For this tutorial you will need the following:
Paint Shop Pro, I am using PSP X7, you should be able to use any version.
which you need a license to use.
Font of choice, I am using Bradley Hand ITC
Mask of your choice
Plugins: no outside plugins
Just remember that my choices of papers and elements is just a suggestion, change it up and make it yours! You don't have to follow mine exactly.
Add a drop shadow of your choosing to tubes & elements throughout. I usually use 1, 1, 50, 5 unless otherwise noted.
Let's get started!
Open a new canvas 950 x 950 pixels with a white background
Open element 79 copy and paste as a new layer
take your freehand selection tool set on point to point and
make a square around the center edge of the frame, clicking once in each corner
and twice when you get back where you started
add a new raster layer below the frame,
make sure you are on that layer, copy paper 5 and paste into selection
then deselect
Copy and paste your tube as a new layer, arrange on the bottom left
Now add your elements:
element 36 resize 70% arrange on left between tube & frame
element 77 arrange between tube & boat
element 61 resize 45% arrange on right side of boat
element 38 resize 25% arrange on element 61
element 92 resize 45% arrange on top right
element 82 resize 25% arrange at top of sign
element 47 resize 45% arrange on bottom right, duplicate, mirror, resize 75%
element 109 resize 35% arrange between cat tail reeds on bottom right
element 44 resize 25% arrange at bottom right
element 55 resize 45% arrange on bottom right side of tube
element 127 resize 25% arrange on bottom right
element 24 resize 25% arrange on bottom right
copy and paste paper 7 above the white background
apply your mask and merge group
crop and resize
add your copyright and credits as needed
add your text and save