It's time to get ready to do some spring planting!! And a nice new planter might be just the ticket to get those creative juices flowing. There are many choices with this tutorial, and I'll leave them up to you! I've experimented with this using various wood patterns and the results are wonderful every time, it just depends on the look your after!

This tutorial is written using PSP 7.02, I think it can be easily done in version 6 as well, I've included a selection for you to use when the time comes. This tutorial also assumes you have a good working knowledge of Paint Shop Pro!

Tools Needed to Begin:

PSP 6 or 7
This Gradient File (download it and unzip to your PSP/Gradients folder, works in both 6 & 7)
PSP 6 Users Only (you need this selection file, unzip it into your PSP/Selections folder)
My Spring Flower Tubes to get you started:
Tubs Vers 7 / Tubs Vers 6 (You'll want to resize these, I left them large for multi-uses) **
And the wood samples on the right, right click on them and save to your HD.

or this one or if you like, or you can try one of the preset patterns included in PSP!

Read thru the tut first and check out the screen shots I've used, I've included them while working on different varations of wood, it will give you an idea of what type of planter wood you'd like.

The instructions and colors for shading given here are if your using the Old Wood plank sample from above.
The gradient offered was made for the Old Wood Plank too but I think it would be fine on the Garden Planter Sample piece too.
Let's get started!! :o)

Open a new image 500 X 500, transparent background. Make sure your rulers are showing and the grid pattern is in view too, I have my grid for the checkerboard pattern showing and set to 10 pixels equals 1 square horiz & vert., this is most helpful when using some tools. You can set it up by going to File/Preferences/General Program Preferences/Rulers and Units.
Open the wood sample from above too.

Using your selection tool set on rectangle, antialias IS checked and Feather is 0, set your cursor at 100 & 100 and draw a rectangle shape to 150 X 450 so the end result is 50W X 350 High. Flood fill it with your Wood Pattern and de-select.

Add a drop shadow to the plank with these settings:
V = 2
H = 4
Opacity = 100
Blur = 0
Shadow Color= #241914 (this was derived by picking the darkest color from the wood sample itself)

Now go to your layers palette and duplicate this layer 5 times so you have 6 sections. Then Paste as a New Image and save a single plank as Roof Plank.psp for later use, you can minimize it out of the way for now. On your Image with the duplicated planks, let's space them out across the window as shown here:

Then merge all visible. Go to Effects/ Geometric Effects/Warp to the settings shown here:
(PSP 6 users you'll find it under Image/Deformations/Warp)

Next hit Copy and Paste it as a New Layer naming this layer Barrel Front, then delete your old layer one. The purpose of doing this is when you paste an image as a new layer it automatically centers itself on your window, so there's no guessing :o) It would be a good idea to Save Your Work Now!

With the Barrel Front layer centered your ready to cut some pieces out of it to begin creating the barrel shape. With your Selection tool set on Ellipse place your cursor at 0 & 250 (top, center of your window) and holding down shift drag the ellipse all the way to the bottom of the window and watch your sides, you want them to line up as near as you can with the edges of the wood plank like this:

Invert your selection and hit delete!

Click here to continue

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