okay! so this tutorial will show you how I slice open a png in ibis paint! here are some examples of what I'm talking about bcs it's hard to explain this in words ::

i will be showing how to make both (a flat cut like the pink one and a hollow looking cut like the skull one) so let's go!!

so first step is to obviously add your png to the canvas. if your image still has a background, erase it first. I just changed the background of my canvas to show you that this image is already a png.

next, duplicate your image and select the duplicate on top. turn the visibility of your image below off. I'm making a duplicate so that in case I mess up, I have a quick backup.

now go and select the lasso tool and select the area of the head you want to cut off. make sure that the selected area covers all of the image you want off and not just where the cut will be.

here I highlighted the tools I mostly use (and what I used) when using the lasso and what they do.

now that you've got your selection, duplicate the layer. doing that will only duplicate the area selected so you'll have a copy of the top of the head if you decided that you actually need it.

now go back to the duplicated full png (on the image above, it is layer 3) then erase the part of the head that is in the selection and then delete the whole selection. you'll now be left with this.

now I will clean up the edges by using the eraser tool and just, y'know, smooth it out.

and now I'm gonna add a layer behind that. I just simply moved the previously named layer one behind it.

now im gonna make the shape that is shown. you can choose whatever color you wish. making the shape, I usually follow the shape of the cut I made earlier, but I also tend to round the edge a bit so the start and end point look a bit curved.

I start with a rough outline as I can always polish it more later.

then I will fill in the shape just using the same felt tip pen soft

now I will polish the shape more by erasing and drawing more on the stuff that needs it. I'll be smoothing out the hard edges too and make the shape match the cut more.

now I'm gonna add a clipping mask to the shape. this is done by adding a new layer on top and clicking the 'clipping' icon.

this makes sure that whatever I draw on the layer will only be shown directly on top of the shape and not outside of it.

n

ow I'll be adding highlights and shadows on to the

shape. I'll be using the airbrush (normal) and lighter and darker shades of the color I used respectively.

*the shading i do is different for the flat and hollow cuts. the one I'm showing first is go the flat. the hollow cut will be shown later.

and that's done for the flat cut!! but for the hollow cut, the shading will be different. I used a darler variant of the original color and black and add it to the area where the shape meets the png. note that this is still on a clipping mask!

now that it gives a hollow look, we'll be adding the outlines. make sure to get a sample of the skin color of your portrayer then add it to your palette.

first merge down the clipping mask to the shape then add a layer underneath. now go to filters > style > stroke (outer) and adjust the settings to your liking.

MAKE SURE THAT THE LAYER YOU ADDED IS UNDERNEATH THE SHAPE AND THE REFERENCE FOR THE FILTER IS UPPER LAYER

click the check mark and clean up the stroke. I go in with an eraser then thin out the areas where it's supposed to touch the skin.

were gonna add a new layer over the cut png (the duplicate) and I'm gonna go and select the head area. this is so that erasing will be easier later.

im gonna go to filters and this time I'm selecting stroke (both) and adjust it to your preference.

now just erase the uneeded areas and you're done with the hollow!!

I had to fix up and remove some of the images in this chapter because I reached the limit :(( I didn't want to split this into two parts because it was not necessary so hopefully this is still easy to follow!

also I'm curious... I've recorded a speed edit I made in ibispaint and would you like to see it in this book? I'll provide a section for it then below the video, I'll include an explanation to some steps I made in the video. if you'd like that then please let me know, otherwise just ignore this XD