I know it's probably overkill but it's what I already had and was pretty familiar with from doing digital photo work for the last 15 years or so. I have the latest Photo Shop / Illustrator suite and it works very similar to PSP after reading the tutor posted elsewhere here at the site. So far I've done 3 patterns using PS by importing the picture, removing any color information, resizing and cropping the image to a workable size, the applying the photo copy filter to the final work. Once there I create a new layer (it's like taking a piece of clear paper and laying it over the original picture to trace a new outline). Here's where I use my drawpad (used my mouse too and it works fine)and trace and fill the lands and dropout sections of the future pattern. Anytime, when I working and want to see how the final pattern is coming along, I click on the original picture layer and temporarily turn it off. This leaves the layer I created and am doing my tracing on that will be the actual pattern once I'm done. I turn it back on to continue tracing and coloring. To print it, I do the same: just turn off the original layer and print the layer I created. My challenge is now to try to apply the theory used in PSP to figure out the size pen tip to use to make the pattern lines the right size for an actual saw blade. Anyone with a tip or procedure would be appreciated. I'll keep posting for those who also use and need some help as I experiment with pen sizes and frame sizes.
I used to have a life before I found this site! But I didn't have this much fun and meet such super folks!!!
I used to have a life before I found this site! But I didn't have this much fun and meet such super folks!!!

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