Santa on sled.

This is a Vector tutorial.

I am not particularly familiar with Vectors, I am still learning, so I can only show you where I put the nodes.
When you are working on a node, right click and you will se a text "Node type". Check there and you will find
some more ways to change the node. Try, and you will notice what happens. The best way of learning is trying.

Save often!

New Image, 400 x 400, transparent.
New Vector Layer. Call it Sweater. Preset Shapes, Ellipse, Create as Vectors checked.
Both Fore- and Background red color.
Make an oval 140 x 135. Object Selector. Node Edit. Keep Ctrl down, while you add nodes.

Put the nodes the way I did.

Don't keep Ctrl down while you drag the nodes in position.

When you have the shape of the sweater that you like,
right click and Quit Node Editing, then left click outside the sweater.

It will now look like this.
Right click in your Layers Palette and Convert to Raster Layer.

New Vector Layer. Call it Trousers.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse, Create as Vectors checked.. Both Fore- and Background black color.
Make an oval, 127 x 46. Object Selector. Node Edit. Keep Ctrl down, while you add nodes.

These are the nodes for the trousers.
When you have the shape of the trousers that you like,
right click and Quit Node Editing, then left click outside the trousers.

Right click in your Layers Palette and Convert to Raster Layer.

New Vector Layer. Call it Arm1.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse, Create as Vectors checked. Both Fore- and Background dark grey color.
Make an oval, 40 x 140. Object Selector. Node Edit. Keep Ctrl down, while you add nodes.

The nodes for the arm1 look like this.

Right click in your Layers Palette and Convert to Raster Layer.

Duplicate the arm. Call that Layer Arm2. Put it in place
and drag that Layer under Sweater Layer.

Also drag Trousers Layer under Sweater Layer. It will now look like this.

New Vector Layer. Call it Mitten1.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse, Create as Vectors checked.. Both Fore- and Background white color.
Make an oval, 43 x 45 . Object Selector. Node Edit. Keep Ctrl down, while you add nodes.

The nodes for the mitten.

When you have the shape of the mitten that you like,
right click and Quit Node Editing, then left click outside the mitten.

This is how the mitten looks. I have put it on a blue background, so you can see it better.
Right click in your Layers Palette and Convert to Raster Layer. 

Duplicate. Call that Layer Mitten2. Deformation Tool.
Turn the mitten, so it fits on the other arm.

New Vector Layer. Call it Shoe1.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse, Create as Vectors checked.. Both Fore- and Background brown color.
Make an oval, 100 x 50 . Object Selector. Node Edit. Keep Ctrl down, while you add nodes.

When you have the shape of the shoe that you like,
right click and Quit Node Editing, then left click outside the shoe.
Right click in your Layers Palette and Convert to Raster Layer. 

New Raster Layer.
Now you have to fill with some darker brown color, where I show you.

Merge that Layer and Shoe1 Layer. Call it Shoe1.

Duplicate. Call it Shoe2. Flood Fill with a slightly darker brown color. Tolerance 19.
Put the shoe in place. Drag Shoe2 Layer to the bottom of your Layer Palette.

It now looks like this.

Your Layer Palette right now.

Now to the face.

New Raster Layer. Call it Head.

Preset Shapes, Ellipse.  Both Fore- and Background color #FAE1D4.
Make an oval, 105 x 85.
New Layer. Call it Shading. Airbrush 3, color #EE4E16. Make some marks on the cheeks.

Stand on Layer Head. Selection Tool. Make a rectangle around the head.
Click inside it and go to that shading Layer again. Leave the "ants" dancing.
Blur, Gaussian Blur between 9 - 14. You can see what you like best. I used 14. Deselect.

Merge Visible to Layer Shading and Head Layer. Call it Head.

New Layer. Call it Eye1. Preset Shapes, black on both Fore- and Background.
Make a small oval, 6 x 13. Duplicate and put the eyes in place.

New Layer. Call it Nose. Preset Shapes, medium brown on both Fore- and Background.
I used #F2AF8A. Make a small oval, 12 x 7. Put the nose in place.

