Holding SHIFT will force the point to be drawn within increments of 45degrees from the last point drawn. Click one point and then hold the SHIFT key and draw a point to the right of the first one. Select the Pen Tool and set it to Shape Layers. The eyes don’t quite fit the perspective of the body so with the RIGHT_EYE group selected go to Edit > Free Transform and resize and rotate to 94.5% size and 6.0 degrees.

Then select the Move Tool from the Tools palette, hold down the ALT key and drag the group across the canvas to create a duplicate. Select all of your eye layers in the Layers Palette and click the Folder icon at the bottom of the palette to group them. Finally, select the EYEBALL layer and go to Layer > Layer Styles > Inner Shadow and set up as in the screen grab. If you need to change the colour of any of your shape layers then simply double-click the corresponding colour icon on the Layers palette. Then use the Pen Tool to draw a small white triangle over the pupil. Draw a smaller black circle for a pupil (hold the SHIFT key whilst you draw – this will constrain a perfect aspect ratio). Select White as your foreground colour and draw an ellipse as your eyeball. Select the Ellipse Tool and make sure it’s set to Shape Layers (Use the Options bar to do this). Your gradient should look similar to the screen grabs. Set up a 2-colour gradient inputting 4c7812 and aed82c in the field marked ‘#’ in the Color Picker window.

Once you’ve drawn a basic shape it’s time to add colour so select your Body Shape Layer and go to Layer > Layer Styles > Gradient Overlay.

Use this tool to draw in your basic character shape, at this stage don’t worry about colour. With your canvas open, select the Pen Tool and set it to Shape Layers in the Options bar (Window > Options if it’s not visible). It’s also better to work in RGB as you get more control over the colour output and more options within Photoshop itself. We’ll create this at 300dpi so set up a canvas that’s 750×750 pixels at 300dpi. We walk you through the basics to get you going on Photoshop CS and newer. When done well it is possible to create a rich and vibrant art style which will capture the imagination. The use of colourful vector art is a great way to create an accessible and friendly webpage.

Inkscape tutorials cartoon mouth