Background
Set your foreground color to a light blue.
Select the Gradient tool
Drag from top to bottom
This should make your Background layer look like this…
[Enter] or click on another tool to set the gradient.
Body
Insert a new layer, call it “body’.
Make sure primary color = black, and set secondary color to a dark red.
Select the Shapes tool – then set it to the Ellipse shape.
Set it to draw outline and fill.
Change the thickness to 5.
Draw a circle/oval for the body – leave room at the top and left for feathers and tail.
Make sure the border/thickness is thicker.
If it’s not, go back to Adjust Ellipse in the History panel, make it thicker, and then click off.
Feathers
Insert a new layer above.
Draw an oval and rotate it so it’s something like this…
Draw another oval about the same size – move/rotate so it’s overlapping like this…
Click off to set the shape.
Select the Eraser tool – change the size to about 30.
- Select one of the feather layers and Erase (with a bit of an angle).
- Then select the other feather layer and erase some of that feather oval.
So far you should have something like this…
With the top layer active, Merge the layers so the body is together.
Chin
Insert a new layer, name it chin.
Change the fill color to a light/medium grey.
Make sure to set the thickness of the border back to 5.
Draw an oval going over the bottom area of the bird and off the canvas…
Click off to set the shape. Then make the body layer active again.
Select the Wand tool, and click inside the body. Then invert the selection (CTRL+I or go to Edit menu).
Select the chin layer again and Delete.
Your layers should look like this so far…
Eyes
First Eye
Insert a new layer. Name it “eye”.
Colors: set to default
Set the Ellipse shape tool.
It should still be set to thickness 5, Fill & Outline.
Draw the outline for the right-side eye.
Click off to set the shape.
Now set the Ellipse set to draw Fill – foreground color black.
Draw a pupil and position it where you want it…and click off to set it.
Go to Effects>Distort>Bulge …
Change the shape of each eye so it’s more cartoon-like.
Second Eye
Duplicate the eye layer
Use the Move tool to move it over so they’re overlapping.
CTRL+D or [Enter] to get rid of the dotted outline.
Eyebrows
Insert a new layer ‘eyebrow’.
Select the Trapezoid Shape tool (it should still be set it to draw Fill Only).
Draw a trapezoid shape (pull it down first…
…then rotate and resize it so it’s above one of the eyes like this…
Draw another trapezoid about the same size as the first one, rotate and move it over the other eye.
Click off to set the shape.
Tail
Insert a new layer, call it “tail”.
With the Trapezoid Shape tool, click and drag down, then rotate …
Click off to set the shape, then draw 2 more trapezoids at different angles.
Go to Effects>Distort>Twist… and play with the center and amount/direction until you have an interesting tail…
Move the tail layer below/under the body layer and move it where you like.
Beak
Top beak
Insert a new layer, name it “beak”.
Set your colors so primary = black, secondary = yellow
Select the Shape tool – set the shape type to Triangle.
Change it to Outline & Fill.
Make sure the border size is 5.
Draw a triangle shape and rotate it a bit, something like this to start.
Then go to Effects>Distort>Bulge and make it more interesting of a shape.
Bottom Beak
Insert a new layer, call it “beak 2”.
Change the secondary color to an orange
Drag a triangle.
- Go to Effects>Distort>Bulge again and play with the settings to get a nicely-shaped bottom beak.
- Then move it under the top beak layer. Move/rotate it into position.
Spots
Insert a new layer – call it ‘spots’.
Make sure it’s above the body layer or you won’t see anything!
Make sure your primary color is still black.
Use the Shape tool – Ellipse – change it so it’s drawing Fill only.
Draw ovals and rotate/squish them – around the eyes, at least 4 ovals.
Double-click on the spots layer and reduce opacity to about 100.
