Blue bird.

This is an easy way of making a colorful parrot. You will use only Preset Shapes and Image, Rotate.

Start with a New Image 350 x 350, transp, 16 mill. Call the layer Background.
Fill it with white color. We will delete the layer later.
New Layer. Call it Body. Preset Shapes, Heart. Antialias checked.

Foreground color  #0547A9, set Styles to Solid.

Background color #3874D6, set Styles to Gradient as below. Sunburst Gradient.

Make the body 120 x 122. Image, Rotate, left 10.

New Layer. Call it Head.  Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Foreground color #0547A9.
Background the same as before.

Make sure you check Invert gradient.

Make the head 90 x 120. Image, Rotate, right 20.
Put the two parts together like this.

Close Layer Background. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Body.

Stand on Layer Background. New Layer. Call it Hair. Preset Shapes, Triangle.
The same colors as before. Make the hair 15 x 25. Image, Rotate, Right 40.
Duplicate, Image, Rotate Right 30. Duplicate, Image, Rotate Right 20.
Now you will have three hair pieces. Put them on the head like this.

Close Layer Background. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Body.

 New Layer. Call it Beak1. Preset Shapes, Crescent.

Foreground color #EFCA21, Solid.

Background color #FC8524, Gradient, Sunburst as below.

Make the beak 55 x 60. Image, Rotate, Left 40. Place the beak like this.

New Layer. Call it Beak2. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Color  #EFCA21, Solid, on both
Fore- and Background. Make the part 65 x 25. Image, Rotate, Right 40.

New Layer. Call it Beak3. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Foreground color #EFCA21, Solid.
Background color #FD923B, Gradient, Sunburst as below.

Make the beak 70 x 60. Place the beakparts like this.

New Layer. Call it Nostril. Foreground color #956F11. Background closed.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make an ellipse 19 x 23. Selection Tool, Freehand.
Mark what you will delete.

Delete. Deselect.

Close Layer Background. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Body.

New Layer. Call it Eye1.  Foreground color #4D4E81 and Background white color.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make the eye 22 x 35. Image, Rotate, Right 30.

New Layer. Call it Eye2.  Fore- and Background black color.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make the eye 13 x 17. Image, Rotate, Right 30.

New Layer. Call it Eye3.  Fore- and Background white color.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make the eye 6 x 6. Keep Shift down to make the dot round.

Place the eye parts like this.

New Layer. Call it Eyebrow.  Foreground black color. Background closed.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make the eyebrow 33 x 40. Selection Tool, Freehand.
Mark what you will delete.

Delete, Deselect.

Duplicate, Image, Flip. Image, Mirror. Use it for eyelashes.
If you find it to long erase a bit. Place it on the eye.
Duplicate. Place it on the eye. Duplicate, Image, Rotate, Right 20.
Place all eyelashes like this.

Close Layer Background. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Body.

That was the head. Now to the wings.

New Layer. Call it Wing. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Foreground color #ECC832.
Background, color #F6872E, Gradient.

Sunburst.

Make the wing 80 x 55. Place it like this.

Stand on Layer Body. New Layer. Call it Feather. The same colors as before.
Uncheck Invert Gradient. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make the feather 40 x 15.
Image, Rotate, Right 30. Duplicate two times. Place the feathers like this.

Close Layer Background. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Body.

Stand on Layer Background. New Layer. Call it Toe. The same colors as before.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make the toe 50 x 12. Image, Rotate, Left 120.
Duplicate. Image, Rotate, Right 15. Duplicate, Image, Rotate, Right 30.
Place the toes beside eachother and under the body like this.

Close Layers Background and Body. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Foot.
Duplicate. Image, Rotate, Left 20. Place it at the other side of the body.

Close Layer Background. Layers, Merge, Merge Visible. Call it Body.

This is what you will have now.

Now I will leave the choice of colors for the tail to you.
I have chosen Gradient colors on all backfeathers. You may experiment a little
and see what you will come up with. I'm sure it will look nice.

Stand on Layer Background. New Layer. Preset Shapes, Ellipse.
Make a feather 135 x 20. Image, Rotate, Left 50. Place it a bit from the body.

New Layer. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make a feather 110 x 20.
 Duplicate. Image, Rotate, Left 15. Place them on top of the first feather.

New Layer. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make a feather 70 x 15. Image, Rotate, Left 30.
 Duplicate. Image, Rotate, Left 50. Place them on top of the other feathers.

New Layer. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make a feather 80 x 20. Image, Rotate, Left 40.
Place it like this.

New Layer. Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Make a feather 60 x 10. Image, Rotate, Left 30.
Duplicate. Image, Rotate, Left 20. Duplicate. Image, Rotate, Left 20. Place them like this.

Now you can place the feathers to your liking. Delete Layer Background.
When you like what you see, Layers, Merge, Merge Visible to the rest and you are done.

With other colors the parrot looks like this.

You can use them in sig tags also.

Tutorials