Country Gingham My Way



~ This tutorial assumes you are familiar with the tools in PSP ~
It was written on October 12, 2008, using PSP 9, but can be completed in most versions.
Tutorials are only guidelines, it's always fun to experiment with different settings on your own : )


Materials needed:

Alien Skin Xenofex 2; Crumble - Download Demo HERE
This filter is optional, I've provided an alternative in Step 5.


Step 1:
Create a new file (File > New); Size: 525x525, transparent background.
In your Materials palette, change your foreground to a color of your choice.
Using your paint bucket, fill the canvas with your foreground color.


Step 2:
Effects > Texture effects > Weave
Plug in the below settings, then hit 'OK'.

(Gap size & Width 10, Opacity 1, Gap color black, Fill gaps checked)



Step 3:
Effects > Distortion effects > Pixelate
Plug in the below settings, then hit 'OK'.

(block width 5, block height 21, Symmetric not checked)



Step 4:
Layers > Duplicate.
Image > Rotate > Free rotate; right 90.
Lower the opacity of the duplicate layer to 58%.

On your canvas, right click on the 'Title bar', select copy merged.
Control 'V' on your keyboard to paste it as a new image.

Mimimize the original file for now.


Step 5:
Working on our merged copy file....
Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Uniform, Mono, 3.

Your gingham is now complete.
I applied Xenofex 2 > Crumble to create a 'fabric' look.  But you can apply one of
PSP's texture effects as an alternative.  Below are the settings I used for both:

Xenofex / Crumble Settings:
Xenofex crumble setting


PSP Texture Effect:
Effects > Texture effects > Texture
I choose the Granite 01 texture, but play around and find one you like.

alternative texture effect

Save your file as a .psp or .png and close it.


Let's have some fun with our original, unmerged file.
Maximize your original gingham file.
Bring the opacity of the top layer back up to 100%.

Now play with the blend modes on this layer to see what other effects you can create.

Changing the blend mode to 'Difference' will create a country check.
Try the 'Screen' mode for a plaid effect.

Experiment and have some fun!

Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.