STEP 1 Open a new image.... I typically start out with mine about 400x300. You can always crop some of it out when we get to the animation stage of it. I have found that it is easier though to have the excess space when starting, just in case I need it.

STEP 2 open up your writing instrument and install it into your psp tubes. Once it is installed, look for it in your picture tubes. It will need to be reduced in size to about 20 if it is the pen, the feather can remain about the size that it is or if you are using the pencil, it will need to be reduced to about 25. Now, me, personally, I like to have my writing instrument tilted at a 45 degree angel to what I am writing... especially if I am using a calligraphy font. For the object of this tutorial, I will be using the pen.... I have it reduced to a scale of 20... Now I go to Image and choose rotate. when the window pops up select left and free and put 45 in the box. Hit okay. Now your pen is tilted to the left at a 45 degree angle. Yahoo!!

STEP 3 Now that we are talking about fonts, it is time to choose one. First, go to layers, and create a new raster layer. I typically name this layer with the name that I am going to be writing. So, for me, this layer will be Regina. I prefer to use Calligraphic fonts or simple handwriting fonts most of the time. Some of my favorite fonts to use are as follows: A.C.M.E. Explosive, Aeolus, Anime Ace, Black Chancery, Block Lettering Tryout, Bradley Hand, BrushScrD, Caliph, Carolingia, Changstein, Dragonfly, French Script MT, Heather, LaurenScript, Murphy Script.... I am sure that you get the idea. For my lesson I will be using Murphy Script. Choose whatever color you would like your name to be... I am chosing a dusty rose color. (see picture) Notice where I have my name at on the page... it is down and to the left. This is so that when you are moving the pen across the image and you get to the end of the name that your pen doesnt get cut off the image as you are working. If you want to apply an inner bevel to your name, now would be the time to do it. I think I will apply an inner bevel....go to Effects... Inner Bevel.... Here are the settings that I am using (see picture). I chose soft edge. You can see the settings that I used in the step 3 screen shot. After you have the inner bevel that you like.... go to Selections...select none.... this will remove the marching ants from your name.

Step 4 Okay, are you ready to start with the quill?? Sure you are! Let's go! Move your pen tip to the starting point on your first letter. Once you have it there (and make sure that the pen is the TOP layer so that is resting on top of your text) hold down your shift key and hit the "D" key... this makes a duplicate of your image... right? Now you have 2 images that are identical. minimize the duplicate that you just made, we'll get to that one in a minute. On the first image your pen tip should be at the starting point of the first letter... Now we need the eraser tool. We are going to erase all the text on that first image. We need it to look like the pen is really writing the text, right? Great... so select whichever eraser style (rectangle, circle, r/l angle, etc) and size that you prefer. You will need to make adjustments to the size and shape of eraser that you use periodically to make sure that you get all the stray pixels off, but we will worry about that in a minute. Sound good? Great... erase all the text on that first image. All you should have now is the pen on your blank image. Once you are to that point, go to Layers.... Merge visible.... then you are ready to save your first frame of your quill signature. I save mine as the name and then follow that with the frame number... so this first one will be saved as Regina 1. Because this is going to be an animated signature, you will need to save this as a .gif file... that way you wont have difficulties when you go into Animation Shop. If you have some way that is easier for you (naming wise), do whatever is easiest and best for you. Just remember where you have saved them.

Step 5 Okay, now we are ready to work on the duplicate image that you made... you will be making a duplicate (by holding shift "D") for each frame that you make, that way you can just keep working from where you left off last time. Make sense? Okay, get your second frame up... you will now need to move your pen again to your second spot.
(see picture below so you can see each of my frames if you need them)
Always Always Always "Shift D" to duplicate this before you erase any of the text.
Once you have the pen on your second spot.... erase all of the name that the pen has not written yet. (I started with the vertical line on my R, so that line is completely drawn now, and that is the only part of my name that should still be showing on the screen. I have erased everything else. Now, you have 2 frames of your quill signature completed, doesnt that feel nice? *wink* Okay... save the second frame just like you did the first, only using Regina 2 (insert your name for mine, obviously *wink*)

You will continue doing this for each letter erasing all the text but the parts that your pen or pencil has already "drawn". Make sense? Good. Great... How's it going? Ready for frame 3? You do it just like you did frame 2, by moving your pen to the next point, "shift D" to duplicate it, and then do your erasing.... etc etc etc. Let me know when you have all your frames completed. *wink* No rush, I'll wait for you. *grin* Make sure when you are doing your erasing that you get all the little stray pixels that have a tendency to remain hanging on. You can zoom in on your image to do the erasing to make sure that you get it all if it makes it easier for you. Any stray pixels that are left will show up "flashing" when we get the animation stage, that is why it is so important to get them all. Okay? Great!

