Start Photoshop. Tah-Dah!
From the photoshop menu File choose New and give your future creation a name. Set the canvas size - I prefer 60x60 pixels. I never know beforehand if there will be enough room for my creative swing. Sometimes I do run out of space, but, fortunately you can increase the size of the canvas as well as crop off what we do not require, later on.
Check Transparent, that gives us a see-through background, and now that we are satisfied with the creation we click OK (in the right top corner).
We have done well so far but do not forget to save regularly, this will ensure you do not lose any of your hard work. Go on, save your future masterpiece now! You know how to save the document don't you? You don't?! Well, it's simple - from menu File choose Save, and in the opened dialogue window specify a folder to save to (try to remember that location) and press OK. So far so good.
Now, in the Tools palette choose a pencil,
Fig.2... set it's diameter to 15 pixels,
Fig.3... color = black
Fig.4... and splash directly in the middle of the canvas.
Fig.5 Now change [Fig. 2] diameter of the pencil to 13 pixels, change the color to yellow and splash on the middle of what we splashed earlier.
Do not be afraid of using the zoom tool to enlarge your workspace. The same tool with a pressed down key alt key lets you reduce it.
* screenshots of a canvas on this page are made with zoom x 4.
So far everything has turned out brilliantly don't you think? If it's not - sigh and begin all over again - the lost time is not game-over and increases your ability to use Photoshop. Eventually, somewhere on a planet, someone loves and appreciates us no matter what. I do not know about you, but it gives me great comfort knowing that and it consoles me a lot.
Now, we check out our sketch... (Give me that paper, dummie!)...I'm not talking to you, sorry.. (Get out of here!) and see what other elements will be needed. Aha! - we need 4 pairs of eyes!
Fig.6 Create a new layer in the Layers palette, name it, let say, "eyes1"...
Fig.7...sharpen your [Fig. 2] pencil to 1 pixel, color = black, and draw
The eyes could have any shape. For example, like this -  , or like this -  , or even like this -  .
* All colors can be changed at the last stage in the finished gif, don't worry about that right now. In short, do not restrain your imagination and trust your vision...
Oh yeah! Do not forget to press down on Ctrl+S now and then to save your work. If your keyboard on it's way out by now, but the mouse still moving - you can pull down the menu File and hit the Save command.
Fig.8 Duplicate the layer "eyes1" and name a new layer "eyes2." [Fig. 6].
Fig.9 From the Tools Palette choose the Move tool and shift layer "eyes2" if needed, according to our sketch. Use the Eraser and Pencil tools to accomplish your mission if necessary.
In the same way we do the remaining eyes - duplicating any of the layers "eyes", giving it a new name/number, erase any part of it you don't need and draw all that's necessary. That's it, we're done with eyes! Congratulations!!
All elements should be on separate layers!
Hands. We can't do without hands, for without hands we would be handicapped. According to our sketch we would need three pairs of them. Open a new layer [Fig. 6] and draw the first pair:
Fig. 10
The hand positions 3 and 4 on the sketch are the same, the only difference is the gap between them. The next pair of hands we going to apply separately, one by one on each layer, so our goal could be achieved by shifting layers during the animation process.
Fig.11 That's how it's supposed to work
Alrighty...
By now we should have:
Yellow body with black border - 1pc.
Assorted eyes - 4pcs.
Hands - two pairs, one of them, on different layers. In total - 3pcs.
For simplicity I will reiterate all that we have done (still have some time before dinner).
The Name of a layer | The Image |
Layer1 | 
|
eyes1 | 
|
eyes2 | 
|
eyes3 | 
|
eyes4 | 
|
hands | 
|
hand_left | 
|
hand_right | 
|
If you are a very thorough person, the opposite of me, and are going to create lots and lots of smilies, I recommend that you make a template ( Photoshop file, same as we just did) with all hands-legs-ears what ever comes to mind which makes it easier the next time you have a great idea for an emoticon. From there, a little animation, a lot of fun, and yet more smiley masterpieces. Yes, I have such a template but have no clue as to where I stored it on my hard disk.
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