This is my version of the Russian nesting dolls. I have made other types that are not of a Christmas nature such as a
snowman and cute children but for this lesson we will be learning how to make the Santa. Once you learn how you
can make other types using the same basic steps as the Santa is made.

All screenshots are at 100% unless otherwise noted.

This tutorial will teach how to make the Santa and how to animate him.

I assume you have a good working knowledge of PSP and some experience using Animation Shop.
I will be using PSP 7.04 but other versions should work as well as long as you are familiar with the tool locations.

Remember to Save often, I will not remind you in this tutorial!!

Let's get started.

1.) Open a 300 x 450 transparent. Note you may wish to flood fill layer 1 with a color so that you can see better, it
can be removed later.
Set your background color to a pretty Santa suit red. I'm using #B64040 . Foreground should be turned off.

2.) Let's do a little vectoring *L* Preset Shapes set to Ellipse, create as a vector and antialias both checked, solid
line.

Draw out a fat oval close to the bottom of your canvas. Object Selector, right click on your canvas, chose Node Edit.
Pull up slightly on the top node to create an egg shape something like this...

Convert to Raster, rename to santa body.

3.) Change your background color to a skin tone. I'm using #EFDEC3.
Same Preset Shapes, draw out Santa a circle head. *L*
Convert to Raster, rename to head.

4.) Now before we make Santa a hat let's do his face and some of the other detail work.
Add a new layer naming it face. Set your foreground color to white and close your background color. Draw Tool set to
Bezier Curve, line width 2 or 3, solid line, antialias checked. Zoom in on your face. About where you think Santa's brow
would be for the left side, draw out a line, pull upwards on the left side handle and down on the right side handle.
You should have something that looks like the ~ on your keyboard. Now move this ~ to the right side. (if were to leave
it on the left it would make santa look angry and we don't want an angry Santa.) Duplicate the layer and move into position
on the left side.

5.) Set your foreground color to black, add a new layer naming it eyes. With your Paint Brush tool set to round, size 5,
Hardness, Opacity, and Density all set to 100, Step set to 25... dot Santa a couple of eyes just under his brows. You
should have something like this now...

6.) Now let's make Santa a cute nose. Add a new layer (as you can see I like to add all my things on a separate layer
so that I can move them around later if needed. *L*)
For his nose I decided to use the draw tool set to Bezier Curve, line width 1, Antialias checked, color set to a slightly
darker color than my skin tone. #E9CEB3 I drew out one nostril by pulling up on the two bezier handles. I then copied
and pasted the nostril as a new selection to the other side.

7.) I also added a new layer and used the same settings for the nose to make him some cheekbones.

8.) I then added a new layer and moved it under my cheekbones and switched to a nice rosy pink color ( #FFC0C0 )
for my foreground. I used the Airbrush set to the settings below to spray a little color under his cheeks....

You can use Gaussian Blur if you feel you need to, but I didn't. This is what my face looks like...

9.)  Add a new layer, (now you know you can name these layers but I have to admit I'm bad about not naming my layers *L*).
Set your foreground color to White. Airbrush Tool to the setting used for the blush on the cheeks. Spray a beard and some
hair on your Santa's face. This is what I have now...
Zoomed in on this screenshot.

10.) Set your background color to the skin tone you used on the face. Preset Shapes set to the same settings as before
except  use the Preset Heart 1 shape and make Santa's mouth something like this...

Select and Float your mouth, apply a cutout using these settings with this shadow color #FF8080 ....

11.) You can now do any adjusments you want to Santa's face so that you have him looking like the sweet lovable old
man we all know. Feel free to add more detail to his face giving him wrinkles or whatever you would like to do. Once
you're happy Hide Layer 1 and your body layer, merge your face layers visible, rename to face.

12.) The Santa hat comes next. Change your background color to the lovely red we used for his body. #B64040
Preset Shapes same as before set to Ellipse. Draw out an oval on the top of Santa's head and start shaping it to that
familiar Santa hat. Here is the way I set my nodes...

Convert to Raster once you're happy, rename to hat.

13.) Set your foreground color to a light gray. I'm using #DDDDDD
Airbrush  Tool to these settings...

Add a new layer, start spraying an area to make the trim around the hat. Once you've put a nice coat of the
light gray on change the color to white and add a couple quick sprays on top of the gray. Once again I didn't blur
mine. Look at the screenshot below to help you.

14.)Add a new layer. With the Airbrush set to the above settings except change the size to 35. Foreground color back
to the gray, spray a circle of color for the ball on his hat. Change to white and add some highlights to it as well.

15.) Make your body layer your active layer. Select and float it, add a new layer. With the Airbrush set to the settings above,
foreground color set to the gray, spray a long area down the middle of Santa's body to about half way (where you would visualize
Santa's coat stopping.) Now change your color to white and spray some highlights on the gray. This is what I have now...

