Software:  PhotoImpact 10,11,12,X3 

Title:   How to Make a Path look Cylindrical and make a Coffee Plunger or French Press

Author: Maureen Eves-Lavis

Level:   Beginner/Intermediate

Tools:   Path Tools, Path Tool Edit, Retouch   Tools, Paint Brush

Materials:    Presets, Fills or Textures

MODES and WORKSPACES

Versions 12 and X3 has the ability for customised workspace modes, choose your own personal settings or Full Edit providing you have all tools available for this tutorial.

Version 11 has five work modes.  You will see them listed in the My Workshop Menu.  For the purpose of this tutorial, ensure you are working in "Advanced Mode" in order for all tools to be available to you.

Version 10 has two work modes, Basic and Standard. Basic Mode features a simplified workspace with larger buttons and the most common functions, whereas,the Standard Mode displays all of the functions.  We will be using the Standard Mode in this tutorial.If you see Standard Mode faded out as shown, then this is the mode you are using.  If you change from standard to basic you will lose any presets you may have saved.

A Little History of the Coffee Plunger/French Press

Originally invented by a Frenchman in the early 1800's, but actually attributed to an Italian named Calimani who designed the the Coffee Plunger/French Press we have today.   I think we can safely say, it's of European design.

Fashioned after the Turkish method of coffee making a similar technique is applied to the Coffee Plunger/French Press. Boil water and pour a little of the water into the jug, swirl around then discard.   Add 10gm of ground coffee to 180mls of hot water.  Pour this over the coffee grounds.  Stir with a wooden spoon for approximately 90 seconds.  Place the lid with the filter plunger attached and push down to approximately 2cm under the surface of the coffee. Wait 30 seconds then depress the filter plunger slowly applying a steady pressure.  As it moves down the pot it takes the coffee granules with it to the bottom.  You are left with beautifully filtered fresh coffee.  Bon Appetite!

STEP 1

Open a white background canvas 500 x 500 and click on the Path Drawing Tool. choose a rectangle from the drop-down menu on the attribute bar.  Approximately 140x210 pixels. Colour - light gray.  Next, go to the Easy Palette, Text/Path Effects, Material, Glass and choose L01 - double click.  Your rectangle should now be 3D with a glass effect.

STEP 2

With the object highlighted, and the path drawing tool selected, you'll see on the attribute bar a small icon that looks like a camera. This is called the Adjust Materials Options.     Open it! 

In the Materials you'll see an array of settings that you can adjust. 

 

Colour - have one colour a gradient or multiple colours and of course a texture. 

Bevel - has already been applied - 3D so there's no need to change anything there.  As you can see there's varying settings that one can use from  3D round, 3D chisel, 3D custom, 3D trim and 3D pipe.

Bevel Settings - change the thickness of the 3D object in both height and width. Smooth Spine which removes sharp edges.  If you create a complex or irregular shaped 3D text path object, bevel edges can sometimes be visibily prominent on the object surface.  If you want to make the object surface look smoother, select the smooth spine.

Shadow - enables you to render the backside of the object.  

Light - here you can adjust, add or remove light.  You can even rotate the light.  Where you see the 'white spots' on the object, put your mouse on one, click and hold then move, the spots will move too.  

Shading - is for your object to look metalic or plastic.  Phong  refers to a glossy shading scheme.  

Bump - this creates grooves and extrustions on the surface of a 3D object based on dark and light areas.  

Reflections - when chosen, an image is reflected onto the object's surface.  This differs from the colour/texture as they fill an object with an image.

Transparency - enables you to 'see through' the object by choosing a degree of transparency.

Border - adds a line border around a path object.  The border colour and width can be specified.

 

For this tutorial, please choose Bevel Settings.  Move the width slider to 21 and Depth to 13 click OK.

Now you will see that your rectangle has taken on a more rounded, softer appearance.  

It is important to deslect your object at this point     

Go to Text/Path Effects, Glass and double click on the first one, Remove Materials.  This removes the last preset used.  Also, click on 2D object.   

Save as .ufo

STEP 3

Path drawing tool.  Custom Shape S46.  Draw the path shape.  Whilst your object is highlighted, click on Adjust Materials Options - Colour Red (or whatever colour you wish) Bevel Settings, width 12, Depth 13, Shading Metallic - copper.  Leave other settings as default.  Click OK.  Click on the Pick Tool so you can manouvre the object on the canvas as we need to adjust and resize it.