**One thing to bear in mind is that the longer the name, the more frames you will have, the same thing goes for the more anal you are about the writing the more frames you will have. My first quills had upwards of 40 frames in them. WAYYYYY too many frames. The more frames, the larger the file size, which takes longer to load, which in turn is a pain in the butt. SO.... you dont have to stop at every little curve or angle on your letters, with the animation going you wont be able to tell if you skip part of the letter. I try to keep my quill signatures under 30 frames if at all possible. Just a thought.**

Step 6 Okay, are you done with the last of your letters? Since I rarely know what to do with the pen after I have written my name out, I typically make it somersault in the air to get it back to my starting point. To do this I move the pen to the right of the last letter and then making sure that my pen later is still selected I go to Image...rotate... and I use these settings:
(see picture)
left and 90 degrees. I keep rotating to the left 90 degrees each time and saving the frames just like I did the others. Make sense? Once I have the pen tip back at the starting point I am finished with the PSP part of the quill. Feel free to close out your PSP and open up your ANIMATION SHOP.

Step 7 Open your Animation Shop. In the upper left hand corner you should see File.... directly below that is a little button that looks like a filmstrip with a magic wand crossing over it. This is your Animation Wizard. Click on it. The first window that pops up should give you the option of what you want the dimensions of the new animation to be. Choose "same size as the first image frame". Click Next . Now we set the default canvas color.... choose transparent. Click Next.... In this next pop up window it gives you options as to how you want teh images located within the animation frames. The only things selected on this window should be "upper left corner of the frame , Filled with the canvas color, and scale frames to fit". Click next. This window asks how you want the animation to be looped. Select Yes, indefinately and for how long you want each frame to be displayed should be a number in the 25-30 range. Whichever you prefer. I am going with 25. Click Next. Now we have the fun of putting your frames in. Remember where you stored them? Great! Click Add Image.. this brings up a browser window. Find the frames that you made and click on them. If they are all in a row you can choose to highlight them and move them all at once as opposed to individually, but it is all up to your preferences. Whichever way you do them, just be sure that you get them in the right order, or your name will end up out of synch when you animate it. Okay? Mind looks like this
(see picture)
Click Next and then Finish.

Step 8 You should now see a "film strip" on your screen that contains your frames all linked together. Remember all that excess white space that I told you we would get rid of later? Now is the time. You should see the Crop tool on the last row of tools before your workspace. Click it. Now you will see a box that says Options above the crop tool. Click it. A window opens (see picture for what mine looks like). You will want to click on the Surround the animated area button. then click OK. Notice the rectangle that is drawn inside your frames now? Click Crop and it will crop all that excess space away... and leaves the animation the perfect size. Wasnt that easy?? Almost done.

Step 9 at the top of the screen there are the File Edit View Animation Effects and Window buttons. Click View .... and then click Animation in the drop down menu. A new window should open with the quill writing away all on its own.

Wasnt that cool?? I think so. Quills are one of my favorite types of signatures to make. It is in fact the very first kind of signature that I made.

Okay, so we have it animated now... the only thing left to do with it is save it. Right? Right! So...

Step 10 Click on File...Save as... choose what you want to name it... choose where you want to save it.... click save.

The next screen asks you what Quality you want to save your image as. Depending on how many frames you have and how many colors you have in your image you can slide the little bar on the left down. I try to keep mine in the next to top slot if at all possible. Then click Next

The next window is the Optimization Progress... little blue lines will fill the rows. When they are finished click Next

The next window will show you a optimization preview. If you like how it looks click next. If you dont like the way it looks you can click back and tinker with the Quality setting a little and see if that helps. After you click Next it will give you yet another window.. this one will have the statistics of the signature... the size of the file and the download times for different speeds of modems. Click Finish and there you have it... your very own Quill signature made by you... for you!! **grins** That wasnt so painful now, was it? *grin*

Any questions?? If so... ASK WIAN! *wink* Just kidding!! Feel free to post or email me and I will do my best to explain things a little better.

Assignment: Now that you have successfully made your first (?) Quill signature, here is what I want you to do... search thru your tubes... or search on the net. I want you to find something to use to make a Quill that is unique to your personality... something that is not a traditional writing impliment... something that will put your spin on it. It can be a flower, a twig if you are nature oriented... if you are more of a kitchen whiz.. how about something from the kitchen... If you are into mechanics, something from the toolbox... You get the idea. I want to see something that says something about YOU! Go for it! You can do it. I cant wait to see what you come up with.