Southwestern Style Pottery

This tutorial is rated 10 due to
the use of vectors.

Southwestern style pottery has many shapes and styles, along with many colors, textures and
designs. In this tutorial I will show you several different vector styles that you can make relatively
easy. Once you're over the vectoring then the rest is pretty much up to you. Use your imagination
and see what different designs you can come up with.

All of the vector screenshots will be at 100% unless I feel you need a close-up to see the detail.
What I find helpful when doing vectors using a tut, is to bring that screenshot into PSP to compare
my progress with as I move the nodes around to try to reproduce what is being taught. In Netscape,
you have to dl the screenshot and then open in PSP but Internet Explorer 5 and above, users can
copy and paste the image into PSP.

This tut is written using PSP7 but 6 users should be able to do it with no problem. However, there are
some filters that I might use that 6 doesn't have but you shouldn't have any problems finding a filter
you already have that can produce the same effects with a little experimenting. Of course all tool
locations will be for PSP7. It's been awhile since I've used 6 so I dare not try and remember the
locations of where the tools are for fear of confusing you! *L*
Some of the screenshot resolutions and size will be reduced to save on load time so yours might
look somewhat different than mine.

I have zipped up a couple beautiful gradients that I think are perfect for southwestern pottery.
I searched and searched for the artist that made these gradients but could not find her. I believe
they were made by Dawn's Den but her site is no longer there and with lots of searching by many
of my friends we weren't able to find a new site for her. If this is your gradients please email me
so that I may remove them and point users to your site to download them or at least give you
credit for your beautiful work!

Gradient Zip
Unzip to your gradients folder
These are PSP6 compatible

Remember to SAVE often!

1.) So let's get started. Open a 500x500 transparent canvas. You don't need this much but I like to
work on a large canvas and some of the pots are larger than others.
I chose to set my background (fill) color to a neutral beige color.. #DBAC7F (if you wish to make
your pot white then you should make your fill color white.) to do my vectoring with. That way I
can change my mind about what color the final pot will be.

2.) Preset Shapes set to Ellipse,
Create as a vector and antialias both Checked
Draw out an oval horizontally across your canvas. Add two nodes on each side of the bottom
original node (note the position on the screenshot below) Change the node type on those to Cusp.
Look at the position on the bottom right node on the 2nd screenshot below and how I have moved
the handles on it to create the curve on the side of the pot. Do the left side the same way. Also
notice how I've moved the two added nodes slightly in and up from the middle node to help
with the illusion that the pot is round. You may need to pull the middle node down just a little
to help round and flatten out the bottom. Now, move up the sides and position the nodes changing
to Cusp where needed until you have something that looks like mine.  Move on to the top, adding nodes
where needed and changing to Cusp, bring the middle top node down to create a curve or lip if you
will on your pot. Convert to Raster when you are satisfied with the look and rename as base.
Something like this...

SAVE!!

3.) Now for the backside of our pot. Preset shapes same as before, color as before.
Draw another small oval at the top of your pot something like this...

Convert to Raster rename as inside. Move this layer below your base layer.
 

Save this pot as a PSP file unmerged, it is ready to be colored and decorated.

4.) This is what I did to pot 1. Make the base layer your active layer. Set your foreground
color to one of the gradients I provided. I'm using ddenGrad2 INVERTED for the pot.
Go to selections, select all, selections float. Add a new layer. Flood fill with your gradient.
Keep selected through all the filters.

5.)Go to Effects, Geometric Effects, Twirl. Set the degrees on this filter to 82. Pretty cool huh?
Now there are endless possibilities with this or just leave it as it is. If you have Paint Engine
try some of the filters in there and see what you like. Because you have this fill on a new layer
if some of the filters pull the gradient in making it to short, you can always use the deformation
tool to extend the layer out over your pot, then invert the selection and delete any of the gradient
that is outside your pot. Play around with different filters to see what you can come up with.

6.) I decided for this one to leave it alone and just apply a texture to it.
I used Texturizer but if you don't have it don't fret find another texture you like and apply it
set texturizer to
sandstone,
scaling set to 60,
relief set to 1,
light direction set to Top,
with invert box checked.

7.) I then went to Effects, Noise, Add at 5% Uniform.
Hide layer 1 and inside layer then merge visible

8.) I then went to Selections and clicked on Float.
I applied a cutout using these settings... color is #800000

9.) Next I went to Effects, Geometric Effects, Wind and applied these settings..

I applied the wind effect again but changed it to "From left".

Select None and this is what you should have...

SAVE!

10.) Make your inside layer your active layer. Selection, Select All, Selections, Float.
Add a new layer and go through the same steps as your did for the base. Only difference
will be the cutout (new cutout settings below). Remember follow the same exact steps
with the filters, then merge the flood filled layer with the inside layer, then click on Float
again and apply a cutout using the settings below...
My color looks black but it's the same color we used on the base.
#800000

Select None.

11.) Now we need to make a ring for the top. I chose to use the blue color in the gradient as
my ring color. That color is #90BAB2, set your foreground (stoke) to that color. Preset Shapes
Tool to these settings..

Draw a small oval at the top of your pot. Use the nodes to shape it to your pot.
Convert to raster when you're happy and rename to ring.

12.) Remove any of the excess with the eraser tool that you may have showing of the inside
and base layers through your ring.
Select your ring layer by going to selections, select all, selections, Float. Apply a cutout using
these settings...

SAVE!

13.) One last step and we will be finished.
Make your base layer your active layer. Go to Selections, Select all, selections, Float.
Add a new layer.
Set your Airbrush tool to these settings..

Set your foreground color to #800000
Now spray some shaded areas on your pot like this... (Enlarged to show detail)

14.) Go to Effects, Blur, Gaussian Blur with a radius between 5 and 7 (depending on
how heavy you sprayed)
Merge layers visible, copy and paste as new layer to remove any excess. Export as a
tube, save as a transparent or however you'd like. If you would like to add flowers,
fruit or something to your pot then hide the inside layer merge layers visible and save
as a psp file so that you will be able to add a layer between your base and inside layer
to put your flowers or whatever on.

15.) The next screenshot will show different vector pots. I won't go through the steps of
decoration them. Try different filters, gradients, textures, tubes, shading or whatever, to
see what you can come up with.

This is the pot I used to make the horse pitcher in the banner above. If you want to make a white one
set your background (fill color) to white then do your vectors.

The handle shot below is something I didn't use for this type pottery but thought you might like
to see it done in vectors to use for a different style pitcher.

16.) The other two pots in the banner at the top are basically the same as the above one only
without the spout on them. You can even bring the neck of them up smaller to make what
is called a seed pot. Most have the round bottom then come up to make a small neck.

17.) The screenshot below are of the vase you see in the image above with the fancy black
detail on it. I first made a seamless swatch of what I wanted the vase texture to be, flood filled
my base with that swatch,then saved the swatch so that I could use it to fill some of my designs on
the vase.
To do the black detail I used vectors with my fill color set to back. I placed all the different designs
on a new layer, some are done using preset shapes and some are of my own design using vectors.

Well that's it, I hope this tutorial has given you some ideas of the different styles of pots and vases
you can make, there are lots more styles besides these that are beautiful too, so don't be afraid to
play around with vectors to see what you can come up with.
Until next time, happy PSP~ing
God Bless,
Connie