This method generates a lace design in a similar way to the previous method, but you have more control over the pattern that it will be, and can generate more complex patterns of lace. it's just as quick and is super pretty.
I'll be snappy with the instructions but also I'll try and be clear, as always ask if you're not sure.
1) Create a new transparent layer. Using a thickish brush (~20px in my example), draw a flower or other pattern, on the transparent layer
2)Using the bucket, fill the spaces inside your design. You can use any colour that is not similar to your line colour. White is perfect but I want it to show up in the tutorial.
(This is so when we use the shape as a brush later, as it draws, it hides any pattern that is under it, otherwise it is transparent and shows through, looking bad)
3)Draw a selection box around your shape and Copy it (Ctrl-C or Edit-Copy)
Change your brush to "Clipboard brush" it should look like your shape you have just drawn
4)Adjust your spacing so it stamps down a flower that just overlaps the previous one. Additionally you can set the dynamics to "Track Direction" or "Random Angle" (if you dont have the dynamics you can make them yourself easily) to adjust the angle of the flower as you draw. I use both interchangeably.
Spaching too low: (10-20%)
Spacing too high: (100-200%)
Perfect: (around 70-90%)
^But as part of a combined design, having the spacing very high is good for adding extra patterns to a base idea you already have, such as dotting a flower here and there to build up a lace pattern in one area more than another.
5)Draw the path you want your lace to follow. I do a large curving back and forth as standard.
6)Using the "Select by colour" tool or the "Fuzzy select tool", click on the lined part of your flower pattern to select just the pattern part. Set the threshold to about 30% to pick up any soft edges your original brushstrokes had.
Hide your pattern layer and make a new transprent layer. You should be left with just your selection visible.
7)Change your brush back to the original settings. Change the size to about 20% of the original (~4-5px in my example), and the spacing to about 150-200%
Make sure your new transparent layer is selected.
Go to Edit>Stroke selection. Option:Stroke with a paint tool. Dropdown list:Paintbrush. Press "Stroke"
Then Select>None to remove your selection. You should be left with a dotty outline of your flower pattern
You can stop at this point, or add an outline around the outside.
8)Make your previously hidden layer visible again and using the "Fuzzy select" tool, click outside the pattern. Select>Invert to get just the selection around your pattern.
Then Select>Border.Option: Border style - smooth. Choose a reasonable width(~4-5px)
Select your dotted layer.
Using the fill bucket, fill the selection you have just made. If it is too thin, the dots will be visible behind it.
And there you have 2 versions of a dotted patterned lace.
This has a nice advantage that you can draw any pattern you want (roses work nicely)
You can also save your pattern as a brush to use later, if you are using the same pattern again or it's a generic flower shape etc. In your brushes window, right click and select "Duplicate brush", which will make a permanent copy.
A lot of this method can be done very quickly with shortcuts for all the tools.
You can combine 2 or more different shapes with different dotty spacing/thickness for a really varied lace.
You can also use multiple colours in your original flower design, and do different dot patterns for each part of the design. I really want to play around with this idea in particular more.
I'm working on turning these into auto-scripts but it's a lot of steps in different orders to generate different types of lace so I don't want to make it too generic.
Topic: Lace Drawing Methods (GIMP) (Read 2594 times)
