.

Close Layer Oats. Layers, Merge Visible. Call it Rye.

Now you have to Duplicate those two Layers several times
and place them nicely to a sheaf. To give the sheaf some different shades,
you can go to Colors, Adjust, Brightness/Contrast and give some branches
a little Brightness/Contrast of your choice.

Layers, Merge Visible to all Layers. Call it Top.

New Layers. Call it Stems. Draw 2, Single Line. Make some stems down.

New Layer. Copy and Paste the bow you got in the zip, or if you have
one of your own. Put it in.

This is the way it looks now.

Now you need the birds. You can find them in my other tutorial here.
Make a few birds and place them on the sheaf.

Layers, Merge Visible.

Well, that was that. Let all the birds come!

Tutorials