New Layer. Call it Mouth. Preset Shapes, Crescent, 8 x 14, light red on
both Fore- and Background. I used #F6A58C.
Use Deformation Tool to turn the mouth.
If you are having difficulties turning it, zoom the picture.

New Layer. Call it Eyebrows. Preset Shapes, Ellipse, Retain Style, black color.
Make a circle 8 x 8. Selection Tool. Cut off more than half of the brow.
Duplicate and put the eyebrows in place.
 

Stand on Head Layer. Selection Tool. Make a Rectangle around the head. Click inside it.
Effects, Cutout, with following settings.

Merge Visible to Head, Eyes, Nose, Eyebrows and Mouth. Call it Head.

Deformation Tool. Turn the head a little.

New Raster Layer. Call it Cap1.
 Preset Shapes, Ellipse, red color on both Fore- and Background. Make an oval 130 x115.
Selection Tool, Ellipse, 130 X 115. Put it like I did. Delete. Deselect.

New Raster Layer. Call it Cap2. Make an oval 100 x 105.
Put it on top of Cap1.

New Layer. Call it Rim. Preset Shapes, Crescent. Make it 50 x 115.
Effects, Blinds. See settings below.

Deformation Tool. Turn the rim, so it fits with the cap.

Push an pull those marked nodes . Then the rim will fit.

Merge Visible those three Layers. Call it Cap.

New Raster Layer. Call it Ball. Make a circle 40 x 40 .
Put it on top on Cap.

Stand on Cap. Selection Tool. make a rectangle around the cap. Click inside it.
Effects, Cutout, with following settings. Deselect.

Make the same Cutout with Ball Layer.

Make the same Cutout with Sweater Layer.

Make the same Cutout with Shoe Layers, but use color #AE5026.

Make the same Cutout with Arms Layers, but use color #black.

New Raster Layer. Call it Hair. Airbrush 2, white color.
Make some hair, like I did.

New Raster Layer. Call it Band.
Draw 3. Bezier Curve. Antialias checked. Close Background color.
Click where I wrote 1 and then click 2 and 3, and there you have a loop.

Deformation Tool. Turn the loop a little. Make a straight band also.

Put it on the shoe.
Duplicate. Put it on the other shoe. Drag that Layer under Arm2 Layer.

Close all Layers but Shoe2 and Band2.
Merge Visible. Call it Shoe2.

Close Shoe2 Layer. Merge Visible all other Layers. Call it Santa.

Now to the
Sled.

New Raster Layer. Call it Seat. Color Foreground #CB8739. Background, Pattern, Pine.

Preset Shapes, Rectangle. Make it 277 x 17. Deformation Tool. Turn the rear end up just a bit.
Duplicate. Put the wood above the first one.
New Layer. The same settings but make it 277 x 11.

Close all other Layers. Merge Visible. Call it Seat.

Freehand Tool, Point to point. Cut off at both ends.

New Layer. Call it Tube1. Gradient, Metallic on Background. Foreground closed.

Preset Shapes, Rectangle. Make it 9 x 43. Drag that Layer under Seat Layer.
Duplicate and put it in place. Call it Tube2.

New Layer. Call it Tube3. Preset Shapes, Rounded Rectangle. Make it 260 x 8.

New Layer. Call it Tube4. Preset Shapes, Check.

Make it 85 x 35. Deformation Tool. Turn the back part down.

Close Layer Tomte and Layer Seat. Merge Visible to the rest.Call it Sledge.
Duplicate and put it in place.

Close Duplicated Layer. Keep Layer Seat and Layer Sledge active.
Merge those two Layers. Call it Sledge.

New Layer. Call it Loop.
Preset Shapes, Ellipse. Foreground, Gradient, Metallic. Line width 5. Background closed.
Make an oval 45 x 30. Put it front, on the sledge. This is where you will tie the rope.

New Layer. Call it Rope.
Use your Rope tube. Scale 42. Make a rope like the picture.

You have to Erase a little at the loop.

Put the Layers in this order. Merge Visible and you are done.

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