16.) Change your background color to the body red, foreground turned off. Preset Shape to the settings used to make the
body. Draw out a long oval, we will make the arms with this. Use Node Editing to shape the arm around Santa's body
something like this...

Convert to Raster, rename to left arm.

17.) Select and Float the arm and apply a cutout using these settings...

18.) Copy, paste as new selection, mirror and move the arm into position on the other side.

19.) Add a new layer. Set your foreground color to the gray we used for the coat and hat trim. Use the Airbrush settings
used for the hat and coat to spray the arm trim. Change to the white and add a couple sprays just like you did for the
coat and hat.

20.)  Make your arm layer your active layer. Set your background color to white. Preset Shapes same as for the arm.
Draw out a circle, use Node Edit to shape the circle into a mitten for Santa's hand. This is the way mine looks...

Convert to Raster, copy, paste and mirror to the other side. Move this layer below your arm layer, rename to mittens.

21.) Make your hat layer your active layer, Select and Float it. Now apply the same cutout to your hat as you did for the arm.
Deselect it.

22.) All we have left now to do is to make Santa's belt. Set your foreground color to black, background color off.
Set your draw tool to these settings....

Add a new layer and draw a line across the belly of your Santa making it overlap the edges a little. Pull down on the handles
to create a slight curve that sort of follows the curve of the fur on Santa's coat. Select and Float your body layer, Invert the
selection, make your belt layer active and hit the delete key on your keyboard to remove the overlapping edges on your
belt. Select none.

23.) Foreground color should be black. Preset Shapes to these settings...

Draw out a rounded rectangle for Santa's buckle. Convert to Raster, this is what you should now have...

24.) Merge all layers visible. Use the crop tool to remove some of the unused area around your Santa. Export as a tube.
You can close out the original now. This tube can be used in lots of ways, one way I've used it besides animating it
of course is to add a nice string and use it as a tree or wreath ornament. I bet you can think of lots of other ways to use
it also.
 

Ready now for putting the Santa together to animate him? *L* This will be the hardest part of the entire tutorial so let me
recommend if you've worked straight through to this point that you take at least a short break before continuing, it can get
a little confusing from this point on.

Follow the next steps very carefully in order to have your Santa look as if the head flips up and the smaller Santa pops out!!

First I'm going to show you what each finished layer should look like. Take the screenshots into PSP with you as you
work on each layer if you'd like.
This is the finished layer palette screenshot....

The next 5 screenshots are resized by 80%.
Let's look at what is on the layer named Santa 5 first because it is the first layer we will be working to make...

The next layer we work on will be Santa 1. This is a screenshot of what the finished Santa 1 layer should look like...

Next is Santa 2 layer and what should be on it when finished...

Moving now to Santa 3 Layer...

Last is Santa 4 Layer...

Now let's move on to making the layers.

25.) We will be working with 3 different sizes of our Santa. Open a 400 X 200 transparent, add a new layer, Flood fill this
layer with the color background you wish to use, I'm using white. Add another new layer naming it Santa 5.
Open your Tubes and find your Santa you made, scale the size of your Santa so that it fits the height of your new canvas. I was
able to size my to 50% but you might need to go larger or smaller depending on the original size of your Santa. Place this
Santa to the far left of your canvas leaving a tiny space to the left, top and bottom.

26.) Copy and paste as a new selection the first Santa. While still selected, Go to Image, Resize with these settings...

Sharpen if needed, move into position on the right of the first Santa aligning it as best you can. Deselect.

27.) Paste one more time the first Santa which should already be on your clipboard. Resize it with the settings above
except set the percentage of the original to 90. Sharpen and move into positions.

This layer helps us set how much room we need for our finished animation but this will actually need to be our top layer
on the finished image to be animated.

28.) Use your Crop Tool to remove the unused area that is to the right of your Santa 5. Hide Layer1 and merge the
background and Santa 5 layer visible, rename to Santa 5. Hide this layer for now.

29.) Make Layer 1 your active layer. Add a new layer, flood fill this layer with your background color. Add a new layer
named Santa 1. Bring up your Santa tube again scaling it to the same size as your largest Santa. (mine was at 50%)
Click to place the Santa on the far right of your canvas. Watch your top, bottom and side spacing.  Go to Layers,
Duplicate, rename this layer to Santa 2, hide this this layer and layer 1.
Go back to Santa 1 layer, merge this layer and the background layer visible, rename to Santa 1. Hide it for now.

Zoom in when you need to!!

29.) Add a new Layer, flood filling it with your background color. Make Santa 2 layer your activelayer. Click on your
Selections Tool set to Rectangle, Feather 0, antialias UNchecked.
Draw the selections box around your Santa down to just below his belt so that all you have UNselected is the bottom
red area only.
Copy the selected area and paste as a NEW IMAGE. We will need this in just a few but first go back to your original
canvas to the selected Santa. Hit the delete key on your key board, this will remove the top half of your Santa leaving only
the bottom red portion. Select None.

