Creating Vellum
CREATING VELLUM
Creating Vellum is so easy you can make new vellum for each different project or you can create the vellum on a transparent background, save it as a PNG file and reuse it over and over again.
First you need to open a new file. FILE > NEW > BLANK FILE
Name your file VELLUM
Change the height and width settings to inches and then type in the size of vellum you will be using.
The resolution will depend on what you plan to do with your final pages, if you will have them strictly online (or on-screen), then 72 pixels/inch is fine. If you plan on printing your pages then you will want to choose a resolution between 200 and 300 pixels/inch.
Keep the color mode on RGB and the background contents transparent.
Next you want to make a new layer.
Or you can click on the MORE> button
Or you can go up to your LAYER > NEW > LAYER up in the menu bar at the top of your workspace area.
Make sure you name your layers as you make them, so you can easily keep track of what you put on your separate layers.
Now with your FILL BUCKET selected, pick the color you want to use for your vellum. Generally you will want to use lighter colors, but there are times when dark colors will work too.
To choose your color, click on the FOREGROUND COLOR PICKER. After the color picker box pops up make sure you click on the color you want before you click OK.
Now click over your new layer to fill with the color you picked.
After filling your layer, you need to adjust your transparency. Make sure you have the color layer selected, and click in the opacity box. You can either type in the number or use the slider. 50% usually works really well.
Now you want to save your file. In the menu bar, click FILE > SAVE AS and when the dialog box pops up name your file, I suggest using VELLUM_COLOR and then use the file type drop down and pick PNG.
~THE NEXT SECTION IS HOW TO GIVE YOUR VELLUM TORN EDGES~
First select the ERASER TOOL
Then you will want to select a "rough" brush eraser, and set the size fairly large
Once you have your "rough" brush you need to erase around the edges of your vellum that you want to be "torn".
For straight "torn" edges, click on one corner, hold down your SHIFT key while clicking in the next corner.
Next you will want to add an edge to your vellum to make it look more like torn vellum.
Hold down your CTRL key and click on the thumbnail of your color layer to select the vellum.
Then go up to the menu bar and click EDIT > STROKE (OUTLINE) SELECTION. Save your vellum and you are done!