9.1.2 Advice Animal Meme

Advice Animals, sometimes referred to as "Advice Dog spin-offs", are a type of image macro series featuring animals of some kind (including humans) that are accompanied by captioned text to represent a character trait or an archetype that fits the role of a "stock character".

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/advice-animals

Step 1: How to Set up your canvas

First go to File > New to create a new canvas.

You will then get a pop-up which will give you a number of options.

Templates allows you to make your canvas the right size for various formats for example.

We are using 1920 (w) x 1080 (h) px

Step 2: Save File

Press File > Save. Make sure you save your work to the H: Drive. This is the drive with your Student Id and has (H:) at the end.

Name it appropriately i.e. AnimalAdviceMeme.xcf

Step 3: Find an Animal Image & Copy

Now we need to get a picture to put onto our canvas.

Go to Google and find a picture of an animal. Importantly we need to find one we are allowed to use so in Google Image search make sure you select Tools > Usage Rights > Creative Commons licenses.

These images you are more likely to be allowed to use for projects like this.

When we have chosen an image we are going to click on it to show the full image on the right then Right Click > Copy image.

Step 4: Pasting Animal Image into Gimp

Once you've copied your image from google we go back to GIMP.

There are TWO ways you can paste your image into Gimp EITHER Right Click > Edit > Paste OR Alternatively we can press Ctrl + V.

Option 1:

Right Click > Edit > Paste.

Finally we are going to make the image its own layer so that we can manipulate it.

Right Click on the layer that we have just imported called Floating Selection (Pasted Layer) found in the Layers Panel (normally found in the bottom right)
Select To New Layer.

Option 2: Using CTRL + V

CTRL + V will paste your image as a Floating Selection (Pasted Layer) in the Layers Panel.

YOU NEED TO then click To New Layer so it puts the image on a new layer.

You can rename it by double clicking on 'Pasted Layer'.

Step 5: Make a Layer Mask

Look at your Layers panel (normally found on right side of your screen).

Right Click on the layer that has your animal. Then....

1. Select Add Layer Mask

2. Select 'White' in settings & Add

It should look like this....

Step 6: Using the Brush Tool

1. Select the Brush Tool

If you can't see it, you can find it under the pencil tool

2. Foreground Colour

Make sure the foreground colour is Black. (Double click the square if you need to change it)

3. Brush Settings

Make sure Opacity is 100
You can change the Size of you brush as you go.

Step 7: Paint the Background

If you have all the settings correct as per step 6, you should be able to start 'painting' the parts you don't want and they will turn white.

If this is not the case go back to Step 7 and check your settings.

When you are done it should look similar to this......

Your animal with everything else white, and on the layers panel you can see the Layer Mask too (the black & white image next to your animal image)

Step 8: Change the Background Colour

Now in the Layers Panel select your background layer (just click on it).

If you don't have a background layer you can always make a new one by clicking the New Layer button at the bottom left corner of the Layers tab, or clicking Layer > New Layer in the main menu.

Select the Paintbucket Tool from your Toolbox. This will let you fill the whole area.
Next click on the big black square at the bottom of the Toolbox to change the Foreground Colour.
Once you have selected a good colour hit OK.
Now click on your background and it should all fill with that colour.

Step 9: Make some Triangles

Now that you have a nice background colour now you need to add the triangles so you get the alternating light and dark colours.

1. Change Foreground Colour

Click the Foreground Colour Square again
Select a new colour - it should be a lighter or darker shade of your background.
Select the Brush tool again.

2. Make a Diagonal Line

Click outside of the canvas in the top left hand corner. By being outside the canvas your line will go all the way to the edge.
Move your cursor to the opposite corner (bottom right, outside of canvas), hold Shift and click again. This will form a straight line between the two points you have clicked.

Repeat till you have 8 triangles.

3. Repeat Step 2

Repeat Step 2 Horizontally and Vertically, this should be 3 more time.

Then you should have 8 triangles.

Step 10: Fill the Triangles

1. Select the Paintbucket Tool

If you can't see it, you can find it under the pencil tool

2. Brush Settings

Make sure you have the "Fill similar colours" option selected.

3. Fill

Now if you click on one of the triangles it should fill with the new colour.

PROBLEM SOLVING

If the above does not work as expected have a look at the threshold:

If it fills in the whole background in the new colour - adjust the threshold down
If there is a ugly line between the painted area and the line - adjust the threshhold up

Step 11: Add Text

Next you are going to put in the text.

Change your Foreground Colour to White. Otherwise you will be writing in the 'Triangle' colour.
Select the Text tool which is a capital "A"
Click once somewhere on your canvas (towards the left helps and either top or bottom). This way the box will automatically resize to the text put in.
Write your Text
Change the font in the Toolbox on the left hand side of your screen.

You can only change the size of text that you have selected. Either click and drag over it all, or press Ctrl + A on the keyboard to select it all
Repeat the above if you are following our example with text and the top and bottom.

Advice animals are normally written in white "Impact" font.