30.) Use the selection tool, same settings as above, select the top portion of your bottom like this....

Copy and Paste as a new selection. Leave selected, click on the Deformation Tool, bring in the sides just a little.
Set the Deformation by clicking on your Mover Tool. While still selected go to Colors, Adjust, Brightness/Contrast, set
the Brightness to -10 and the contrast to 0. Select None. This will give you a small lip area so that it will look as if your
Santa head would have fit down over it like a top.

31.)  Make your background layer your active layer. Add a New Layer, no need to name it really we will merge it with the
other layers in just a few. Bring up your Santa tube, set the size to your largest Santa size (50% is mine) Place the Santa
tube on the canvas so that you can clearly see it. Go to Image, Resize, set the size to 95% (like you did for your middle
sized Santa). Sharpen the Santa once. Position this Santa so that he looks like he is sitting inside the bottom half of the
Santa you chopped the head off of. *L*

32.) Now remember the head of the Santa we chopped off and set aside? Activate that window, copy it, now activate
your Santa 2 layer, paste the head as a new layer, click on your Deformation Tool and rotate the head to the left so that it
looks like it is flipped over. Move into position so that it is touching the corner of the bottom of the Santa on your other layer.
Set the deformation by clicking on the Mover Tool. Sharpen once. This is what you should now have....

33.) With all layers hidden except Santa 2 layer, background layer and the nestled Santa layer, merge them visible and
rename to Santa 2. Hide the Santa 2 layer.

34.) Add a new Layer, flood fill with your background color. Add another layer naming it Santa 3. Using the Santa tube
scaled at the largest Santa size (50% was mine) click to place your Santa on the canvas. Close to the middle is fine.
Copy this layer and paste as a new selection. While still selected Resize it to 95 %, then sharpen once. Move the two
Santas around so that they are on the far right side about equal distance apart. Deselect, you should have something
like this...

Duplicate this layer, rename to Santa 4, hide this layer for now. Go back to Santa 3 and merge it visible with your
background layer, rename to Santa 3.
.

35.) Add a new layer, flood fill with your background color. Make Santa 4 layer active, click on your Selection
Tool, same settings as we've used. I want you to use the selection tool to select the head of the smaller Santa (the one on
the far right ) just like you did in Step 29 above. Make sure you only select the one Santa, don't let the selection wander
off onto the other Santa at all.
Copy and paste this chopped off head as a New Image like we did the other one. (Note you can close without saving
the first chopped off head so you won't get them confused when we go to paste the head back on). Deselect the
area, then reselect just the top portion of the bottom of the Santa like we did in Step 30 above. Copy and paste
this selection as a new selection. Leave selected and use the Deformation Tool to move it in slightly like you did
before to make the lip on the bottom part of the Santa. Apply the brightness setting used in Step 30. Deselect.

37.) Your chopped off head should still be on your clipboard but if it's not make that window active, go to Edit, Copy.
Go back to Santa 4 layer and paste this head as a new selection. Keep selected and use the Deformation Tool
to rotate the head, place it where it touches the side edge of your bottom. Deselect.

36.) Add a new layer, move this layer below your Santa 4 layer. Use the Santa tube to place a Santa on this layer
(same size as we've been using for our tubed Santa). Resize this Santa to 90% (this is our smallest size Santa we
are using). Sharpen once after resizing, move this Santa so it appears to be nestled inside the bottom of the chopped off
Santa, it should be behind the rotated Santa head. This is what you should have...

Hide layers Santa 1, Santa 2, Santa 3, Santa 4, do not hide layer 1 this time. Merge visible the rest of your layers.
rename to Santa 4. Your Layer Palette should now look like mine did above and the screenshots of what each of my
5 layers looked like above.

37.) Save as a PSP file naming it Santa.

38.) Now open Animation Shop. Go to File, Animation Wizard. The next screenshots and text will show what the animation
boxes should be set on.

Next window set to opaque.

Next window...

Next window "repeat animation indefinitely" should be selected.
Set frame display to 40.

Next window. Click on Add Image. Find the Santa.psp you saved.

Click next on the next window.

You should now be back in Animation shop. Go to View, Animation. This will show you what your animation will look
like.

40.) Last step is to save the animation. Go to File, Save As. Name your animation and click next, set "Quality" to
best, click next on the two boxes until you get to the size box showing what your animation will be. Make sure the
Optimized file size is below 100k. Mine is 76k. If yours is larger than 100k you can go back and set the Quality down
some so that you will have a smaller file size.

That's it, you now have an animated Nesting Santa!! *LOL* This was a difficult tutorial to follow but I tried to make it as
painless and clear as possible. Give yourself a big pat on the back if you toughed it out and made it through!!
 

Until next time, God Bless.
Connie