how to soften this strokes?

[nitea]

I do dance classes for kids in the community center, kids just love to dance ..and me too. I was draw this fluffy face in my notebook as my draw exercise and one of the kids found it ....and they all loved it was a noisy moment of .. i want it, i want too,.. please give it to me ... So I decide to do a logo for the dance formation using this fluffy guys and I consider to print it on sticker paper. So here is where i stuck and need some help about softening the lines of the drawing.

1. What i do first i draw it on paper, using pencil, usually i draw with fine pen, but to make it fluffier i used difefrent types of pencils (HB till 2B & 6B)

2. I scanned the drawing
3. Opened the file in PS(I use CS5) removed the bg, placed a white one.
4. Copied the layer and set to multiply blend mode
5. Add a new layer under and just painted the colors

I don't like this effect that left from the pencil, like dry crayon... I try to blur it a bit, but still doesn't look fine to me. Is there a way that i could soften this lines or i should draw directly on PS or using pen?


and here is the original drawing, which i compressed a bit to be able to upload it.


I will appreciate all kind of help & advising

 

[dv8_fx]

I don't know if this can help you as it's different from what you ask. With a bit of tinkering with the colors and duplicating the star rotating it slightly to get a fuzzier look and play with layer opacity..... just add the faces over the starburst.....

http://www.photoshopgurus.com/forum...6-how-do-you-create-starbursts.html#post90363

 

[ibclare]

Are the lines such that you can stroke them as a path? If so, you can use a soft brush to create the stroke. If you have a selection of the lines, you can create a path that way in the paths palette, then do this to stroke. You can even check the box for - darn can't think what it's called - but it causes the stroke to taper to the tip which gives the kind of effect your lines show. The starburst effects could be used along with this or in place of this. I would try all 3 combinations and see which you like best, if not all, lol.

 

[nitea]

Thank you both : ) So what I did: Here is the result first

I couldn't understand your method ibclare, sorry but sometimes i got confused, English is not my mother language ....

So i did the fluffs by using the dv8_fx method .. then I add some extra strokes using brush, some extra stuff over to make it more girly and that's was the result for now. Also i used some inner glow effect on the base colors (purple, red, blue).

What I'm struggling to do now is to find the right brush to draw the curly lines.

 

[ibclare]

I'm sure you could find curlique brushes online but you might get your best effect using the pen tool and creating them yourselves. Then you can try to use the method I mentioned. If you want to do so, I'll make you a short viswual tut of the method. Very simple really.

Anywa, it looks great.

 

[MikeMc]

http://www.brushesdownload.com/bfile.asp?id=9589

 

[nitea]

Thank you MikeMC, I tried doing it with this kind of brushes, but i think I will try to make costume one.
I will appreciate your help ibclare.
I already found a tut how to make a custom brush, so at least i can save as preset and play with the brush options, so please explain me your method in few steps

Also i think I need more practice with my tablet, cause somehow my lines are not so smooth as I draw them on paper. In fact I will upload some of my let say gaffs in the showroom.

 

[ibclare]

You are brave to display your gsfa nitea. Bravo!

Whenever we post and ask for critique we may be showing that very thing of course. I like your work and don't use a tablet. I keep saying I may get one someday, and never stop the hints to my bf that one would make a nice birthday, mother's day, or christmas present. He did buy me a beautiful 23in. external monitor last christmas, so I can't complain, But I will put it on my christmas wish list this year! Good luck with your getting to know it better.