 

STEP 4

Click on the last shape made with the pick tool and move to the lowest part of the rectangle.  Next, click on the Transform Tool   on the Attribute Bar, click on Flip Vertically 

Click the Transform Tool again and align and resize the shape to meet the two sides of the rectangle.  

STEP 5

Duplicate the base and move to the top of the rectangle. Duplicate the shape and flip vertically. With the object selected,  using the pick tool, go to the  Atribute Bar and choose Send to the Back.

Align the edges so there's no overlapping.

The glass centre has now taken on an illusion of being cylindrical.

STEP 6

Path object drawing - Layer Manager, highligh the glass rectangle.    On the Attribut bar, select the Edit Path Tool. The glass object has now become a wire frame with nodules on each of its corners.  We need to add more nodules so click on the plus sign to Add a Point on the Attribute Bar -

Add three nodules as per the image to the right and pull up slightly until it's just on the red.

You only need to do this step if there's not going to be any top/lid on the container.

Sometimes after adjusting this way the top edge can become a little raggedy.  I right click, convert Text/Path to Image and gently erase the edge.

STEP 7

To make a lid/top, go to Path Drawing Tool, choose Oval shape.  3D object, Adjust Material Options and reduce Bevel Settings to Width 31 and Depth 13.  Choose your colour.  The reds I chose are Material Attribute, Plastic, Red 2.

Duplicate this top and change colour to black.  Position the black onto the top , deslect.  Next go to the red one and place just over the black. 

 

STEP 8

Duplicate the lower red border.  Change the colour to black.  Transform tool, and open the lock on the Attribute Bar - resize by squeezing together to form a more narrow band.  Next, Edit Path Tool, click on + to Add a Nodule.  Add two in the centre of the top and bottom wire frame.  Push these downward slightly. Click the Edit Path Tool to deslect.  Now your base will have a black band fitted neatle above the red.  Deslect all objects.

To add colour and texture to these two black bands, select, and choose Plastic, Black from the Easy Palette on each band.

Save as a .ufo

STEP 9

Now for the handle.  Path Drawing Tool, Shape B25 and draw a shape approximately the length of the plunger's top red band to the bottom red band.  Edit Path Tool, Add nodule.  Pull the handles that show to deform the shape that resembles a handle.  It can be made any shape you like - it's up to your imagination.  Click out of Edit Path.  Go to the Material Attribute in your Easy Palette and choose Plastice, Black.  This will give the handle a nice black shiny look.  Of course, the colour is entirely your choice.  You may need to adjust the handle slightly with the Transform, distort tooll in order to align it to the size of the plunger correctly.  Deslect All objects.

STEP 10

To make the plunger/filter - oval shape 3D Trim - preset Mettalic Attribute,  Metallic, Copper 1.  Path shape, rectangle - make a thin 3D stick like in the example shown.  Outline drawing tool, oval.  Same preset.  Place this just over the oval shape then add the stick to the centre so that it fits up under the red band.  Merge these 3 objects as a Single Object.  To do this, highlight all three objects - Layer Manager, hold shift key down whilst choosing the 3 objects, right click, Merge as a Single Object.  Whilst this object is highlighted, place in the centre of the plunger/press.    In the Layer Manager you should see your base canvas which is white then Object 1 which should be the back part of the glass, move the plunger/filter to just above object 1. Do this by grabbing the plunger/press with the left mouse button, holding and draggin down.  This places it between the glass.

 

STEP 11

Lastly we'll add liquid.  Path drawing tool, rectangle shape, 3D round, Bevel Settings, Width 17, Depth -8 Tick box Smooth Spine.  OK.  Edit path tool, + to add nodules and make slight curved out shape and try keep it nice and smoothly curved.  Path, draw and oval shape and Edit Path tool and make it fit snugly over the rectangle curve.  

STEP 12

Place these two objects on the glass.  Tap the move to the back single down arrow twice - deselect.  Next move the oval and place over the top of the liquid glass.  It should now look like the image on the right.

To make the liquid look darker, highlight the liquid shape, go to  Photo, Light, Highlight Midtone and Shadow and adjust the Highlight slider to darken the colour.  Do the same for the oval shape.

All that's left is to make a narrow rectangle 3D round for the piece at the top and two ovals placed atop of each other.

You can of course decorate this up as much as you like and choose different presets.

Site created and maintained by Maureen 

Creative-Designs

Terms of use for this tutorial are simple....What you create using this tutorial is yours to do with as you please. A link back to this tut is appreciated but is not a requirement. The tutorial itself along with the images herein are copyrighted to me and all rights are reserved.

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COPYRIGHT: Maureen ©Creative-Designs - Terms - 2005 - 2008 Australia