Using Motion Blur to make a "Block" Letter
This tutorial was done in PSP 8.  You can adapt it to other versions.

Set up a canvas with a transparent background.

Choose two contrasting colors on your materials palette.
You may not want to do that the next time, but for this tutorial
use two contrasting colors.  
Using the text tool, put the basic letter onto your canvas.
I made my letter size 150 with a 3 pixel width on the outline
and picked Franklin Gothic Heavy for the font.
It is a good idea to use a "chunky" choice of font for the tut. 
*Now, be sure to defloat your letter to the layer.

Duplicate the letter layer and move that duplicated layer down below the original.

Make sure that you are working on that duplicated layer and go to Blur....
Click the motion blur setting to open that dialog box.
Set the angle to 235 and strength to 44 for this tut.  Click OK.
        

Now your image should look like this.

 Now duplicate the blurred layer about 15 times until you
can't see through the layers.  
 Turn off the original raster 1.
Your image should look like the image below.  Now merge all those blurred layers.

To give more contrast to this new "body" of the block
letter, go to Hue/Saturation/Lightness and lower the
lightness setting to darken the merged layer.
Your image should look something like the one you see below.

Now turn the original upper layer back on.

You can use the lighten/darken brush to change
the shade of that blurred layer as I did below.
Now merge the two layers.
Your finished image should look something like this.

 Here are some suggestions of alternatives you can use in making your letters.
You can see these ideas used in the image at the top of this page.

 Return to the tutorials/freebies index.

This tutorial is © Holder, 2004
For your personal use.  Do not duplicate this tut anywhere.  Do not make a script from this tut.
http://www.glhold.com/index.html